Nexans launches Motionline cables for industrial automation

Automation installations present a particular challenge for cables, since they must ensure reliable transmission of data and control signals and/or secure power supplies while being subjected to extreme dynamic loadings. Nexans has a wealth of experience in working with global automation system manufacturers and their harness suppliers to provide cables that are tailored to meet the specific needs of customers across a wide variety of industries, including machine tools, special-purpose machinery and robots. These cables not only have to withstand the harsh manufacturing environment, but they must also comply with relevant international standards and be safe, reliable and cost-effective.

Nexans offers a very wide range of cables for automation, including chain cables, servo motor cables, encoder, control and fieldbus cables, as well as special cables for robotics. This scope has been further extended with the acquisition, a few years ago, of Cabloswiss and Intercond, which enables Nexans to offer a complete global service for automation cables.

New branding

Nexans is now brining all of its automation cables together under the Motionline brand, thereby emphasising its capability for supplying everything from miniature control cables to state-of-the-art industrial Profinet cables, as well as discrete power cables. The new brand also covers hybrid cables that meet the demands of decentralised control systems by combining power and signal cores within a single cable.

Nexans says the key to its success in establishing its strong position in the automation sector is its major focus on testing and research and development. This is founded on substantial investment in the dedicated Automation Application Centre (AAC), which is part of the Nexans Research Centre. This facility enables cables to be exposed to dynamic operating loads that simulate realistic, in-service, conditions, thereby ensuring that they offer the optimum combination of bending, tension and torsional strength required for their intended application.

These intensive R&D efforts have established Nexans as a leading supplier of cables for industry standards such as Profibus and ASI. The company says it is also pioneering innovative developments in cable materials. This ensures that Motionline conductor and insulation materials provide the resistance to fire and heat that is demanded for safety and performance, as well as resisting attack by oils and other chemicals to ensure a long service life.

New materials

Important new materials developed by Nexans include the high-performance TPM (thermoplastic modified) insulation, as well as a new flame-retardant PUR Medoxprotect-S jacket material. The latest example is a new generation of servo motor cables that is designed for extreme dynamic loads such as a maximum speed of 300m/minute and an acceleration ten times higher than for the previous standard servo cables.

Nexans believes that the main customer challenges for the future will result from an even greater emphasis on cable reliability, while machinery becomes ever more demanding with higher speeds and accelerations. Nexans is already responding with further investment in new testing facilities and will shortly expand the Motionline family with a new range of cables developed specifically for higher dynamic loads - including the servo motor cables mentioned above. This range will also include a new fieldbus cable, optimised for challenging conditions, which will also reflect the industry trend for increased data transmission rates by transmitting digital signals at up to 100Mbps.

Motionline cables conform to all major international safety standards, such as German (VDE), Canadian (CSA), American (ANSI), Chinese (CCC) and UL worldwide.

Follow the link for more information about Motionline cables for industrial automation.