These joints connect two corrugated tubes of identical nominal width. In this case, both tubes can rotate through 360° in their seat so that no torsion moment will be transmitted.
Instead of connecting one tube to another, the joint may also link a tube to a cable star – a device employed to secure cables and to seal off the tube end. Alternatively, one side of the joint is configurable as a ball trumpet having rounded edges to protect against abrasion.
The two halves of the split assembly are held in gripping clamps whose ball-shaped seat permits up to ± 11° angular offset. The clamps can be attached to the robot by means of rotary bases allowing the system a 360° orbital rotation.
The total degrees of freedom thus obtained and the low mounting height of these joint systems give the robot a wide action range, even with high-speed movements, and allows it to be used flexibly even in narrow working spaces. At the same time, mechanical loads in the cable protection system are significantly reduced.