R O B O T I C S
In large-scale manufacturing, industrial
robots are everywhere. They provide a
fast automation of processes and thereby
ensure cost-efficiency in companies. Igus
has now developed a new long-lasting Ethernet
cable, the CFRobot8.Plus, to ensure that robot
communication between the axes, the control system
and superordinate systems functions flawlessly,
even under extreme stress. The new family of cables,
available from Treotham, has been tested under
torsion for several years in the in-house laboratory
and are running absolutely fault-free for more than 15
million cycles.
“The probability that the communication of the future
will be dominated by industrial Ethernet is quite high,”
says Rainer Rössel, chainflex cables division manager
at igus GmbH. The motion cable specialist has been
working for more than five years on the development
of Ethernet cables for extreme three-dimensional
stress and a safe data transmission between the
robot components. At the SPS IPC Drives show in
Nuremberg, igus presented the CFRobot8.Plus cable
family to a specialist audience.
The number of robots used in manufacturing is
growing rapidly. According to the estimate of the
International Federation of Robotics (IFR), more than
three million industrial robots will operate worldwide
by 2020 just to drive the automation in manufacturing.
At the same time the requirements for safe
communication between robots, axes, control systems
and superordinate systems, are also rising.
“With our new robot cable we have become the only
manufacturer worldwide to offer a durable and tested
torsion cable from stock, with up to +/-360 degrees
torsion angle, and thus fill a gap in the market,” says
Rössel.
The CFRobot8.Plus has been tested for torsion in the
2,750 square metres test laboratory – in the igus triflex
e-chain series for three-dimensional motions – with
over 15 million cycles. The result is that the electrical
features of Ethernet communication work faultlessly.
The test series are still ongoing to determine the
expected maximum service life. However, we expect
the final results in a few years. This is because igus has
been developing and testing cables for more than 30
years in the industry's largest laboratory, these cables
being specially designed for use in energy chains.
REN285
SEE US AT
STAND 66
3D ETHERNET
CABLE
FOR FAST ROBOT COMMUNICATION
44 April 2019