Everything in perfect order: e-spool flex mini guides cables safely and saves space

Compact energy supply system from igus transmits power, data and media without interruption and without a slip ring

January 14, 2022 – The dimensions of the e-spool flex mini from igus are minimal, but the pint-sized dynamo provides plenty of punch in factories and offices all over the world.

The e-spool flex mini is weighs only 200 grams – about the equivalent of a cup of sugar. This makes the cable one of the smallest and lightest cable and hose reels in the world. It carries energy, data and media in a wide variety of environments without interruption in factories or offices as well as in laboratories or dental practices.

Patients in dental chairs know the sight: drills and suction cups are stored in a holder next to the chair. The cables have no guide and hang loosely. In offices or factories, where there are many wired devices in use, there is frequently tangled cables. “We have therefore developed e-spool flex mini, a cable and hose drum without a slip ring, which is only 169 millimeters high, 163 millimeters long and 78 millimeters deep and weighs just 200 grams,” said Jörg Ottersbach, Head of the e-chains Business Unit at igus. “The guide is extremely compact and easy to integrate into the respective operating environment.”

Suitable for a wide range of cables and hoses

A distinctive design feature of the e-spool flex mini is a screw guide into which the user inserts a part of the cable. The guide can then be inserted into the winding housing in a few simple steps and the remaining cable length wound onto the drum. The cable connector hangs out of the side of the housing.

“Thanks to this combination, the cable can wind and unwind without the connector starting to rotate,” Ottersbach said. “Since bypass is no longer necessary, users can use the e-spool flex mini for a variety of cables and hoses for the uninterrupted transmission of energy, media and data.”

The use in co-working spaces is also feasible. The e-spool flex mini can guide HDMI and internet cables for laptops at workstations with different users. In laboratories, for example, cables and hoses can easily be stowed under the ceiling. And even at home in a hobby room or as a charging station for an e-bike, the energy supply system keeps the area organized.

The intuitively operable e-spool flex mini

“We made a point of designing the cable drum so that it offers maximum flexibility and is easy and reliable to operate on a day-to-day basis – even for larger actions such as replacing cables,” Ottersbach said. The user opens the housing of the drum, inserts a cable or hose with a diameter of between five and seven millimeters, closes the housing again and screws it into place. Now the user can extend the cable up to three meters in day-to-day life. Every 15 millimeters a latching mechanism is activated, which relieves the cable of tension and keeps the length constant. The cable winds up again via a spring mechanism, similar to a vacuum cleaner.

To learn more about the e-spool flex mini, visit https://www.igus.com/info/e-spool-flex