igus’ easy cable management systems at this year’s ABTT show

With the increasingly advanced technology for modern lighting, sound and effects, the complexity and required flexibility grows as does the number of moving cables needed for power, data and control systems. Conventional cable reelers are often used for these applications; they are reliable and have served the industry very well but they do have their limitations.

These are becoming more and more obvious as we enter this multimedia age with high speed data and digital services. The igus e-spool cable management system enables users to guide many different cables in narrow spaces and allows them to save space thanks to its small footprint. The innovative e-spool is easy to install and flexible, providing no-break connections in any direction for travels up to 14m. For example in theatres, e-spools are becoming the preferred technology for connecting between amplifiers and speakers, virtually eliminating the reliability and quality issues often associated with these types of applications.

In modern stage technology, a variety of cables – including power, audio and data – must be managed to move and operate lighting rigs or mobile stage elements, usually vertically. To ensure reliable supply of data and energy, it is therefore also necessary to guide the required cabling vertically. This can often be challenging in theatre environments: solutions must be visually neat, tidy and unobtrusive, operating with little noise and often in restricted spaces.

The ‘zig-zag’ module from igus provides a folding energy chain, with all the cables guided safely and neatly stowed away in a standardised box when the platform is in its lowered position. When the platform is raised, the e-chain unfolds and follows the movement – up to 30m in height. The intelligent design of the zig-zag movement produces virtually silent vertical operation, unlike traditional rope retraction systems. The system is also able to carry high loads. The galvanised steel box can be unobtrusively integrated into stage elements or fastened to movable lighting rigs, and is also available in other colours, including low-reflection black.