chainflex® Know-How

Overview of chainflex® cable types

igus® cable types

  • Fibre optic cables
  • Control cables
  • Bus cables
  • Data cables
  • Special cables
A detailed look at cable types
Structure, shielding & handling of chainflex® cables

Structure, shielding and handling

  • Cable structure
  • Dictionary of defects
  • Jacket materials
  • Shielding
  • Cores wound in bundles
Structure of cables
Special chainflex® properties

Special properties

  • Halogen-free cables
  • Temperature-resistant cables
  • Chemical resistance
  • Oil-resistant cables
  • Use in energy chains
More about special properties

Because we give you up to 4 years guarantee on our cables

48 month chainflex® guarantee Since the middle of the 1980s, the technical requirements of energy chain systems on the part of the machine and plant manufacturers have been steadily increasing. Travels have become longer, movements quicker and bend radii smaller.  Core and jacket damage, jacket abrasion and corkscrews were the consequences for machine builders and end customers. igus® faced the challenges and together with the University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, developed cables that could withstand a high degree of mechanical stress. 
 
After extensive tests in the igus® test lab, it became clear that the cables with cores wound in bundles, short pitch lengths, high tensile strength centre elements and gusset-filling extruded outer jackets exceeded expectations. Meanwhile, the  product range comprises over 1,350 cables for different application areas. Since 2013, igus® has guaranteed a service life of up to 4 years or up to 10 million double strokes, depending on which occurs first.
Up to 4 years guarantee
chainflex® price check
Electrotechnical equivalent energy chain cables with core cross section of 4x1.5mm²
  • Control cable CF880, bend radius 12.5xd and PVC outer jacket: low-cost version
  • Control cable CF5, smaller bend radius 6.8xd with PVC outer jacket and oil resistance: greater technical advantage leads to slightly higher price per metre
  • Control cable CF98, cable resistant to oil/organic oil, with TPE outer jacket and a bend radius of only 4xd: higher price due to greater technical advantage

Benefit from our variety of cables. From low-cost solutions with PVC outer jacket to high-end TPE cables.
Request price check now!

Online tools for chainflex® cables

With the useful online tools, you can find products according to your individual requirements, configure custom cables and calculate the service life. 
We present our collected know-how for you! Here we have compiled extensive knowledge, details of our products and the experiences of our customers. Form your own opinion of our products and find out everything that you need for your moving cable

chainflex® cables Wiki

The chainflex cable expertise pooled together - Find out more about the important technical and mechanical specifications of cables. We will also show you the special features of cables for motion and how to find the ideal cable solution for your application.
 

Handling flexible cables

Special specifications of cables

Online catalogue

Cable structure How is a flexible cable constructed and what makes it special? Find out in detail about the individual components of cables specifically for movement.
  • Cable structure
  • Dictionary of defects
  • Jacket materials
  • Shielding
  • Cores wound in bundles
Structure of cables
Cable specifications
Special cable specifications are also required for a wide range of applications to ensure that the cable functions perfectly. 
  • Halogen-free cables
  • Temperature-resistant cables
  • Chemical resistance
  • Oil-resistant cables
  • Use in energy chains
More about special properties
chainflex catalogue
All technical data, individual product information and important notes can be found in our online catalogue.
  • Technical data for all chainflex cables
  • Cable range
  • Everything to do with drive technology
  • Information on condition monitoring
Download online catalogue

chainflex® range and benefits

What advantages do our cables offer?

  • 30 years of experience
  • Four-year guarantee
  • Tested in our own laboratory spread over an area of 3,800m², 125 test systems, over 800 ongoing tests
  • The largest range with over 1,350 cable types for data, bus and hybrid systems, control system and drive
  • Predictable and configurable service life
  • Available from stock, from 1m length within 36h
  • Cables for any type of motion: horizontal, vertical, torsion, high speed 
  • Freely available samples
  • 50% time reduction when stripping due to unique CFRIP technology
  • Optionally with intelligent tensile force monitoring from smart plastics for exceptionally heavy-duty cables
running to be your no 1

Benefits in our online shop

When purchasing a cable, customers are often faced with a lot of costs that are not immediately evident, such as expenses for packaging, cutting or smaller quantities, which quickly drive up the price of the individual cable. To ensure you get the best possible shopping experience, we rely on transparency and avoid hidden additional costs.
  • No cutting charges
  • No packaging costs
  • No minimum order quantity (available from 1m)
  • No low-quantity surcharge 

All prices in our shop can be seen directly and without registration
​

Always the best price-performance ratio for your application


The ideal cable suitable for your needs! Find out easily which product is right for you. You decide: a low price or the cable that meets the highest technical requirements. Of course, there are numerous gradations that can be used to choose the ideal cable.
 
Tech up, Cost down with chainflex: The price check
Price check

chainflex® safety and quality

The largest test lab for moving cables worldwide

The chainflex cables are tested on a floor area of 3,800m² and with two billion test cycles per year. Thanks to these extensive tests, reliability is guaranteed!
 
chainflex® test lab

chainflex works - guaranteed and certified!

Do you value cable safety, quality, and reliability?

So do we! For many years, we have been manufacturing cables specifically for energy chains. It is particularly important to us to test all cables extensively so that they last a long time in your applications.
Today, we can give you a guarantee of up to 4 years on chainflex cables. In addition, our guarantee promise is also UL verified. But how did the guarantee come about and how was it certified?
 
chainflex® works - guaranteed and certified!
UL verified
Approvals and standards

chainflex approvals and standards

We at igus make absolutely sure that our chainflex cables fulfil all guidelines and approval regulations and the most important standards worldwide. Here you can find the standards and approvals concerned, and in which regions of the world they play a special role. 

Discover all standards and approvals.
 
For standards and approvals, click here!

chainflex® cables in use

Customer application examples