Why do we test so much?

 

 

Why do we test so much? Of standards, standard tests, and our test laboratory for cables

 

It is a good and valid question. This is because testing takes a lot of time and money.

Do all cable manufacturers have to perform the same test? Could the standard give us any information? As a customer, what advantage do you gain from our decision to test cables in the e-chain® under real conditions? In today's blog post, I'll explain.

The right cable for your application

Firstly, let's examine the importance of a cable in a machine. From a business perspective, cables are classified as C parts. In the customer's mind, they usually play a small role in a complex machine. When a cable stops working, it becomes significant.

However, imagine that there is an unforeseen cable failure. I'm sure you can imagine it. A life-saving safety function responsible for opening and closing a train door suddenly stopped working. Motors in a large crane that loads and unloads large container ships at the Port of Hamburg no longer work. Now, the C part becomes extremely important. Consequently, the cost of downtime is immense. Personnel injuries and machine damage are now a result of this. Choosing the right cable is therefore especially crucial based on your application and the stress the cable is expected to undergo.

In order to give our product the best chance of success, we need to know what it can do. The customer deserves to know what the product can do.

There are lots of standard tests – aren't they enough?

During manufacturing, a cable's electrical properties are tested. Ideally, you should be able to touch a wire without getting shocked. As part of standard testing, all cables are also subjected to mechanical stress tests. The standard for this distinguishes between flexibly laid and permanently installed cables. Since cables for energy chains are also laid flexibly, we are focusing on flexible cables specifically. Unfortunately, energy chain cables do not have a standard test. In our examinations of the tests that relate to these cables, little or no similarity is seen between the tests and the application where the cables will later be used. Flexible cables have nothing to do with real-world e-chain applications. Flexible cables are used to standardise their alternating bending resistance. Standardised conditions are applied to the guiding of the cable over rollers. In order for the cable to pass the test, it must withstand a specified number of strokes (i.e., movements over the rollers) with a defined radius (= diameter of cable bend).

Why a standard test is not enough for us

Try to imagine your application involving a cable guided in a chain of energy. Here, I am referring to adjusting a milling table on a machine tool. Because of the bend radius, there are completely different requirements, such as abrasion behaviour, tensile and shear forces, and recurring loads at the same point. 

The igus test lab

In addition to the standard test, we decided to test our chainflex® cables in the e-chain® under real-world conditions. Therefore, the chainflex cable test laboratory for cables installs the chain for the relevant movement (long travel, short travel, etc.) and moves it accordingly. Additionally, we measure the parameters of electrical cables. These include wear development measurements.

The goal of all of these tests is to ensure a consistent quality level and provide you with an accurate assessment of cable durability in the energy chain.