The e-spool flex, the latest cable offering from igus, gives users more safety when operating panels in assembly areas, letting them move safely and stow them away quickly.

It can guide all cables and hoses for the transmission of energy, media and data without interruption. For quick installation of the cable reel, the developers opted for a worm guide.

While long cables and hoses can be a necessary evil when using tools and operating panels flexibly, they can sometimes be a trip hazard when strewn across the floor without any protection. Users tend to opt for slip rings to counter this problem but this adds complication when transmitting large amounts of data.

The e-spool flex is a cable reel with a worm guide and doesn’t require a slip ring at all and bus cables and hoses for air and liquids can be guided without interruption.

“The user can easily install his existing cable in the system. This saves costs and increases the safety of his workplace,” igus head of the e-chains business unit Jörg Ottersbach says.

For fast assembly, igus relies on a worm guide in which the cable or hose is inserted. The guide is then inserted into the outer and winding housing of the e-spool flex in a few simple steps, meaning cables can move flexibly in free use and are quickly and cleanly stowed away after use.

The e-spool flex is available in two versions: a low-cost version with a manual turner to wind up the cable or an automatic solution with a brake and a spring-driven return mechanism. It comes in three sizes for cables with a diameter of five to 11mm and an extension length of five to 15m.