RoHS II
RoHS is the abbreviation for "Restriction of (the use of certain) Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment". It originates from EC Directive 2002/95/EC and aims to protect human health and the environment by avoiding the use of harmful substances such as heavy metals and brominated flame retardants/plasticisers. This restriction has been continuously developed in line with the latest findings and is now available in version II.
REACH
REACH has been in force since 2007 and is one of the strictest laws pertaining to chemicals in the world. The abbreviation "REACH" is derived from the English name of the regulation: Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. This will ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment. For this reason, it is often asked whether products contain components in this list. This information is important because conscientious documentation is required for the end products that are manufactured. The manufacturers of machines take responsibility for the chemicals present in your product.
Profinet
Profinet is an Industrial Ethernet standard of the PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e. V. for automation. Profinet is a field bus system based on TCP/IP and IT standards and is capable of real-time operation. The bus system is based on a data transfer rate of cat5. This network system can be regarded as the technological successor to Profibus and is completely replacing it on more and more control systems. With an annual significant increase in the number of network nodes, it can be described as one of the leading bus systems in control technology.
UKCA
Like CE marking, UKCA marking ("United Kingdom Conformity Assessed") is a marking requirement for certain technical products. With this marking, the manufacturer declares that the products are manufactured according to the applicable directives or regulations of the "United Kingdom". UKCA marking is not a seal of approval or sign of quality and was created for trade with the "United Kingdom". Technical details and further regulations in this regard are still being developed by the English government and trade associations. As a result of the national development of product regulations, it is possible that there will be product requirements that differ from those of the EU and must be complied with by manufacturers and importers wishing to place products on the market in the United Kingdom. All information: As at 08/2021.
Ethercat
EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) describes a bus system that was developed under the auspices of Beckhoff Automation. The protocol published in IEC standard 61158 is suitable for real-time requirements in automation technology and is therefore becoming increasingly widespread. On the data transmission side, it is based on a cat5 specification. New derivatives are EtherCAT P (for power), which can also transfer energy for the sensors and actuators, and an EtherCAT 10G for increased data volumes of up to 10 Gbit/s.
CE mark
With the CE mark, the manufacturer, marketer or authorised representative of the EU declares in accordance with EU Regulation 765/2008 "that the product complies with the applicable requirements laid down in the Community harmonisation legislation concerning its affixing".
The CE mark is therefore not a quality mark but a label which can be affixed by the person placing the product on the market at his own discretion and by which he indicates that he is aware of the specific requirements of the product he is marketing and that it conforms to them.
AWM Style
AWM is the abbreviation for Appliance Wire Material and describes a kind of modular system for cables at UL. There are AWM styles for the overall cable, the so-called outer styles, and styles for the cores, the so-called inner styles. They define the technical requirements of the component, such as stress, temperature, wall thickness, material, etc. These styles are publicly available on UL's homepage and enable the manufacturer of a cable to make separate cable assemblies without having to test the entire cable as one component each time, which would be necessary for a "listed cable".
NFPA79
The US National Fire Protection Association has been active in fire protection since 1896. The objective is to establish rules and standards for fire protection in the USA. This very comprehensive body of standards assesses a wide range of applications. For electrical equipment with a nominal voltage of up to 600 V, NFPA 79 specifies the requirements for construction, wiring, grounding, operation, marking, documentation and testing. The specifications described therein must be observed if machines and electronic products are to be operated in the USA.
EAC
EAC is an abbreviation for Eurasian Conformity. The EAC mark is similar to the European CE mark in content. The EAC mark is a prerequisite for the first placement on the market (or commissioning) of products for which an EAC mark is required, namely in all participating states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAWU comprises the Member States Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Cleanroom certificate
A cleanroom is an enclosure that is necessary for sensitive products. This may be necessary, for example, in semiconductor production or in medical technology. In these rooms the air is cleaned of the smallest particles. For this purpose there is a classification, which describes how many particles per m³ volume may be in the room.
A cleanroom certificate states how many particles are emitted by a product into the ambient air during normal operation. In this case, the fewer the particles, the higher is the quality of the product. For cables, igus collaborates with the IPA Institute, where the components are tested for this release in standardised motion sequences in an e-chain and there is a clear statement on the purity class.
