Moog Rekofa spring-driven cable reel with integrated slip ring

The desire of a long-standing customer for a high-quality, high-performance cable reel prompted Moog Rekofa to re-enter the cable reel market. In the past, Moog Rekofa produced the spring cable reels under the brand name Tinsley. The integration of slip rings ensures seamless communication and secure data transmission without twisting the cable.

During the intensive development and testing phase, the close cooperation with the customer made it possible to precisely understand their requirements and needs and incorporate them into the product. With the spring-loaded cable reel, the company is expanding its portfolio to offer its customers a complete solution.

From prototype to series model through numerous tests

The first prototypes were designed and built after intensive discussions and the assessment of various customer specifications. To ensure the quality and reliability of the product, the devices underwent extensive testing both in the in-house test laboratory and at external partners and in close cooperation with major OEM customers. These tests also included endurance tests, in which the cable reel was subjected to various loads over an extended period of time in order to check its durability and performance under real-life conditions. A 20-meter-long test track with an incline was specially built on the outer façade of the building for this purpose. Customer-specific tests can be carried out here in both summer and winter.

 "We are proud to be able to offer our customers not only slip rings but also high-quality cable drum solutions that meet their individual requirements and impress in terms of price, performance and quality. With increasing demand, we are already supplying well-known crane manufacturers in series with our cable drums, which further underlines the satisfaction of our customers, which is our benchmark," says Florian Jäger, Project Manager Cable Drum at Moog Rekofa GmbH.

Flexibly adaptable to customer requirements

Various standardization measures have made it possible to offer a product family for a broad customer base. Particular attention was paid to the flexibility of the product in order to be able to react individually to special customer requirements at any time in addition to the standard requirements. This applies not only to different external dimensions, cables, plugs or mounting flanges, but also to cable lengths and currents. Up to 50 amps at 500 VAC or 750 VDC are possible. An encoder for CAN Open can be installed at the same time. Combined data transmission of up to 5 Gbit/s is possible on request in order to meet the constantly increasing requirements for automation and safety.

The housing has also been designed to withstand the most adverse conditions. The coated components are tested in accordance with DIN EN 60068-2-52 and are resistant to seawater, salt spray, UV light and oil. The slip ring assembly complies with protection class IP69K and usually operates at temperatures ranging from -40°C to +80°C.

 "Our slip rings and cable reels are designed in such a way that they can be flexibly expanded to meet the increasing demands of the industry. We not only keep an eye on the current requirements of the industry, but also on future developments, such as increasing demands for work assistance and safety and, in the future, possibly also AI-controlled construction machinery and cranes that require extended sensor technology and higher data rates. By continuously developing our products, we ensure that our customers can continue to rely on reliable and high-performance solutions in the future," assures Christoph Daun, Sales Manager at Moog Rekofa GmbH.

Applications

The spring-driven cable reels are designed for use in harsh conditions in the construction machinery and crane industry and are mainly installed in mobile, loading, harbor and superstructure cranes. They also play an important role in electrification, for example in the provision of charging cables for electric vehicles or electric buses at airports. Customers from the fire department, automotive and wastewater treatment sectors also already rely on the compact cable reels with integrated slip rings from Rekofa. For special applications, such as remote-controlled robots (EOD), motor-driven cable drums with non-contact fiber optic rotary feedthroughs have been developed.