The trend towards digitalisation and miniaturisation is a major challenge for designers. They increasingly have to cope with cabling in restricted spaces. Particularly in control engineering, control cabinet and apparatus construction, as well as in automation technology or robotic arms where data and control cables need to be installed in tight spaces, multi-cable entry systems are a space-saving alternative for non-assembled cables.

With the SKINTOP^® MULTI-M series of multi-cable entry systems, LAPP offers particularly compact solutions. They are available in rectangular and now also in round designs. Both bushing systems are characterised by a high packing density and variable clamping ranges. The cables are simply pushed through the elastic gel insert and are held securely in place by the static friction on the cable insulation and sealed with IP 68 protection.

The patented funnel design at entry points in combination with innovative gel based material allows the maximum clamping ranges to be increased with up to 4 mm variance per cable diameter. This flexibility in selecting the cable diameter reduces the variety of parts in the warehouse, thus generating logistical and financial benefits. It enables the customer to insert a variety of cables or hoses in a tight space. Unused entry points remain securely sealed thanks to the elastic gel technology with innovative membrane technology. Here the gel material ensures optimum strain relief on the entire cable bundle. There are also time benefits for installation. As no additional preparatory work is required for rectangular and round multi-cable bushings, such as pre-piercing, to install the cables, several work steps are omitted. The SKINTOP^® MULTI-M can be mounted to the housing very easily by screwing in or fastening with a lock nut.

In addition to the gel insert, the SKINTOP^® MULTI-M is also made from a polycarbonate frame. This thermoplastic is particularly resilient. It also possesses UL certification for the North American market in accordance with the UL 50, UL 50E, CSA C22.2 and UL 508A standards for industrial system controllers (e.g. control cabinets).

Previously, the SKINTOP^® MULTI-M round multi-cable entry system was available in three sizes: M40 for up to 12 cables, M50 for up to 18 cables and M63 for up to 30 cables that can be inserted simultaneously into one housing. At customer request, LAPP is now extending its portfolio with sizes M25 and M32 for 4 or 8 cables respectively.

The new SKINTOP^® MULTI Flange FL 21 is a flange plate specially designed for the Scandinavian market. It reduces the size of the Scandinavian standard FL21 mounting cut-out and is compatible with SKINTOP^® MULTI or SKINTOP^® CUBE. This gives engineers in Scandinavia greater flexibility in selecting the multi-cable entry system.

Incidentally, Benjamin Rentschler, Product Manager at LAPP, and developer Daniel Müller received the in-house Eddie Lapp Award for innovations for the development of the SKINTOP^® MULTI-M.

Other new products from LAPP at SPS

Alongside the new SKINTOP^® MULTI multi-cable entry systems, LAPP will be presenting numerous other new products at SPS: the low capacitance and UL-certified PVC servo cable ÖLFLEX^® SERVO 2XLCY-JB, the single core cable for direct current applications in energy storage systems and the UNITRONIC^® FD CP plus A, a highly flexible, shielded, PUR low-frequency data cable for use in cable chains and industrial robots, which is also available with twisted pair stranding. For industrial communication, LAPP is presenting three new patch cables: ETHERLINE^® Torsion Cat.6A for robot use, ETHERLINE^® FLEX Cat.6A for flexible use and ETHERLINE^® FLEX Cat.5e for cable chain use, each with ECE R 118 approval. There is also the EPIC^® DATA TS GOF, an adapter for fast connection between patch cables and installation cables in control cabinets. The new halogen-free and shielded single core cable ÖLFLEX^® TRAIN 4 GKW-C for railway technology and the detectable FLEXIMARK^® cable label for the food industry, which is resistant to hot water and steam.