chainflex cables with cleanroom label: More safety through IPA certification

Certified and tested: The new chainflex cables CFBUS.LB.045 (CAT5e) and CFBUS.LB.049 (CAT6) with cleanroom approval withstand over 24 million bends. (Source: igus GmbH)

No abrasion, no particles – even permanently. The path to the cleanroom certification seal IPA is not an easy one, as products must pass a variety of tests before receiving the official certificate from the Fraunhofer Institute. This is also true for the chainflex cables from igus. Over an extended period, they had to withstand various stresses in the company's own test laboratory. To enable users to access cleanroom-compatible Ethernet cables, igus developed the CFBUS.LB.045 and CFBUS.LB.049. In testing, they successfully completed over 24 million cycles at a radius of just 55 millimeters without failures.

For many years, semiconductor manufacturing and pharmaceuticals were considered almost the only industries associated with cleanroom production. But the industry is changing. Because – although the cleanroom industry is not a separate economic sector – more and more companies are producing sensors and other components according to these high standards. A cleanroom essentially stands for two things: particle and germ-free conditions. The level depends on the permissible number of microorganisms and particles per cubic meter of air. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA), igus has certified 918 of its 1,354 chainflex cables as class 1 cleanroom compatible and 166 cables as class 2. For companies manufacturing machinery and systems for the life sciences sector, this significantly simplifies the search for suitable cleanroom components. As many users increasingly rely on Industrial Ethernet for their digital factory of tomorrow, igus now offers a series, CFBUS.LB.045 (CAT5e) and CFBUS.LB.049 (CAT6), specifically developed for use in energy chains. With over 24 million cycles at a bending radius of 6.6 x d, the cables demonstrated their high durability in the company's own 2,750-square-meter igus test laboratory, earning their IPA approval for cleanroom class 1.

No abrasion, no particles – even permanently with a guarantee

The chainflex cables are designed for movement and optimized primarily with regard to their ability to bend repeatedly. Highly abrasion-resistant jacket materials ensure that movements do not generate particles over long periods. Based on laboratory tests, igus, as the only provider worldwide, offers a 36-month guarantee on its entire cable range. For machinery and system builders choosing tested and IPA-certified chainflex cables with a guarantee, the design phase is already straightforward. They can search for the desired certified component in the IPA database. There, entries include chainflex cables with references to the appropriate energy chain and cleanroom class. The certificate is available for download. This speeds up the often complex commissioning process for machine builders: strict regulatory requirements, validation, and qualification in the highly regulated environments of the pharmaceutical industry or semiconductor manufacturing are quickly fulfilled with these certified cables.