Seven common cable management mistakes and how you can avoid making them.

1. TECHTALK DESIGN
ADVICE SERIES YOUR CONTACT
7 CABLE MANAGEMENT MISTAKES TO
AVOID
Your automation must run non-stop, without problems, worldwide
To prevent unnecessary
downtime, your cable Don Nester
management system must be
Product manager, Chainflex®
correctly specified, designed, continuous-flex cables
and installed.
DNester@igus.com
Simple considerations in the
beginning can prevent big
problems - such as loss of >> Subscribe to e-newsletter
continuity, insulation damage, mechanical deformation, or EMI
>> Contacts in your location
problems - later on.
(on-site within 24-48 hours)
Nowadays, cable carriers can withstand longer travels, faster speeds, >> Request catalogs / free
and heavier loads than ever before. Such advances in automation samples
technology mean that rules of thumb, such as only filling up to 80% of a
>> myigus
cable carrier’s cross section, have become outdated.
>> myCatalog
For this reason, we’ve put together seven common cable
management mistakes and also detailed how you can avoid making
them.
1. Lack of interior separation igus Inc.
PO Box 14349
Interior separators and shelves are crucial for keeping similar cables
and hoses compartmentalized. When no separation is used, cables East Providence, RI 02914
can cross over one another and become entangled. P. 1-800-527-2747
The clearance height of a compartment with several cables and hoses F. (401) 438-7270
next to one another shouldn’t amount to more than one-and-a-half sales@igus.com
times the largest cable or hose diameter.
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2. Cables with very different diameters should be laid in
separate compartments. Cables and hoses with
incompatible outer jacket materials should also be
separated. (See point number 6 below for more on this.)
The maximum cable or hose diameter corresponds to the
inner height of the selected cable carrier, with additional
minimum clearance. We recommend leaving a 10%
clearance around round electrical cables and a 20%
clearance around hydraulic hoses.
The faster and more frequently the cable carrier
operates, the more important the exact positioning of the cables and hoses inside. For high-
speed applications over 1.64 feet per second, or high-cycle applications over 10,000 per year, cables or
hoses must not be laid on top of one another without horizontal separation.
2. Unevenly distributed weight
Cables and hoses need to be laid inside a cable carrier so that they can move freely from side to
side, without exerting tensile force along the radius.
Unevenly distributed cable weight can result in a cable carrier that is too heavy on one side. This can
disrupt movement and cause the cable carrier to tilt, potentially interfering with the work area.
3. Cable carrier overfilled
It’s easy to think, “I’ve got the space, why not fill it?”
However, overfilling a cable carrier can obstruct free
cable movement. Cables that do not have room to move
will interfere with the movement of the cable carrier.
In addition, if cables become caught on one another and
bind together, cable jacket wear can be significantly
increased.
There is also more chance of Electromagnetic Interference
(EMI) when power cables and data cables are positioned
close together.
igus Inc. | 1-800-521-2747 | sales@igus.com | www.igus.com

3. As a rule, we recommend you space power and data cables as far apart as possible. This is best
practice for EMI prevention.
4. Lack of proper strain relief
Without strain relief, you can’t control the length of the
cable inside the carrier.
As the cable carrier moves back and forth, the cable will pull
into the carrier and bunch up, causing premature system
failure. Points outside the carrier, such as the connectors or
end termination points, will also absorb all the mechanical
force.
Typically, round electrical cables should be secured with
strain relief at both ends. In exceptional cases, the cables may be fixed with strain relief at the moving
end only.
A gap of 10-30 times the cable diameter between the end of the bend radius and the fixed point is
recommended.
5. Not installing cables along the neutral axis
Correctly strain relieved cables will position in the
neutral axis of a cable carrier.
Cables should not be pulled tight against the inner radius
or pushed up against the outer radius.
Strain relief should be performed and then checked in both the extended and home position.
6. Dissimilar jacket types placed next to one another
If cable or hose outer jackets have different coefficients of friction (COF) and they rub against
one another, the harder, more resilient material will wear down the softer material.
While PUR and TPE outer jackets have similar wear characteristics, and so laying them inside the
same compartment is generally not a problem, mixing PVC and PUR jackets is not recommended.
igus Inc. | 1-800-521-2747 | sales@igus.com | www.igus.com

4. If jacket materials need to be mixed in the same carrier, then ensure the jacket material is rated for
cable carrier use. Rubber or thermoset jacket materials tend to have tackier surfaces and will bind
inside cable carriers. For this reason, we don't recommend them as an outer-jacket material.
7. Cable carrier length improperly calculated
If the length of the cable carrier is miscalculated, then
the full range of movement may be compromised.
Pulled or stretched cables can result in conductor
breakage.
Here are some equations you should use to properly
calculate the length of an igus® Energy Chain® cable
carrier (see right).
If the fixed end is located in the center of travel, the
cable carrier's length, "LK", is calculated by using half
the length of travel and adding the value "K" for the
bend radius. Placing the fixed end in the center of travel is the most cost-effective solution, because it
requires the shortest cable carrier, cable and hose length.
Due to the wide variety of different applications out there, we highly recommend you take
advantage of our free consultation services. Simply provide us with a list of your cable
requirements and you’ll receive our recommendations by the end of the next business day.
Contact us
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igus Inc. | 1-800-521-2747 | sales@igus.com | www.igus.com