igus is introducing the e-spool flex, designed to increase safety at manned workstations. It moves a single cable or hose and stows it away quickly whilst retaining an end-to-end connection. The company says that the spiral guide allows for quick installation of a cable into the reel and then the e-spool flex is ready for use.
Operators will be aware that to use tools and control pendants flexibly in production, they often require appropriately long cables and hoses, and that unchecked, these can be strewn across the floor and can create a trip hazard. Cable reels with slip rings offer a solution for power transmission but are often only available as a complete package with a custom cable. A further disadvantage is that the fast transmission of data and media can sometimes prove difficult with slip rings, something that igus recognised and which led to the development of the e-spool flex cable reel which uses a spiral guide instead. The new cable reel will guide a power or data cable (or a hose for air and liquids) without interruption to the connection and users can also install an existing cable or hose in the system, which saves on cost. Users simply insert the cable or hose into the spiral guide for fast assembly and then insert the guide into the outer housing of the e-spool flex. This means that the cable can move freely in use and is quickly and cleanly stowed away afterwards.
The e-spool flex is available in two versions: a low-cost system with manual winder, or an automatic option with a brake and a spring-driven return mechanism. The e-spool flex is available in three sizes for cables with diameters ranging from 5mm to 11mm, and with an extension length of between 5m and 15m. The cables can be quickly replaced at any time. In addition to using the e-spool flex with an existing cable, igus also offers the cable reel system fully harnessed with chainflex cables designed specifically for moving applications - all of which come with a 36-month guarantee.
Follow the link for more information about the e-spool flex from igus.