Why Do We Guarantee the Service Life of chainflex Cables?

By Nils Jager

Everyday life can present us with surprises and dangers. That’s why people like to hedge their bets. They can do this with insurance, but guarantees also help us feel safe. If an unexpected event occurs, someone will help. That is certainly what many people think and hope for, but we should still take a closer look at the topic of guarantees. What differences are there and what exactly is behind the guarantee statement?

In general, a distinction must be made between statutory guarantees and extended guarantees, which go beyond statutory ones. Statutory guarantees are clearly defined by country, and it is required that companies offer them to their customers. The key here is that a product has been produced without defects and functions as it should.

Voluntary guarantees, such as the chainflex guarantee, are different. The chainflex guarantee is not a promise that the chainflex cables are free of defects upon delivery; it is a functional guarantee for a defined period of movement inside a cable carrier.

How did the chainflex guarantee originate?

igus has made it its mission to manufacture high-quality products that also help customers cut costs and improve their technology. Such an improvement might be enhanced durability. For this to happen, it is necessary to determine a product’s service life according to the application parameters. We have accumulated the necessary data for such a prediction in our 41,000ft² test laboratory over the course of many years. Testing is therefore the basis for our service life predictions.

In 2013, igus introduced the chainflex warranty as the “chainflex Guarantee Club”. It was renamed “chainflex guarantee” in 2015 and has been continuously improving ever since. 

What does the guarantee cover?

The chainflex guarantee is a clear statement to the customer about the expected service life of a cable in the cable carrier. Depending on the application parameters, igus guarantees a service life of up to 40 million double strokes or 36 months, whichever comes first. The condition, of course, is that the installation and application parameters specified in the catalog are adhered to. These parameters can be easily checked for each cables series from a table.

Service life calculator

In addition to the chainflex guarantee, igus offers a freely accessible service life calculator as an online tool. The customer can enter application parameters and the expected service life is displayed instantly. This works even if the bend radius is smaller than the minimum or if a significantly larger bend radius is used for a particular cable. The expected service life for alternative cables is shown, making it easy to see whether another cable is more suitable.

What is behind the chainflex guarantee?

The chainflex guarantee is not just a guarantee statement. It represents an entire process for determining service life. For instance, collected data from many cable tests conducted over more than 25 years are used in the chainflex service life calculator. It has been checked and confirmed by UL Verified, an independent science company.

What’s in it for you?

The advantage of having chainflex cables available with a UL-Verified lifetime guarantee is knowing exactly when your cables will need to be replaced. This means that sudden machine downtimes can be avoided. In the unlikely event of premature cable failure, however, igus will provide a replacement. This assumes that the application parameters have been adhered to and that any third-party responsibility can be ruled out.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss flexible cable solutions for your application, contact us here.