Oil-resistant PUR and PVC cables
When we think of industrial production lines or stationary drives, lubrication points and automatic oil bottling from any mechanically moving machinery are no longer conceivable. Almost all applications are electronically monitored and are wired. In CNC milling machines, for example, cutting and cooling oils flow, which inevitably come into contact with the cables and wires and sometimes even float in them for longer periods. The following sections find out what is important to you when using cables in oily environments.
What is oil-resistance?
Oil-resistance describes the material compatibility of the outer sheath plastic of a cable with the oil coming into contact with it. At LAPP, we test our cables in accordance with recognised German, European and international standards. Standardised test oils are used to test and confirm the oil resistance of cables and wires. Oil-resistant LAPP products can be identified in our oil drum pictogram in our catalogue or shop as an indicator of products with increased oil-resistance. Products with a "PU outer sheath", which are always oil-resistant due to their material properties, are also labelled with the product designation "P". For example, our product ÖLFLEX® CLASSIC 400 P, a cable with increased chemical resistance.
When is a cable oil-resistant?
To avoid damage caused by oil, all components of the system must be oil-resistant. This requires all connectors or cable glands to be oil-resistant in addition to the oil-resistance of the cable sheath. If this is not the case, oils cause the plastics to swell or become brittle. This means that non-oil-resistant plugs or glands would simply flake off or even fall off. The same applies to the outer sheath of the non-oil-resistant cables, as it looses its protective function and your cable may fail completely.
Cables, connectors and cable glands are therefore considered oil-resistant if the materials used in the plastics of the products cannot react chemically with oils. The resulting unchanged properties of the plastics are resistant, despite permanent or temporary contact with oil, which make the product oil-resistant.
Where are oil-resistant cables used?
Cutting and cooling oils are used in component production in industry for temperature control and tool conservation. This means that cables, connectors or cable glands used to connect the actuators and sensors in the system are permanently or temporarily exposed to various oils.
Oil-resistant LAPP products are resistant to lubricating, cutting and cooling oils, chemical cleaning agents and hot water, making them ideally suited to many industrial applications in production or production.
For example, our oil-resistant SKINTOP® cable glands offer long-term resistance to various oils. This means that your cable gland remains functional even after an extended period of use in oil, does not ripple or fall.
For special applications, e.g. in a CNC processing centre, cables also have to be permanently laid in oil or resistant to hot cooling lubricant. An oil-resistant outer sheath of the cable ensures a functioning connection with low risk of failure in the long term.
Not all oils are alike – how does that affect the selection of cables?
Depending on the application, oils differ greatly in terms of their chemical composition. The standardised test oils used for the conventional tests, which are usually based on mineral oil, cover many areas of application, but cannot represent every possible composition. Therefore, at LAPP we offer you the opportunity to check whether the selected product is also resistant to the special oil you use. Talk to our experts about this.
Fluoropolymers and Teflon are all-purpose weapons against almost all oils in the cable industry. Often, resistance to very special oil can only be guaranteed with cables whose plastic is made from these materials. Our ÖLFLEX® HEAT 205 and ÖLFLEX® HEAT 260 products at LAPP offer you the perfect products for use with special oils.
Other important and oil-compatible outer sheath materials can be found in the table below:
| Insulation material | Description of oil compatibility |
|---|---|
| PU | Cables with a PU outer sheath offer a high oil-resistance and are also very notch-resistant. PU outer sheaths are therefore frequently used in plant and mechanical engineering. The polyurethane (PU) sheathing remains flexible even in continuous use, withstands high mechanical stress and is also resistant to many chemicals and oils. |
| PVC | Cables with a PVC outer sheath are not particularly resistant to oil in their usual chemical composition. But here too, no rule without exception applies. At LAPP, we offer you products with a PVC outer sheath that offer you the benefits of a PVC cable while also being oil resistant thanks to special chemical additives. Of particular note is our ÖLFLEX® 191, an oil-resistant and flexible PVC cable for the European and North American markets. |
| TPE | In addition to UV resistance,thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), which also include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPE-U) or PU, also offer a high level of oil and bio-oil-resistance. Compared to PU, however, a cable with a TPE outer sheath usually stands out due to its higher UV-resistance and other temperature ranges. |
Which other products are oil-resistant in addition to cables?
In addition to oil-resistant cables, we also offer a wide range of plastic cable glands, connectors and oil-resistant drag chains.
The SKINTOP® ST-M, an increased oil-resistant plastic cable gland with permanent vibration protection and reducing seal insert, provides you with proven functional reliability even in demanding machine and plant cleaning processes.
Our highly chemical-resistant EPIC® connectors provide you with reliable protection against failures in oily environments.
Oil-resistant cables are not sufficient if the drag chain in which they are located cannot have this property. Oil-resistant cable chains are particularly essential in linear moving machinery and systems used in oily environments. NYLON drag chains are a good solution here. A drag chain made of galvanised steel is unsuitable. It is largely oil-resistant, but not resistant to some cleaning agents, so it is unsuitable for use in the food industry. In this case, give preference to a stainless steel or hybrid cable chain.
To find the right drag chain for your application, get support from LAPP ÖLFLEX® CONNECT CHAIN CONFIGURATOR.