LAPP cables can perform a range of basic tasks and are suitable for thousands of applications. You can also find the perfect power cable for power supply, control cables for extremely reliable signal transmission and data cables for absolutely uninterruptible data transmissions. Enjoy the considerable variety of our ÖLFLEX®, UNITRONIC®, ETHERLINE® and HITRONIC® product brands.
The history of LAPP begins in 1957 with the invention of the first cable with different color-coded cores. LAPP was initially just a manufacturer of cables and wires.
Find answers to your most important questions relating to cable and wires here and now.
- What is a cable?
- What is the difference between an electrical and a power cable?
- What types of cables are available and where are they used?
Power and control cables
Data cables
Power and control cables
Data cables
What is a cable?
A cable is an electrical conductor jacketed with insulating materials. During cable production, several insulated conductors are usually stranded together and provided with additional protective layers (e.g. inner jacket, electrical shielding, outer jacket).
What is a cable made of?
The design of a cable can be simplified as follows:
A core is an electrical conductor isolated by core insulation:
- Conductor: primarily copper, rarely aluminum or nickel
- Core insulation: various plastics (PVC, PUR, PE, TPE, PTFE; FPE, rubber, etc.) are used as insulation material
Possible protective layers:
- Inner jacket: various plastics are used as the sheath material, see outer sheath.
- Electrical shielding: braided shields and foil shields
- Outer jacket: plastics are used as the sheath material, see typical outer sheath materials.
Note: Excludes fiber optic cables (LWL) at this point. Fiber optic cables are a category of data cables, but have a fundamentally different structure to the ones shown above. In addition, data is not transferred electrically using energy, but rather optically with the aid of light. Are you interested in fiber optic cables and want to learn about this transmission media as an alternative to copper?
Electrical and power cables: conceptual differences
The layman in the private sector will usually refer to power cables and LAN cables. Electrical companies, on the other hand, want to lay electrical cables from the domestic junction box to the counter cabinet while telecommunications companies, in turn, work with telephone power cables and fiber glass fiber cables. However, when it comes to extending the power grid, people hear about overhead power cables and cables for direct burial.
But what is the difference between electrical and power cables? Is there a difference, and if yes, are we currently using the two designations correctly?
In specialist circles, it is important that power cables conduct electrical current or electrical signals.
Electrical cables can be referred to as a sub-type of cables. They are generally hidden and fixed underground (cables for direct burial, telephone cables) or under the sea floor (sea cables). They are characterized by additional mechanical protection under the outer jacket and are resistant to environmental influences. Most electrical cables are also characterized by their much larger diameters and higher weight than power cables.
Power cables, on the other hand, are laid above ground, but are often hidden in cable ducts, shafts or machines. They are also suitable for occasional flexing as they are made of flexible stranded conductors. However, power cables can also be installed in fixed installations, for example under plaster or as overhead lines between power poles. Additional mechanical protection is not required in these cases because the plaster or the open air take on this function.
Power and electrical cables are not actually synonymous, but are used synonymously in everyday speech.
It is particularly common in data technology to speak of electrical cables when power cables are often meant!
Different cable types, different tasks
But what tasks do electrical and power cables have?
Cables are used
- to supply power to machines, devices and components,
- to transmit signals,
- to transmit data.
The function that a cable assumes depends heavily on the type of cable. Some types of cables, known as hybrid cables, can combine several tasks, e.g. primarily transmit data and additionally supply the receiver with power, or primarily supply a device with power and also transmit signals.
Choosing the right cable
Cables and wires must be selected such that they are suitable for the relevant operating conditions (e.g. voltage, current, protection against electric shock, bundling of cables and wires) and external influences (e.g. ambient temperature, presence of water or corrosive materials, mechanical stress, incl. stress during installation, fire risks).
LAPP offers countless cables and wires for almost every application.
1. First, determine the type of cable you need: power cable, control cable, or data cable.
2. In which geographical region do you want to use the cable?
Do you need special certifications for export to other countries?
3. What influences will the cable be exposed to?
- Electromagnetic interference (EMI): shielded cables
- Chemicals: cables with ROBUST outer jacket
- Extremely high or low temperatures: cables with HEAT materials
- Mechanical stress: cables with PUR outer jacket
- Outdoors: UV-resistant cables
4. Do you use the cable in a special application?
- Rail transport: TRAIN cable
- Commercial vehicles: TRUCK cable
- Robot: ROBOT cable
- Photovoltaics: SOLAR cable
- Cranes: CRANE cable
5. Will the cable be fixed or moved?
Choose FD or CHAIN cables for use in the cable chain.
Typical outer jacket materials
A cable jacket protects the inside of the cable against mechanical stresses, mixed chemical substances and temperature influences. There are a variety of materials that can be used to protect the cable from damage.
The following materials are often used for the jacketing of LAPP cables. In principle, however, flame retardants or other additives must be added to these materials to enable increased heat resistance, for example. These mixed jacket materials are known as compounds.
Common materials
Please review technical table T15 for additional information and property descriptions for the materials mentioned.