June 12, 2019
Flexing performance of robotic cables is a vital part of any well-functioning robot. Cables moving through a simple motion, such as on a door hinge or in a moving printer head, are also vital components. UL’s Suzhou laboratory can evaluate cables for use in repeated flexing applications. The facility can perform bending (tick-tock), chain-track (C-track), torsion and flexing testing. This testing can be used to demonstrate to your users that a cable can meet specific requirements, be used to obtain a Marketing Claim Verification (MCV) or for your own internal research testing.
After completing the required number of cycles on each of these tests, the samples can be evaluated for deterioration or breakage of the conductor, individual conductor strands, insulation, shield, jacket or any other components in the cable as well as change in DC resistance of the conductor or metallic shield.
The bending test, also known as the tick-tock test, can bend 5 – 15 mm diameter samples thru ± 90 degrees at a rate of up to 60 cycles per minute over 15 – 75 mm diameter mandrels.
The chain-track test, also known as the C-track test, can accommodate samples up to 18 mm in diameter through a traveling distance up to one meter and a rate of up to 180 meters per minute, with maximum cable load not exceeding 20 kg per station.
The torsion test can take samples from 5 to 30 mm in diameter and a length of up to 600 mm through a rotation of ±360 degrees at a rate of up to 60 cycles per minute.
The flexing test mirrors the test set-up found in IEC 60227-2. The 60 – 200 mm pulleys travel one meter at a speed of 0.33 m/s cycling the cable in a serpentine fashion.
For more information, please reach out to your UL representative via UL.com/contactwc.