Polymer-tech SolutionsTM
Driven by the rapid growth of China’s industrial robot and intelligent equipment industries, multi-joint robotic arms, collaborative robots and multi-dimensional motion equipment impose stringent requirements on internal cables. As the "blood vessels and nerves" of automated equipment, cables must deliver stable power and signal transmission while enduring millions of cycles of reciprocating torsion, bending, oil contamination, alternating high and low temperatures and other harsh operating conditions. Ordinary flexible cables are only suitable for static installation or simple reciprocating bending. They cannot withstand continuous axial torsion at robot joints, and are prone to conductor breakage, sheath cracking and signal loss, resulting in costly production line downtime. To address this industry pain point, CSB® has launched the FLEXMOV® series of dedicated high-flexibility robot cables. Featuring ±180° per meter high torsion resistance, special PUR sheaths and a comprehensive multi-category product matrix, the series delivers highly reliable cable solutions for dynamically moving equipment.
The FLEXMOV® robot cable portfolio consists of four core product lines: FMC907 control cables, FMD913 data cables, FMB918 bus cables and FMV917 servo cables. They fully cover the full-link requirements of power control, signal transmission, bus communication and servo drive. All models adopt PUR polyurethane outer sheaths, with core specifications developed specifically for torsional operating conditions of robots. The cables achieve axial torsion of ±180° per meter to accommodate high-speed rotation of robot joints, with a maximum torsion speed of 180° per second and proven durability for millions of torsion cycles. In terms of material performance, the series offers oil resistance, coolant resistance, flame retardancy, hydrolysis resistance, microbial resistance, and UV resistance for selected models. It operates across a wide temperature range from -55°C up to 80°C, enabling long-term stable operation in oily workshops, low-temperature environments, outdoor installations and other demanding scenarios. Shielded variants adopt a highly flexible tinned copper braided shielding structure to effectively suppress electromagnetic interference, ensuring stable servo signal and bus data transmission and preventing signal distortion or communication interruptions during motion.
There are fundamental differences between FLEXMOV® robot cables and conventional flexible cables available on the market. Ordinary flexible cables are designed merely for flexibility, suited for static laying or planar reciprocating bending in cable drag chains, and cannot sustain continuous axial torsion. When deployed on rotating joints of multi-axis robots, persistent torsional deformation quickly causes copper wire strand breakage, sheath wrinkling and cracking, and shielding failure, leading to high failure rates. In contrast, FLEXMOV® robot cables feature full-chain optimization spanning conductors, core wire stranding structure, shielding technology and outer sheaths. The conductors use high-bend fine bare copper multi-strand wires, while core wires adopt short-pitch layered stranding to disperse internal stress induced by torsion. The shielding layer uses a deformation-resistant braided construction that will not fracture under repeated twisting. Compared with traditional PVC sheaths, the special PUR sheath delivers drastically improved wear resistance, oil resistance, low-temperature performance and hydrolysis resistance, resisting aging and embrittlement. The cables combine outstanding repeated bending and high-frequency torsion capabilities, setting them apart from regular high-flex cables and drag-chain cables limited to planar reciprocating motion. While conventional flexible cables are engineered for static deployment and simple bending, the FLEXMOV® series is purpose-built for 3D torsion and multi-dimensional compound motion, resolving the most critical cable failure pain point on robot bodies.
Benefiting from its ±180°/m torsion resistance, oil resistance, flame retardancy, wide temperature tolerance and stable shielding performance, FLEXMOV® robot cables support a broad range of application scenarios. First and foremost is multi-joint industrial robots, including body wiring for 6-axis welding, spraying, handling and grinding robots, with cables embedded at wrist and elbow joints subject to continuous rotary torsion. FMC907 control cables and FMV917 servo cables guarantee stable power and servo drive output, while FMD913 shielded data cables maintain reliable transmission of vision and sensor signals, widely deployed in automotive welding, component machining and 3C electronics assembly production lines.
Secondly, the cables serve collaborative robots and lightweight intelligent manipulators. Human-robot collaborative robots and lightweight grippers have compact joint spaces, where cables undergo frequent joint torsion. The series features a small bending radius and excellent anti-torsion fatigue performance, ideal for wiring in confined spaces. For CNC machine tools and machining center manipulators, as well as multi-dimensional motion mechanisms such as tool magazines and rotary worktables, the PUR sheath resists cutting oil and coolant erosion, extending cable service life under prolonged exposure to cutting media.
The product range also applies to logistics intelligent equipment. Sorting robots and rotary palletizing manipulators run 24/7 with frequent rotary operation; FMB918 bus cables secure stable bus communication for such equipment. UV-resistant variants can be deployed for selected outdoor automated machinery. Additionally, the cables are suitable for semiconductor automation equipment and medical robotic manipulators. With low-temperature resistance down to -50°C and even -55°C, the sheath avoids hardening and cracking in cold workshops and frigid field conditions.
Drawing on over 30 years of R&D expertise in engineering polymer materials at Zhejiang Changsheng Group, CSB operates a professional cable testing laboratory. All FLEXMOV® series cables have passed extensive bending and torsion cycle durability verification, forming a standardized product matrix. The cables can also be matched with DURAMOV® drag chain systems to deliver integrated pipeline solutions, lowering customers’ product selection and matching costs.
As intelligent manufacturing advances, the market for industrial robots, collaborative robots and multi-dimensional dynamic intelligent equipment continues to expand. Cable reliability directly determines the overall stability of complete machines. The FLEXMOV® high anti-torsion robot cables break the limitation of ordinary flexible cables that “bend easily but cannot withstand torsion”. With ±180° per meter torsion resistance, a complete product portfolio and superior environmental resistance, the cables tackle failure challenges of dynamically operated equipment, help domestic automation equipment improve overall reliability, and lay solid connectivity foundations for the digital transformation of manufacturing industries.