Every tenth counts

Standard or custom?

“With standard cables a customer often covers the requirements for many robotic applications, whereby these are already specially developed for the particular scenario of use. These cables currently have the biggest market share, while custom robot cables bring it to about 30–40 percent”, explains Reichenbächer. Constructive adaptations like hybrid cables, say for transmitting data and power, are meeting with more acceptance for better use of scarcer space, and to cut costs. But the expert expects demand for special products to lessen because the end-user, especially in the car-making industry, goes for standardization. “Each part creates costs of up to €500 per annum through warehousing, maintenance in computer systems, processing by purchasing offices, and so on, and they’re increasingly the focus of part shrinking programs.”

Ortmann thinks a little differently. Because requirements of cables are so individual, he does not see much sense in cables “off the peg”. “Special products are nearly always a must. Every half a tenth saved in cable diameter counts in the tightly scaled innards of a robot.” Additionally, the mechanical forces appearing in the particular application have to be handled by the cable, says the expert. “Heating up of cables in a shut robot mustn’t lead to problems. In miniaturized systems this is a special task to manage.”

For both companies robotics play a large and growing role. “We see ourselves as the development partner of the OEMs, and at the same time the system supplier for interconnectivity. And, given the increasing collaboration of robot systems, this market is bound to expand”, says Ortmann. The portfolio of the cable producer already features models for the large robots capable of moving tonnes in weight, and down to the smallest cooperative robots.

At Belden more importance is attaching meanwhile to robotics in factory automation: “We expect immense growth especially in lightweight industrial robots and collaborative robots over the next five years, accompanied by strong growth in robot grippers and tools, where sensor density is at its highest”, says Reichenbächer. “Here we see a large market emerging especially for our sensor cables specially developed for robotics. As a first step we’re concentrating on industrial robotics in all performance classes, where we have extensive expertise, and can offer the customer value added. But we’re also looking at other robotics markets like medicine.”

Ortmann sees much potential for robotics in the convalescence and healthcare area, attested by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in its world robot report 2016. According to the report, the number of service robots assisting the elderly or handicapped is expected to grow from 4,700 units in 2015 to 37,500 from 2016 to 2019.

Reichenbächer also sees artificial intelligence having indirect influence on the cables sector midterm. “For customers it’s important that they can predict the probability of a cable-related failure. Especially in the case of robotics where the frequency of failure is much higher than elsewhere because of the volume of cable movement.” That is why, he says, you have to measure an increase in the electrical resistance of sensor cables or degradation of the transmission characteristics of data cables, and provide this information to overriding systems.

“Based on evaluating many events that have led to a cable rupture or malfunction, and thus to a failure, you can detect patterns by learning algorithms, and then forecast the probability of a fault.” For the cable manufacturer there is the task of producing, transparently, the required data from the cable.

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1. Every tenth counts
2. Standard or custom?