Applicable cables: Robot cables, industrial drag chain cables, industrial control cables

Flexible Cables
Basic Concepts of Flexible Cables (Drag Chain Cables)
Flexible cables are the good choice for power transmission and signal transfer in motion systems that require frequent movement and bending. They are alternatively referred to as towed cables, mobile cables, robotic cables, and more. These cables are designed to protect electrical wires from entanglement, wear, pull-off, hanging, and disarray when equipment units move back and forth. They not only move with the drag chain but also possess high flexibility, making them resistant to damage. The conductor structure of flexible cables is primarily based on the twisted copper wire structure according to DIN, VDE 0295, and IEC 228 standards, while the sheath is often made of low viscosity, flexible, and wear-resistant materials to reduce wear and tear during continuous reciprocating movement.

Applications of Flexible Cables
Flexible cables are widely used across various industrial sectors, including but not limited to industrial electronic systems, automated production, warehousing equipment, robotics, fire protection systems, electric vehicles, cranes, numerical control machines, and metallurgical industries.

Classification of Flexible Cables
Flexible cables are categorized based on their functions, mainly into sensor/encoder cables, servo motor cables, robotic cables, clean cables, and drag chain cables.
Drag Chain Cables: These are designed for use within drag chains, moving and bending repeatedly with the system. They require high flexibility and resistance to bending, such as TRVV high-flexibility cables, which are known for their short lay length, good crosstalk resistance, and suitability for high-speed signal line configurations.
Encoder Cables: To ensure accurate signal transmission during the operation of encoders, specialized cables are necessary. Standard cables may suffer from issues with shielding layers, leading to the merging of multicore insulating layers, which can affect performance.
Power Cables: For instance, flexible drag chain cables like TRVV5*2.5 serve as power lines for flexible robotic arms. They are designed to be bend-resistant, oil-resistant, and pull-resistant, making them ideal for applications that require continuous, highly flexible movement, such as drag chain systems, robots, and mobile drive systems.

Types of Flexible Cables
Flexible cables can be broadly categorized into the following types based on their specifications:

A. Flexible Control Cables
1. PVC Sheath Flexible Control Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC101, with a bend radius of 8X.
2. PVC Sheath Shielded Flexible Control Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC111, with a bend radius of 10X.
3. PVC Sheath Flexible Control Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC120, with a bend radius of 5X.
4. PVC Sheath Flexible Control Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC121, with a bend radius of 8X.
5. PUR Sheath Flexible Control Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC127, with a bend radius of 8X.
6. PUR Sheath Flexible Control Shielded Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC117, with a bend radius of 10X.
7. Wire Braided Flexible Control Chain Cables: UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, CC158, with a bend radius of 10X.
8. PETP Sheath Flexible Control Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC160, with a bend radius of 5X.
9. PETP Sheath Flexible Control Shielded Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC133, with a bend radius of 10X.

B. Flexible Power Cables
1. PVC Sheath Flexible Power Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC305, with a bend radius of 8X.
2. PVC Sheath Shielded Flexible Power Chain Cables: Flame-retardant CC336, with a bend radius of 10X.
3. PETP Sheath Flexible Shielded Power Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC358, with a bend radius of 10X.
4. PETP Sheath Shielded Flexible Power Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC371, with a bend radius of 8X.​

C. Flexible Data Bus Cables
1. PVC Sheath Shielded Data Chain Cables: CC41, with a bend radius of 8X.
2. PUR Sheath Shielded Data Chain Cable: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC43, with a bend radius of 10X.
3. PETP Sheath Shielded Data Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC46, with a bend radius of 10X.
4. PETP Sheath Shielded Data Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC48, with a bend radius of 12X.

D. Flexible Servo Cables
PUR Sheath Shielded Servo Chain Cables: Oil-resistant, acid and alkali-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, low-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, flame-retardant CC46, with a bend radius of 10X.