Desina
DESINA was founded by a consortium of well-known machine tool manufacturers. It stands for decentralised and standardised installation technology for machine tools and production systems and describes the standardisation of the installation. DESINA is not a rule, but a standard that is intended to bring about uniformity in mechanical engineering. For cables conforming to DESINA the resistance against industrial lubricants must be stated and also the colour of the jacket is determined by DESINA:
CC Link IE
CC-Link (Control and Communications Link) is a fieldbus system developed by Mitsubishi, which was designed in 1996 as a proprietary fieldbus network. Due to strong customer demand, CC-Link was launched in 1999 as an open network, so that the data transmission protocols are also made available to third parties in order to develop their own interfaces. The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) was founded to continuously develop the bus system.
DNV
DNV is an international classification society and expert in technical consultancy, engineering services, certification and risk management. DNV was created in 2013 through a merger of the two leading classification societies Det Norske Veritas (Norway) and Germanischer Lloyd (Germany).
DNV is the world's largest consulting company for onshore and offshore wind, tidal and solar energy. The classification society also plays an important role in the oil and gas industry. 65% of the world's offshore pipelines are either built according to DNV guidelines or are certified by DNV. Cables for onshore and offshore use should be qualified for use according to their specifications in order to avoid risks.
UL Listed
Underwriters Laboratories (abbreviation UL) is an independent organisation that examines and certifies products for their safety. UL develops standards and procedures for safety testing of products, materials, components, parts, appliances, systems and equipment. UL has developed more than 1,300 safety standards for this purpose. A typical standard for electrical products covers not only electrical safety requirements but also a wide range of flammability and mechanical hazards.
The "listed" label indicates that the very product bearing this label has been tested by UL and approved for consumer use. Typically, this logo can be found on household appliances such as washing machines, hairdryers or toasters, but also on other electrical items such as drills, computers or televisions.
Germany
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Katharina Wielpütz
Product manager chainflex® – Germany/Cologne
E-Mail: kwielpuetz@igus.net
Dear customers,
My colleagues and I try to stay very close to you so that we can understand the details of your applications and their requirements. When we visit, we are conscious of how important it is for the cables to last because you, the end customer, expect a fully functional machine. Guided by the energy chain, the cable is frequently called the machine's umbilical cord, and the comparison is a good one. If the cable breaks after a few movements, there will be downtime, high costs, and a loss of reputation. So we clearly state our chainflex cable service life and guarantee our cables for up to 36 months or 100 million double strokes.
Even if you manufacture mainly in Germany, your machines and systems are used all over the world. So our cables must have all the important approvals they need to be used worldwide without any problems. But what are those approvals? We cannot say exactly because different approvals are important in different regions. In Europe, marketed machines and systems must have a CE marking, which of course means that chainflex has to comply with the relevant guidelines. UL approval also plays an important role because many of our customers export to the US. Since igus offers solutions for a wide range of industries, additional guidelines must be adhered to for certain customer groups. The semiconductor industry may require IPA cleanroom approvals, and sea applications may require DNV certification. DESINA requirements are often also important.
EMAG is one of our customers that builds machining centres in Germany and sells them all over the world. A project the company was working on involved finding technical solutions for individual cores for their spindles and obtaining various approvals. EMAG needed UL approvals, and the outer jacket had to comply with DESINA colour and durability requirements. These approvals and requirements were crucial if the cables were to be used in applications worldwide.
We at igus would be very pleased if we could also support you with a cable solution in your machine.
Best regards from Cologne
Katharina Wielpütz
USA
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Timothy Marran
Product manager chainflex® – North America
E-Mail: tmarran@igus.net
Dear customer,
I have been working in product management at chainflex® for many years and experience every day in many customer meetings how important it is that the cables last with the customer and that we also provide a good price-performance ratio.
chainflex® cables have a unique design that combines excellent mechanical stability and the ability to survive in the environment the cable is installed into. These cables also need to adhere to electrical standards in each of the countries they are used to. Industry in the USA looks to the National Electric Code for recommended and safe cable practices. chainflex® cables meet this balance of performance and compliance to codes.
Popular cable approval types including UL Tray cable, UL Communication cable, UL AWM for NFPA 79.
