igus has introduced twistable hybrid, bus, motor and fibre optic cables to its torsion-resistant Chainflex robot cable range. The line includes five cables with a PUR outer jacket. CF-Robot 9 is a hybrid control cable that is available shielded or unshielded. CF-Robot 8 is a shielded bus cable, while CF-Robot 4 is a shielded position-feedback cable. CF-Robot 6 and CF-Robot 7 are servo motor cables that are available shielded or unshielded. All five are oil resistant and flame retardant.

CF-Robot 5 is a fibre optic cable with a TPE outer jacket. It is oil and UV resistant, with a minimum bend radius of 12.5 times its diameter. CF-Robot is the original single core, shielded cable of the range, which is PVC free and oil and UV resistant.

Standard Chainflex continuous-flex cables for cable carriers are designed for linear applications and have been tested over millions of cycles in the igus test laboratories. igus developed a torsion test bench on which its robot cable types are repeatedly twisted. The degree of torsion can be freely chosen and can vary for each test specimen. The test standard is ± 180 degrees. After a prescribed number of cycles or a negative electrical or mechanical test result, the respective test specimen is taken apart, and the type and position of any damage can be determined exactly.

CF-Robot is suitable for multi-axis cable carriers, such as igus' Triflex R cable carrier, which is designed to protect moving cables and hoses on six-axis robots. Triflex R is able to move through all axes and can twist up to 380 degrees per yard, enabling easy movement through complex configurations, the company says.