pull-e-cable guides up to two cables over long distances in a compact and cost-effective way, saving up to 50 per cent installation space. With the new pull-e-cable design study, igus is presenting a particularly low-profile and cost-efficient solution for guiding cables over long travels – without the need for a classic energy chain. The system is ideal for applications with limited installation space and a low budget, for example in camera technology, laboratories, moveable displays or automation.
igus has developed the pull-e-cable especially for safe cable guidance over long travels of 10 to 50 metres. The system is mainly intended for applications where the available installation space is very limited and cost pressure is high. “We were looking for a solution to guide one or two cables, e.g. measuring system cables or bus cables, in a cost-effective way. Depending on the application, larger energy chains with guide troughs would have been required, which are not economical for the customer. It was therefore our aim to design a lean and cost-effective solution that could also be an alternative to the busbar system,” explains Jörg Ottersbach, Head of the e-chains Business Unit at igus.
The result is the pull-e-cable, which saves up to 50 per cent installation space. It works as follows: instead of an energy chain, a low-profile guide channel with two deflection rollers is used, which moves up to two cables safely and with low friction. As an option, the system can be combined with a drive to automate linear movements.
Cost-effective, compact and lightweight
Dispensing with a conventional energy chain has several advantages: the system is particularly compact, lightweight and cost-effective. The reduced material use lowers the required drive power. Typical areas of application for the pull-e-cable are found in camera technology, where compact designs and precise motion sequences are required.
The pull-e-cable also offers a space-saving and reliable solution for moveable displays or in laboratory technology. In automation technology, the system impresses wherever simple linear movements need to be realised with minimum effort. igus offers the system fully harnessed with its own chainflex cables. They have been specifically designed for use in motion and come with a four-year guarantee.
igus GmbH develops and produces motion plastics. These lubrication-free, high-performance polymers improve technology and reduce costs wherever things move. In energy supplies, highly flexible cables, plain and linear bearings as well as lead screw technology made of tribo-polymers, igus is the worldwide market leader. The family-run company based in Cologne, Germany, is represented in 33 countries and employs around 5,200 people across the globe.
In 2024, igus generated a turnover of €1,105 billion. Research in the industry’s largest test laboratories constantly yields innovations and more security for users. 245,000 articles are available from stock and the service life can be calculated online. In recent years, the company has expanded by creating internal startups, e.g. for ball bearings, robot drives, 3D printing, the RBTX platform for Lean Robotics and intelligent “smart plastics” for Industry 4.0. Among the most important environmental investments are the “chainge” programme – recycling of used e-chains – and the participation in an enterprise that produces oil from plastic waste.
