igus®’ Crystal Ball: How We Predict the Service Lives of Our Cable Management Systems

Who wouldn’t want to have a crystal ball to tell them their future? Well, igus® might not be able to tell you if you are going to hit the lottery tonight or which stocks to buy, but we can let you know when your igus® cable management system may need to be changed.

With the adoption of Industry 4.0, companies are changing the way they conduct business by becoming more data-driven with their decision-making process. igus® has recognized this need and created an online service life calculator to assist in making these decisions clearer.

How It Works

With a few key data points, igus® can determine your energy chain's life expectancy. These data points—which are collected every year during extensive testing inside our 41,000-square-foot test lab -- include things like speed, travel distance, number of cycles per year, environmental conditions and others. 

The calculator assumes that bi-annual inspections are up to date and minor upkeep is being done. The most important caveat is that this is an estimation. Many times our system's life will exceed projections. If you think that your system is starting to reach its life expectancy, we suggest that an inspection be performed by an igus® representative to make a determination of the remaining life. Sometimes there are a few more good years in the system before it would need to be replaced.

Customers who would like to check the remaining life of their existing systems can do this by visiting our website and using our online service life calculator. Another option is to contact me directly at jweston@igus.net, and I can help you with these calculations.

Advantages of the Service Life Calculator

The benefit of knowing how long your system will last is invaluable. It's no surprise that the service life calculator can help you plan for maintenance or outages and budget for repairs to your existing system; however, igus® can utilize the calculator to design new cable management systems as well. When igus® designs a system for a customer, we analyze the details and propose the best and most economical solution possible. However, there are times that a customer will request a system that is a little more robust, which actually achieves a longer life expectancy. With upgraded chains and cables, we can meet those requests. The service life calculator helps show options that are available based on the ability to change input variables. Overall, predictable service life offers what may be the greatest benefit of them all: peace of mind.

The Wrap-up

igus® would like to make sure that your downtime is kept to a minimum, which is why every e-chain® comes with a predictable service life and 36-month guarantee. We want to prepare our customers with the answers to questions that they have not thought to ask yet and ensure that your cable management system is the best solution possible for your crane application.

Visit our Indoor Cranes Solutions webpage to learn more about how we can help enhance the performance of your application, or reach out to me directly at jweston@igus.net if you have any questions. You can also check out our e-chain® service life calculator here