Preventative Maintenance

Reliably Connecting the World

TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF CONTINUOUS FLEX CABLE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE A UL-Verified method for replicating continuous flexing cable applications along with a state-of-the-art test laboratory can help establish a preventative maintenance plan. Wherever there’s high-volume manufacturing, you’ll find ever-increasing motion requirements for automated equipment. That means robots and drag chains that perform complex motion tasks around the clock demand cables that withstand repeated cycles of acceleration and deceleration as well as vibrations, torsion, and flexing. Besides these unforgiving conditions, possible design, space, weight and installation issues can also hamper cable reliability. Without a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan, increased down times are likely. Although system designers have expertise about their automated applications, most do not have technical knowledge of continuous flexing cables. This lack of cable expertise, combined with a lack of regulatory test standards, means that system designers have little guidance about how to maintain or replace cables before they ultimately reach the end of their service life. To be sure, some information for predicting mechanical and electrical failure does exist. But in order to create a maintenance schedule for flexible cables, designers need to pay very close attention to cable cycle flexing life information.

Where to Turn for Guidance When looking for guidance about continuous flexing cable reliability, the first thing that may come to mind is industry standards. However, regulatory agencies normally establish standards for product safety, and they exclude specialized applications like those that typically involve continuous flexing cables. And regulations

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LAPP Canada • T: 877-799-5277 • www.LAPPCANADA.com

are not timely: new standards typically take several years to develop. Without industry standards, system designers often turn to cable manufacturers whose product claims can go unchecked.

Instead of relying on unbridled marketing claims or looking for non-existent industry standards, there’s a better solution. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) created an “objective, science-based assessment” in order to ensure the legitimacy of product marketing claims. UL partners with companies to audit test methods for products used in applications unique to a given market. For participating suppliers, independent confirmation of their marketing claims helps them stand out from less-transparent competitors. For customers, they can separate fact-based claims from the noise. LAPP Sets the Standard: A UL-Verified Test Method LAPP North America has a 55-year history of manufacturing cable products and assemblies for dynamic applications, including 30 years of producing round cable, jacketing and conductors for use with continuous flexing, torsional movement and robotic applications. Over the years we developed stringent continuous flex test methods based on our engineering expertise and have received input from field experts who install cables in industrial environments. Based on our test methods, our continuous flexing cable motion attributes have come to be trusted by contractors, designers, equipment manufacturers and end-users alike a cable’s electrical or mechanical degradation under various conditions. Continuous flex cables are rated according to their design and, through LAPP’s own test equipment, calibrated to function according to a described claim. Each claim is assigned LAPP’s Motion Type Attribute: CF-01, CF-02 or CF-03. LAPP’s Continuous Flex Test Method is UL Verified, so customers can be confident that LAPP products are true to their claims when they see the UL-Verified* mark on corresponding product literature. In fact, LAPP is the only company to achieve UL Verification for its test method for continuous flexing applications. In order to display the UL-Verified mark, UL audited the continuous flex testing methodology to confirm the following requirements were met: LAPP’s UL-Verified Continuous Flex Test Method allows users to estimate a preventative maintenance program based on the cable product’s life cycle performance. LAPP’s research and development test laboratory is an active participant in the UL Client Test Data Program (CTDP) and CSA Supervised Manufacturer’s Testing for Certification Program (SMTC). By participating in both programs and earning the respective marks for its cable products, LAPP has made a full commitment to product quality on a global scale. Inside the Test Laboratory LAPP’s laboratories are equipped with eight cable tracks designed to perform repeated linear motion in order to replicate the requirements of a given application such as bend radius, distance, acceleration, speed and weight. By using the same cable track assembly required by the application in a controlled environment, LAPP can monitor each power, signal or control cable and perform the following tests: • Continuity check. Cables are connected in series to replicate real-world applications to identify possible sources of failure. • Mechanical performance to find physical or visual evidence of failure caused by, for example, improper installation, too many cycles or unsuitable jacket or insulation materials. • Electrical performance to find evidence of cable fatigue or copper conductor degradation caused by continuous back-and-forth motion which can ultimately lead to cable failure. • Specially calibrated equipment. • Well trained laboratory associates. Controlled documentation in compliance with ISO 17025.

LAPP USA • T: 800-774-3539 • www.LAPPUSA.com |

LAPP Canada • T: 877-799-5277 • www.LAPPCANADA.com

With the information gleaned from LAPP’s on-site test lab, customers can select a cable and cable track for the specific motion in their continuous flexing application as indicated by the UL-verified CF-01, CF-02 or CF-03 Motion Attributes. They can also develop a preventative maintenance plan that: • Establishes proper cable installation guidelines. • Can help to identify the cable’s cycle life to establish when it should be replaced before a failure can occur. • Determines a cable’s first point of degradation, allowing a customer to remove a cable from its assembly or replace the entire cable track assembly. Unplanned Downtime Solved at an Automobile Manufacturer A leading automobile manufacturer was experiencing downtime due to cable failures. While the downtime lasted for only a few minutes each day, those lost minutes added up to significant lost revenue. The failures occurred despite the manufacturer’s own preventative maintenance plan. LAPP experts collaborated with the manufacturer’s technical team to create a balanced cable track assembly in-house to find the issue that was causing the failures. The tests revealed that the cable being used was larger than the accompanying cable track, so a new assembly was designed and installed at the LAPP laboratory. The new assembly included an ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT prototype cable which was tested at high speed to replicate 10 years of operation in under 10 months. LAPP engineers were able to predict the new cable’s first sign of degradation so the manufacturer could institute a new, more accurate preventative maintenance plan and restore full productivity at the plant. The Value of a Maintenance Schedule You Can Count On When working with LAPP to formulate a preventative maintenance plan, be sure to provide data that includes your machine’s speed, acceleration, weight, bend radius requirements, and the desired cable arrangement. LAPP’s expert staff has over 30 years of experience working with continuous flexing cable applications and can help you design a complete system or help to resolve a specific targeted problem. LAPP’s UL-Verified continuous flex cable test method capabilities offer significant value that most cable manufacturers cannot offer. This test method had been designed to stay current with trends that drive increased movement in automated manufacturing and provide real-world maintenance guidelines. With LAPP you can find the right continuous flexing cable to meet your motion requirements, and to support your operation’s productivity and efficiency.

For more information about Lapp’s Continuous Flex Test Method and state-of-the-art test laboratory, visit www.lappna.com

Note: * UL Verified A522492

LAPP USA • T: 800-774-3539 • www.LAPPUSA.com |

LAPP Canada • T: 877-799-5277 • www.LAPPCANADA.com