Designers often don’t think about cables until designs are nearing completion, so there’s little time to examine the complex specifications. Yet for many harsh applications, cables can have a major impact on reliability and downtime. Lapp USA is attempting to simplify that with a labeling technique based on international standards for factors such as oil resistance and flexibility.
“We’re trying to make it easier for an engineer who now has to look at our catalog, which is 800 pages,” says John Gavilanes, Lapp’s engineering director.
The charts show whether a given cable meets U.S., European, or Canadian standards, as well as international specs. Currently, there are four categories: flame resistance, oil resistance, motion type, and mechanical resistance. Each section has six or more levels, providing information such as standards compliance and life cycles. One benefit is that designers moving into global markets can quickly determine whether they’re meeting international requirements, Gavilanes says.
Lapp, which has made cables for nearly half a century, plans to expand by including more standards and categories. “This makes it a lot easier to compare products from different vendors. We think our competitors will look at ways to copy this or improve on it,” Gavilanes says.
Cable Selection Simplified
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