When does the cable guarantee apply?

The guarantee applies when: The cable is used according to the parameters defined in the igus® service life calculator (bend radius, temperature, travel, movement type, etc.). The cable fails before the guaranteed number of double strokes or before 4 years , under normal use. A manufacturing or material defect causes premature wear. The guarantee does not apply in cases of mechanical damage, incorrect installation , or misuse.

How do I get a guarantee certificate?

You can generate a certificate by: Selecting your cable in the igus® chainflex® service life calculator. Entering your application details (bend radius, temperature, travel, etc.). Clicking “Request up to 4 years guarantee certificate” to receive it by email.

Which cables are covered by the chainflex® guarantee, and does the guarantee also apply to 50% surplus‑stock orders?

The guarantee covers all igus® chainflex® cables that can be selected in the service life calculator , including: Control cables Motor and servo cables Bus and data cables Encoder cables Fibre‑optic and robotic cables Special‑purpose cables Surplus stock lengths of these cable types also qualify.

What benefits does the igus® chainflex® guarantee offer customers?

Customers gain: Planning certainty thanks to precise life‑expectancy calculations. Reduced downtime from predictable maintenance schedules. Lower costs through longer cable life and fewer replacements. Sustainability benefits , as longer‑lasting cables reduce CO₂ emissions from production and waste. Proof of performance supported by UL‑verified testing and billions of cycles in the world’s largest cable test lab.

chainflex® cable guarantee

Q: What is the chainflex® 4‑year guarantee?

The chainflex® guarantee is an industry‑unique assurance that igus® cables will reach their calculated service life , defined in double strokes, for up to 4 years from the delivery date , whichever comes first. It is based on more than 30 years of testing and billions of cycles verified under real‑world conditions.

Q: Why does igus® offer this guarantee?

igus® offers this guarantee to give customers planning safety , functional reliability , and cost reduction through predictable cable lifetimes. Thanks to the world’s largest cable test laboratory , we can confidently state service life expectations backed by billions of test cycles and UL‑verified methods.

Q: How long does the guarantee really last?

The guarantee lasts for up to 4 years from delivery , or until the cable reaches its calculated service life, whichever occurs first. Replacement under guarantee does not extend the guarantee period.

Q: What other igus® products have a guarantee?

In addition to chainflex® cables, igus® also offers a 36‑month guarantee on its e‑chain® systems.

igus 4-year chainflex cable guarantee and service life calculator based on 2 billion test cycles per year.

igus chainflex cables with a 4-year guarantee and different cable constructions.

The chainflex® guarantee assumes the operating conditions are applicable for the respective cable group. These conditions consist of parameters such as;

Temperature,
Movement type
Torsion
Media influence
Bend radius

Your guarantee covers up to four years or ten million double strokes (for cables in the chainflex® 800 family, up to five million double strokes, and for high‑end cables, up to 40 million double strokes), whichever comes first.

The number of double strokes covered by the guarantee depends on the type of installation and the cable quality. These factors are described in the current catalogue, the data sheets, and the service life calculator.

It's simple:

Monitor showing the igus chainflex service life calculator in a browser.

Open the service life calculator and enter application parameters

Visit the service life calculator

Click to calculate the chainflex cable's service life based on the information entered.

The certificate is sent by e-mail by clicking "Request up to 4 years guarantee certificate"

Request a chainflex guarantee

An example: Guaranteed service life for chainflex® CF9

Double strokes*	5 million	7.5 million	10 million
Temperature from/to [°C]	Minimum bend radius [Faktor x d]	Minimum bend radius [Faktor x d]	Minimum bend radius [Faktor x d]
-35°C/-15°C	6.8	7.5	8.5
-25/+90	5	6	7
+90/+100	6.8	7.5	8.5

* Higher number of double strokes? Calculate service life online

In this chart, you can find the technical parameters of the chainflex® CF9 control cable. If the cable is operated in accordance with the operating conditions, a guaranteed service life of 5, 7.5 or 10 million double strokes is applicable depending on the application. The service life itself can even be significantly higher.