A customer Example of why chainflex® is a good solution:
The biggest impact chainflex® cables has provided is with one of our largest customers. Their need for a cable solution was born from sever corkscrew failures with their cables which they had designed and tested over long periods of time. They came to us with a near-impossible request. A cable that needed to be highly flame resistant, heavy solvent resistance, mechanically very demanding linear movements, and with UL listing. We were able to provide a solution to them through rigorous R&D, testing and multiple prototypes and overcoming failures. This customer has partnered with igus because of our commitment and shared ownership of the performance and life cycle of the cables. This example is not unlike many of our cable customers. The best and most loyal of our customers found igus by experiencing cable failure from another cable type.
All the best
Timothy Marran
Brazil
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Jones Cansi
Product manager chainflex® – Brazil
E-Mail: jones@igus.com.br
Dear customer,
From my point of view and also for the BR market, chainflex® is a great solution because we are the only supplier that can guarantee a real service lifetime. This is good mainly for the maintenance departments and machine-building industry to reduce machine downtime. We have success stories with great results in automotive companies, where they buy our cables mainly because of our long lifetime. My personal experiences tell me that many customers trust on us because they know that we are a reference for many maintenance leaders as a “solution company” and with great technical support from our outside sales, ready to answer enquiries by phone, e-mail, and visits.
The most common certifications for us in Brazil are UL and DNV. UL because a lot of customers export machines to the USA and therefore it is mandatory to use cables with UL certifications.
With DNV because we have a very strong offshore market in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, customers look for cables with this certification.
Many customers love chainflex® cables...
A nice highlight application in Brazil is from a big automotive manufacturer. The customer requested a visit to develop a solution on a welding machine. They were facing many problems with cables which caused a lot of machine downtime. We looked at the application and discussed all the necessary technical data to find a perfect solution. We developed a readycable solution with CF5.05.07 and CF5.05.02. for them. The customer has been ordering a lot of chainflex® cable for their factory for some years now and they have never had machine downtime since then. After us proving our expertise in chainflex® the customer now asks us for assistance finding a solution for any cable problem they may have.
All the best from Brazil
Jones Cansi
UK
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
John Barker
chainflex® Product Manager – UK
E-Mail: jbarker@igus.net
Dear customer,
We have the best product on the market when it comes to long-lasting cables in the energy chain. In the UK we have two very different customer groups. On the one hand, there are the operating equipment customers for whom our chainflex® cables are ideal because we are able to precisely determine the service life. This makes it easier for me as Product Manager to explain the advantages of our cables. The second major customer group are OEM customers. Here the purchase price plays a decisive role and the USPs sometimes become a minor matter. In most cases, these applications do not require a cable that lasts for millions of double strokes. However, the customer needs good advice on the choice of cables and we create excellent customer loyalty, which cannot be taken for granted. In addition, a few years ago we introduced our CF8xx series which are mechanically designed for the simpler applications and therefore also save significant costs.
A large customer from the food industry has already been very satisfied using our cables in their bacon cutting machines. We were directly involved in the prototype development for a new machine series, collaborating in the selection of the right cable. The customer made the decision to use more of a plug n' play system in the future. They enjoy the opportunity to purchase ready-made cables from us, because at present everything is manufactured in an expensive in-house process. Therefore, together we developed a solution that offers the whole package to the customer. A further challenge is the different length specifications depending on the machine, as the customer can incorporate individual requirements. Thanks to our chainflex® stock and the harnessing line in our production facility, we were able to provide the customer with an individual overall system consisting of sold by the metre cables, connectors and harnessing. The customer has not only saved time but also costs and is very happy about the close and constructive collaboration.
In UK the UL certification is indisputably the most important standard for us. The North American market is one of the largest buyers for our machines, so our customers cannot do without UL. DNV also plays an important role because we have a very large and steadily growing market in the oil & gas industry.
Greetings from Northampton in England.
John Barker
France
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Benoit Melamed
chainflex® Product Manager – France
E-Mail: bmelamed@igus.net
Dear customer,
During interviews or visits, I often note that choosing a cable for a moving application seems to be very difficult for the customer. For them, there are too many options that must be considered. To help people with these decisions we developed the igus online tools. With only a few clicks, the customer can select the parameters of his application and gets a direct recommendation for a cable. That saves not only time and nerves, but also money because of the large cable range igus provides.
French customers often ask for the UL certification. Not only because they want to export their goods to America, but also UL is a quality feature for many customers. The other very important certification is the DNV certification. This certification allows our customers to use chainflex® cables without any problems on offshore applications like drilling platforms, wind power plants etc. or vessels without doing expensive individual approvals.
