Whether we could extend the lifespan of a cable under fairly extreme conditions. That was the question from our client Ardo, the European market leader in the frozen vegetable and herb industry.
Their products can be found in thousands of restaurants and freezers in more than 60 countries around the world. For the robotics and automation within freezing cells in their very large logistics center, we developed a cable.
The requirements for the right cable were exceptionally high.
The cable first makes a linear bend over pulleys from the cable reel. Both bending and pressure on the outer sheath are the initial mechanical stresses.
Immediately after this movement, there is a movement from left to right over 180°.
This causes torsion (twisting along the length). Tensile forces also arise along the length.
To withstand the general tensile forces, a double sheath with integrated aramid braiding was extruded. This makes the entire outer sheath function as strain relief.
To further optimize, we modified the copper cores to a special copper alloy with stronger mechanical properties. Additionally, we executed the shielding in a special way.
To function in a freezing cell, it is essential that every plastic element retains its mechanical elasticity and properties.
This has been achieved down to even -40°C.
Our customer is very satisfied with the unique solution for this extreme application, and we are proud of the extreme improvement in lifespan.