In your application, you use a cable with a diameter of 12mm in an energy chain with a radius of 100mm. This results in a bending factor of 8.3 (100mm/12mm). To receive a statement regarding the durability, you require the information from the technical framework conditions (temperature and number of double strokes). With an assumed temperature range of -25/+90°C) with 8xd, the effective bending factor is above the minimum limit of 7. 10 million double strokes are guaranteed! With higher or lower temperature, the necessary factor for this guarantee level would be 8.5. This means that the number of guaranteed double strokes is reduced to 7.5 million.

These statements provide reliability and planning safety for your entire plant

chainflex® works - guaranteed and certified!

From the first igus® cable in 1989 to today’s UL‑verified 4‑year guarantee, discover how decades of rigorous testing shaped the industry’s most reliable moving cables.

1989 - First igus® Cables

Plastic energy chains created new motion demands, but existing cables couldn’t cope. igus® developed CF1 and CF2, the first cables engineered specifically for continuous movement in e-chains®.

A man holds a Chainflex cable in a production hall.

1991 - Dedicated Testing Begins

Standard cable tests didn’t reflect real e‑chain loads, so igus® built its own specialised test methods. These included varied bend radii, long travel distances, and realistic movement patterns to measure true service life.

An employee and a scientist present a cable chain for continuous use with a 36-month warranty.

2013 - Launch of the chainflex® Guarantee

With extensive test data, igus® became the first manufacturer to offer a 36 months service‑life guarantee. Over 800 parallel tests in the world’s largest e‑chain® test lab (2,750 m²) support every guarantee claim.

Two men hold a sign with “Warranty 36” and “up to 36 months warranty” from igus chainflex.

2020 - UL-Verified Guarantee

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) validated the accuracy of igus®’s 36‑month guarantee and its life‑cycle calculation based on 2 billion test cycles per year. All chainflex® cables now carry the UL verification mark (B129699).

Download the whitepaper

A woman holds a sign about the 36-month warranty for igus chainflex cables.

2024 - Guarantee Extended to 4 Years

igus® increased the guarantee to 48 months, the longest officially certified cable guarantee on the market. Supported by 30+ years of testing in a 5,500 m² lab, plus publicly available test data and an online life‑calculator.

chainflex® service life calculator

Warranty brochure for igus chainflex with 4-year guarantee and service life calculator.

Frequently asked questions

The chainflex® guarantee is an industry‑unique assurance that igus® cables will reach their calculated service life, defined in double strokes, for up to 4 years from the delivery date, whichever comes first. It is based on more than 30 years of testing and billions of cycles verified under real‑world conditions.

igus® offers this guarantee to give customers planning safety, functional reliability, and cost reduction through predictable cable lifetimes. Thanks to the world’s largest cable test laboratory, we can confidently state service life expectations backed by billions of test cycles and UL‑verified methods.

The guarantee applies when:

The cable is used according to the parameters defined in the igus® service life calculator (bend radius, temperature, travel, movement type, etc.).
The cable fails before the guaranteed number of double strokes or before 4 years, under normal use.
A manufacturing or material defect causes premature wear.

The guarantee does not apply in cases of mechanical damage, incorrect installation, or misuse.

You can generate a certificate by:

Selecting your cable in the igus® chainflex® service life calculator.
Entering your application details (bend radius, temperature, travel, etc.).
Clicking “Request up to 4 years guarantee certificate” to receive it by email.

The guarantee covers all igus® chainflex® cables that can be selected in the service life calculator, including:

Surplus stock lengths of these cable types also qualify.

The guarantee lasts for up to 4 years from delivery, or until the cable reaches its calculated service life, whichever occurs first. Replacement under guarantee does not extend the guarantee period.

In addition to chainflex® cables, igus® also offers a 36‑month guarantee on its e‑chain® systems.

Customers gain:

Planning certainty thanks to precise life‑expectancy calculations.
Reduced downtime from predictable maintenance schedules.
Lower costs through longer cable life and fewer replacements.
Sustainability benefits, as longer‑lasting cables reduce CO₂ emissions from production and waste.
Proof of performance supported by UL‑verified testing and billions of cycles in the world’s largest cable test lab.