The company KLUBB for example, a manufacturer for telescopic arm vehicles, chooses chainflex® cables not only because of the great lifetime. They also appreciate the detailed datasheets we provide. It allows them to simply integrate them in the technical files of their vehicles.
All the best from France
Benoit Melamed
Spain
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Enrique Gárate
chainflex® Product Manager – Spain
E-Mail: egarate@igus.net
Dear customer,
When I am on visits with a customer I always try to figure out what is really important for them. The classic answer often is: “Only the price is important” Second one is: “The cable has to work.” Going deeper into the conversation, I often recognize that there is more than this. For example, our excellent service, where we are available for the customer even after a project and won´t leave him alone with his problems. Another thing is our chainflex® guarantee which lasts 36 months. This gives a feeling of security to our customer which he gets nowhere else.
Spanish economy is very versatile, so it is good when you have products which fulfill the right norms and certifications for the different industries. The most required certification is that the cables are halogen free and that they fulfill the UL approval. chainflex® cables not only fulfill these two conditions on different cable types, the customer can even choose between different qualities to find the perfect solution.
ASTI Mobile Robotics S.A. is one of our customers. For their Forklifters and AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) they were looking for cables with long lifetimes to avoid unexpected downtimes. The great advantage of chainflex® for the customer is that the service life can be calculated for each cable in every different bending radius because of that unexpected downtimes cannot occur, and maintenance intervals can be planned much better.
All the best from Spain
Enrique Gárate
Austria
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Martin Deutschl
chainflex® Product Manager – Austria
E-Mail: mdeutschl@igus.net
Dear customer,
In the last few years as Product Manager at igus Austria, one thing in particular has been made clear to me time and again: we stand out from the competition because we provide our customers with meaningful facts based on data sheets, have a broad range of knowledge in extreme applications and often score points with our guarantee. This enables us to approach our customers with conviction and to say with 100% certainty that our cables deliver what we promise. Our customers appreciate that.
Customers in Austria appreciate our quality in many respects. We were in the fortunate position of being able to deliver an order to a large steel company based in Linz. They needed a CAT7 cable for an 85-metre travel. Actually, this length is difficult to implement with a bus cable if you want to receive the signal completely. We at igus® worked out a solution along with the responsible persons at the customer and tests were carried out. In the end, the decision was made in all good faith to implement this length with a bus cable. In this case, we once again realised what customer loyalty means and how indispensable good customer contact is. Through openness, asking questions about customer requirements and the daily will to bring out the best for our customers.
The most important standard for our customers in Austria is and remains UL. Austria is a beautiful country, but unfortunately also a very small country, so many of our machines are exported. One of our main export markets is North America, where the standard is predominantly UL. Therefore, our customers appreciate the fact that 70% of our cables have UL approval.
Best wishes from Lenzing (Austria).
Martin Deutschl
Switzerland
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Andreas Leppert
chainflex® Product Manager – Switzerland
E-Mail: aleppert@igus.net
Dear customer,
Swiss machines are known worldwide for their high price as well as for their very high quality, reliability and durability. In order to repeatedly meet these high-quality customer requirements, the machine manufacturers rely on high-quality components. This is why chainflex® cables are in great demand among our customers, as our service life calculator and the large number of tests we carry out enable us to make a precise statement about their durability, making it very interesting for me to talk to the customer about our chainflex® cables.
The delight of the customer to already know the service life of the cable in the machine right down to the last double stroke and also to receive a guarantee from us for this, is something I enjoy every time it happens.
One of our Swiss customers, a vacuum pump manufacturer, is a big fan of our chainflex® cables and purchases them for his own maintenance. Whenever a cable breaks down in production, it is replaced by an igus® cable. The reason for this is our quality and durability. The maintenance department is responsible for ensuring that the machines function properly without causing breakdowns and production stops. Therefore, our chainflex® cables which meet this high-quality standard are the first choice for you.
The chainflex® cables have a unique design which combines excellent mechanical stability with the ability to ensure long service life in dynamic applications. These cables must also comply with the electrical standards in the country in which they are used. Here in Switzerland, it is particularly important that the cables have UL, as many cables are exported to North America along with machines.
Best wishes from Egerkingen (Switzerland).
Andreas Leppert
Poland
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Maciej Slezak
chainflex® Product Manager – Poland
E-Mail: mslezak@igus.net
Dear customer,
chainflex® is very popular in Poland because of the high quality. Also, the high quantity of different cable types is one of the reasons Polish customers decide to choose for chainflex.
