Hybrid chainflex® cables used in drilling machine

• What was needed: chainflex hybrid cables
• Requirements: Cables must be extremely flexible with small bend radii and have a long service life.
• Industry: Machine tool manufacturing
• Success for the customer: Customized test program for new cables specially designed to meet the customer's requirements and ability to cope with the exceptionally low bend radii

60 meters per minute: This speed sets the pace for the drilling stations integrated into IMA Klessmann GmbH rigs. These machines must drill at high speed, even when the components being produced are manufactured to specific orders and feature different drilling patterns. The IMA Klessmann Drilling Technology business unit developed the flexible IMAGIC flex drilling system specifically for this application.

The individually controllable drilling spindles enable both horizontal and vertical drilling, as well as dowelling, while delivering minimal setup times, even for complex drilling patterns at remarkably high speeds. The systems, which are designed according to individual customer requirements, are equipped with up to 50 axes that must be positioned and coordinated within seconds.

To prepare the IMAGIC flex for this task, the designers upgraded the drive and control technology and chose the latest servo technology, which combines power and feedback transmission within a single servo cable. This single-cable technology reduces material costs as well as installation time, since up to four kilometres of cable may be required, depending on the location of the customer's control cabinet.

As a result, the required hybrid cable had to provide long service life and reliable performance despite the system's high dynamics. Another challenge was the need to accommodate small bend radii. Other leading control technology companies had previously rejected the single-cable concept. IMA took these concerns seriously, particularly because the mobility of the hybrid cables was a critical factor.

IMA Klessmann started discussions with igus®, although, at the time, no guaranteed service life could be provided for the demanding operating conditions under which the cables would be used.

The main challenge was the extremely small bend radii required in the servo axes, which were sometimes up to 50 percent smaller than the nominal values specified in the catalog. To address this issue, igus proposed a customized testing program for IMA Klessmann. The hybrid cables were tested according to the drive manufacturer's specifications and the Hyperface DSL bus standard, completing more than four million cycles at the bend radii required by IMA. The cables were then supplied to IMA for practical testing. Following successful laboratory and field testing, the system was approved for series production.

IMA ultimately selected the PVC cable variant. While many machine builders prefer cables with PUR jackets for high-speed applications, IMA had already gained positive experience with PVC in previous projects. The company also uses PVC jackets for other cable types because they offer excellent abrasion resistance, durability, and reliable performance, even in highly dynamic applications.

For cable management, IMA Klessmann also relies on igus hybrid and bus cables in combination with the company's energy chain systems. Open energy chains are used because they help prevent the accumulation of wood dust. As a result, customers benefit from a complete, integrated solution from a single supplier, with components that have been optimized through decades of testing and development in the igus laboratory.

For the guidance of the cables, IMA Klessmann also utilizes igus e-chains® delivered as pre-assembled readychain® systems with the cables already installed.