The Internal Structure Features of Flexible Cables
Drag chain cables are meticulously designed with several critical factors in mind to ensure their reliability and durability under harsh conditions:
1. Tensile Center
The cable's core is engineered to have a true central line filling, which is determined by the number of cores and the space within the cross-sectional area of each conductor. This method effectively safeguards the stranding structure, preventing it from shifting towards the center of the cable.
2. Conductor Configuration
The selection of the flexible conductor is crucial. Generally, the finer the conductor, the more flexible the cable. However, excessively fine conductors can lead to tangling. Extensive experiments have identified the optimal diameter, length, and longitudinal shielding combination for individual wires, which offer the good tensile strength.
3. Insulation of Core Wires
The insulation materials within the cable must not adhere to each other and should support each single conductor. Only high-pressure molded PVC or TPE materials have proven their reliability in applications involving millions of meters of drag chain cables.

4. Stranded Wire
The stranding structure must be wound around a stable tensile center with the good lay length. Due to the application of insulation materials, the stranding should be designed according to the movement state, with a bundle stranding method applied from 12 core wires onwards.
5. Inner and Outer Sheaths
1) Inner Sheath: Armored extrusion-molded inner sheaths replace inexpensive wool materials, fillers, ensuring that the stranding structure remains intact.
2) Outer Sheath: Outer sheaths made from various modified materials offer different functionalities, such as UV resistance, low-temperature resistance, oil resistance, and cost optimization. All outer sheaths possess high wear resistance and do not adhere to any substances.

Performance Characteristics of Flexible Cables
1. High Flexibility: Designed with a special flexible structure, such as using fine bare copper multi-strand wires for the core, double-stranded core wires, and some with a torsion-resistant structure that includes a reinforcement core in the middle, these cables can stably and reliably adapt to actions like lifting, coiling, and deployment. They are not easily damaged under frequent bending and are widely applicable in various environments requiring bending, such as woodworking machinery and logistics conveying equipment.
2. Bending Resistance: Capable of withstanding numerous bending cycles without breaking, with a bending lifespan exceeding 5 million cycles, meeting the demands of high-speed reciprocating movement environments or situations with frequent bending.
3. Abrasion Resistance: The sheath, often made of wear-resistant materials, reduces wear and tear during continuous reciprocating movement, thereby extending the service life of the cable.
4. Weather Resistance: Suitable for various climatic conditions, these cables can operate normally in high or low temperatures, as well as in humid environments.
5. Tear Resistance: Not easily torn under external forces, ensuring the integrity and proper functioning of the cable.

Precautions for the Use of Flexible Cable
Laying Requirements:
1. When installing flexible cables, it is crucial to avoid twisting them. Instead of unraveling the cable from one end of the cable drum or reel, the drum or reel should be rotated to lay the cable out. If necessary, the cable can be laid out or suspended. Cables for this purpose should be taken directly from the cable reel.
2. Attention must be paid to the minimum bending radius of the cable to prevent damage due to excessive bending. 
3. Cables should be laid out loosely side by side within the cable chain, separated as much as possible. They can be separated by spacers or threaded through the gaps in the support brackets. The space between cables in the chain should be at least 10% of the cable's diameter, and cables must not touch or become entangled with each other.
4. Both ends of the cable must be secured, or at least the moving end within the cable chain must be secured. Generally, the distance from the moving point of the cable to the end of the chain should be 20 to 30 times the cable's diameter.
5. Ensure that the cable can move freely within the bending radius without forcing it, allowing relative movement between the cables and the guiding device.
6.  Maintenance and Replacement: If the cable chain breaks, its cables should also be replaced, as damage from excessive stretching is inevitable.

Well-known Brands on the Market
As a vital industrial component, the design and use of cable chains are essential for ensuring the stable operation of equipment and the safety of personnel. There are numerous brands of cable chains available on the market, with some well-known brands earning high reputations for their quality: such as IGUS from Germany, LAPP, HELU, E&E, and CONKABLE. These brands typically offer good wear resistance, anti-aging, and anti-twisting capabilities, maintaining stable performance in various harsh working environments.