In Poland, there are two Norms which are very important: UL and DNV
UL
Many machine building companies have their production in Poland. For them UL is important, because a lot of the machines are exported to the USA. This means that the installed components must have UL certification. Good for them that there are lots of chainflex® cable types with UL and this from control cables over servo cables up to bus cables. Not only that, the customer can choose between different qualities. This is unique to the market.
DNV
chainflex® cables with this certificate can be used on ships and for offshore applications without special certification or concession. There are over 348 chainflex® cables with have received the DNV certification. No other manufacturer can offer this wide range of certificated cables for energy chain applications.
The company STEICO, a manufacturer for wood building materials, had regularly problems with one of his processing machines. Corkscrewing and lost signals were the problems he had to fight with because of the machine downtime he had delays in the complete production of the fabric. This caused high losses after our sales engineer introduced the chainflex® guarantee, during a visit, the customer changed every cable which was built in this machine to chainflex® cables. Since then the application runs without any problems and the customer is very happy.
All the best from Warschau
Maciej Slezak
Italy
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Simone Gadeschi
product manager chainflex® – Italy / Milano
E-Mail: sgadeschi@igus.net
Dear customer,
In Italy, igus® and chainflex® are well known to be the problem solver for moving applications. All our customers and non-customers, know very well that if they have a mechanical cable issue, igus® is the best production partner. In almost all cases we are able to surpass our market players due to our passion for innovation and customer orientation. Thinking on these last years, we had been able to achieve several hundreds of thousands of euros turnover thanks to our support and dedicated testing solutions.
Examples are:
- A roller application in Material Handling world
- A -40°C application in a very small BR for Automotive world
- A small BR in low temperatures in Packaging world
Our experience in high flexible cable manufacturing and testing also permit us to provide a fantastic online tool called Lifetime Calculator. It is a unique tool, able to predict cables’ lifetime. It helps our customer to plan their maintenance intervals just in time and therefore to prevent cost intensive downtimes. It is not only the technical support that customers love, issues related to service, like shipment or alternative solutions from stock are topics that igus® can solve with a professional and passionate approach.
In this modern world, the best strategy for a global company like igus® should be to find the right thing (Norm) that fits to customers’ needs … We like to say “The ONE THING!” UL/CSA is one of these things, because it is one of the most recognized certification bodies. Whoever sells technical products and uses one of the >1000 UL/CSA certified chainflex® cables, can take advantage as this standard is required in many countries. In Italy, we have a florid relationship with the US market where this approval cannot be excluded.
For igus®, marine applications / marine industry is an important strategic market where certain norms and regulations are indispensable. A couple of years ago, igus® started a cooperation with the most popular certification body for marine business certifications, DNV. When we started the cooperation, all product managers in each country had been asked to make interviews with the local Marine certification bodies. We found out, that DNV was the most noted one. Furthermore, we already had a good relationship with GL at that time.
Together with DNV we created special test procedures for e-chain® cables which are unique in the market. chainflex® cable series like CF77.UL.D are the only cables in the market that can fulfill the acc. DNV requirements. Finally, the DESINA regulation cannot be missed in one of the most proactive countries for Machine Tools! Speaking about networks and partnerships, it has to be clear that network technology is one of the main topics today and in the near future looking at topics like of Big Data, IIoT or Smart Factory. Going on the protocol levels, EtherCAT and PROFINET are widely required from packaging to material handling, to Machine Tools and Automotive. Being members of these associations, permit us to be part of important developments and an interesting growing market.
A good example that shows the positive effect of providing the right norms and standards, is the official membership in the Profinet association. After one year of membership, we could achieve a plus in turnover of 35% for ProfiNet cables.
My colleagues and I would be happy to support you to find the best cable solution for your application.
All the best from Milano
Simone Gadeschi
India
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Ravikumar Alloli
product manager chainflex® – India
E-Mail: ralloli@igus.net
Dear customer,
My personal experience is that the customers only look at the price first, but when I explain them that there are much more criteria to consider when choosing a cable for a moving application they begin to listen.
Giving this knowledge to the customer builds trust and shows that we know what we are talking about. Many of the visits end with the understanding that there were points the customer didn’t think about when he was choosing the cables and is happy that we can help him with that, like a 36 month guarantee and service life calculation for their cables in their own application.
In India, most of the customers look for a CE certificate on the products. This is because a lot of goods which are produced in India are exported to Europe. Even over the borders of Europe the CE certificate stands for high quality and a lot of our customers tell us that their end customers ask for the certificate.
UL is also very important because a lot of products are exported to the US or Canada. There are a lot of chainflex® cables which have both, UL and CE. So the customer can use one cable no matter where the product is sold to. This flexibility is a big benefit for our customers.
All the best from India
Ravikumar Alloli
Taiwan
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Vincent Chiang
Product Manager chainflex® – Taiwan / Taichung
E-Mail: vchiang@igus.net
Dear customer,
In Taiwan we have different types of customers and therefore different demands on us as a cable supplier. Our customers like that they have flexibility with the lengths provided and that they don't have to pay cutting costs up to the 10th cut at igus. This is especially good for smaller companies that still assemble the cables themselves. However, our offer to deliver chainflex® cables as harnessed readycable, is a good argument, e.g. in the machine tool industry. Mainly assembled cable packages are purchased in this industry. Another advantage of chainflex® is our reliable statement about the service life of a cable in energy chains. With our lifetime calculator on the internet, the customer can clearly determine how he can plan his maintenance intervals for his system. In addition, we also guarantee our lifespan for 36 months with the chainflex® guarantee. I often get positive feedback from customers about our good on-site service from our field staff, they give our customers competent advice on the right cable solution for their projects.
Many customers in Taiwan manufacture machines and systems for TFT-LCD production. For this reason, the clean room certification according to IPA class 1 is an important topic. chainflex® cables have been tested by IPA and meet this standard. If these cables also have UL / CSA, this is an even greater advantage. Taiwan is very connected to the United States and many of our machine builders ship to the United States. So, I think it's good that all flame-retardant chainflex® cables are coming with UL / CSA approval.
Our customer CHAIN WE is a manufacturer of automatic conveyor systems for various industries including food, chemical, paper, automotive and electronics industries. I remember a project that involved a conveyor system for connecting medical devices from Hitachi. This conveyor system transports 20 million test tubes with blood in one day. Our good relationship with the customer and the good quality of the chainflex® cables convinced CHAIN WE. For this project they have chosen our CF9 TPE control cables due to the long service life and the torsion ability of ± 90 degrees. Our CF77.UL.D series was also an option at this point in time, but ultimately the CF9 was chosen due to the good experience that our contact person had with this cable series in his previous company. In other areas, PVC cables of the CF240 and CF30 family are used due to the clean environment. This is how CHAIN WE make optimal use of the chainflex® range: CF9 for areas with high cycle numbers and the inexpensive PVC cables for less critical areas of application.
All the best from Taichung
Vincent Chiang
ASEAN
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Luther Tan
Product Manager chainflex® – ASEAN / Singapore
E-Mail: ltan@igus.net
Dear customer,
chainflex® cables have a lot of benefits compared with other cables in the market. The fact that igus offers to purchase cables without minimum order quantity allows customers to get a short length for prototyping, trail or projects without additional cost. We also get a good feedback on our clear service lifetime statements which are based on the massive testing in our cable test lab. Especially for machine builders who have high operational cycles this adds an assurance where they can be confident that they can upkeep their reputation and quality of the machine in the market. Further I like to mention our 36 months guarantee. There is no cable manufacturer who offer this. This enhances the quality and standards.
A lot of ASEAN machine builder are making machines for the US market. Often, they manufacture machines for clean room environment. This requires UL/CSA on one side but clean room suitability also. Since a lot of chainflex® cables fulfilling both, UL/CSA and Cleanroom ISO Class 1 for me these are the main important norms. Especially the fact that chainflex® cables are tested by IPA according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1 benefits our customers in that industry.
AEM is a customer of ours in Singapore. They are confident of chainflex® cable to provide them with clear reliable service life guarantee with a Cleanroom certified cable. Hence why, they implemented various series into their machines. At igus we would be very happy if we could support you with a cable solution in your machine.
All the best from Singapore
Luther Tan
China
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Lila Zhou
Product Manager chainflex® – China / Shanghai
E-Mail: lzhou@igus.net
Dear customer,
In China we have a wide variety of customers. This gives us applications ranging from very simple to very demanding. The great variety of chainflex® cables fits to this market, since we can choose up to 7 different cables for all cable types. This enables us to offer the customer the most suitable cable at the most cost-effective price for his application. Since igus China maintains a large cable warehouse, we can offer almost everything out of the chainflex® catalogue from stock. This greatly reduces the delivery time and makes us competitive with local cable factories. Another advantage is that chainflex® cables come with plenty of standards and certifications.
UL / CSA are the most requested approvals from our customers. Since almost all flame-retardant chainflex® cables meet UL / CSA requirements, the design of his machine is easier for the customer. In addition, RoHS & REACH is becoming more and more important, as the demands and regulations are increasing in China. Local cable manufacturers in China often fail to meet these requirements, which gives igus an advantage. All chainflex® cables are RoHS-III and REAh compliant.
Our customer QuFu Tarn Electronic Science and Technology Co. Ltd, which manufacturers systems to produce ID cards, used static cables for fixed installations in the past. After various cable failures occurred, igus was consulted to find a solution. After our field service had an idea of the application, we were able to offer a durable solution with our CF211 data cables with PVC sheath. To the delight of our customer, the service life of the installed cables has been increased significant.
All the best from Shanghai
Lila Zhou
Korea
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Kyle Jang
Product Manager chainflex® – Korea / Incheon
E-Mail: kjang@igus.net
Dear customer,
The business in Korea requires a very quick processing. That is why customers like chainflex® as we keep stock of many items. For that reason, we started to create an express stock here in Korea. This express stock covers all high runner cables. To make it more transparent we printed an extra catalogue which we update around 2-4 times a year. The express stock combined with our no minimum order policy makes chainflex® interesting for our customers. Additionally, I like to highlight the huge variety of chainflex® cables. This allows us to quote exactly the right cable to the customer, which is suitable for their application. This avoids an over or under designed cables, brings cost savings, and avoids machine downtimes.
Korean machine manufactures need to adhere to certain certifications. This is due to fact that Korea export to Europe, North America, Vietnam, China and Eurasia. These countries all need certifications like UL for example. For North America UL/CSA is a must, Europe requires CE for all products and the Russia wants cables with EAC. That is why these norms are the most important for me and I am glad that chainflex® comes along with these norms. Luckily CCC for China is not necessary as chainflex® cables are special cables and not part of this certification procedure. Beside these certifications and standards, it is very helpful that a lot of chainflex® cables are fulfilling the clean room class 1 standard by IPA. Korea has got a lot of manufacturer for semiconductor and electronics who requires products for that area.
Our customer d-gen, a large producer of textile printers had frequent issues with failing cables which had been supplied by a domestic harnessing company. As they already used our e-chains, we had the chance to discuss with their engineers the reason behind their cable failures, and then introduced them to our chainflex® range of dynamic cables. Our extensive knowledge of such applications combined with the chainflex® guarantee convinced them to try our cables. We now deliver readycables to d-gen and they are pleased to have a long-lasting solution which improves their machine quality.
All the best from Incheon
Kyle Jang
Japan
chainflex® cable works...
...all over the world in moving applications!
Tatsuya Nakayama
product manager chainflex® – Japan / Tokyo
E-Mail: tnakayama@igus.net
Dear customer,
my name is Tatsuya Nakayama and I am the chainflex® product manager in Japan. I would like to explain the particularities of the Japanese cable market.
Due to modern manufacturing processes, the outer-diameter of chainflex® cables is much smaller than other high flexible cables made in Japan. This is a big benefit for our customers as they can save space and weight and therefore use smaller e-chains®. Japanese cable manufactures don’t produce specific e-chain® resistant cables. They are focused on specific moving conditions. The second benefit is that chainflex® cables decrease their production costs in a significant way. On the one hand, chainflex® cables show an economically price structure. On the other hand, our cables are designed for the e-chain® use and show much higher lifetimes in the field.
chainflex® is known to be a problem solver, our customers fully understand the reliability and benefits when using our cables in their machines.
Last but not least, there are many variations of outer jackets and qualities so we can make proposals according to finding the best performance and cost.
Our Japanese customers are producing machines for the international market. For their clients in Europe, regulations like CE, RoHS/RoHS2 are very important. Clients in North America, require the UL and NFAP79 standard for their machines and applications. These specific standards are fulfilled by chainflex® cables which is a huge advantage for our business.
My colleagues and I, would be happy to support you to find the best cable solution for your application.
All the best from Tokyo
Tatsuya Nakayama