See Kabelschlepp Metool at MachineBuilding.Live, 4 October 2023, on stand 76
The hybrid cable carriers from Kabelschlepp Metool combine side bands made of high-strength plastic with a variety of stay variants made of different materials. This provides the customer with a tailor-made solution for any specific challenge.
Cable carriers need to fit optimally into the space available. However, the type and composition of the materials used also play a key role – in terms of their function, service life and ease of maintenance.
“We don’t favour any one material, but we always tailor our cable carrier designs and the materials used to the application and the specific conditions of use,” explained Werner Eul, senior product manager for cable carrier systems at Kabelschlepp. “Therefore, the material used for the cable carrier is determined by the application itself.”
It may make sense to use different materials at different points in the cable carrier. After all, while steel or high-strength plastics guarantee a long service life for the side bands, the stays should ideally be made of a material that allows the cables to glide smoothly and thus with little wear. This aspect becomes more important as the travel length increases.
One of the important factors to consider when selecting the material combination is the environmental conditions in which the cable carrier will be used. For example, in regions with strong UV radiation, Kabelschlepp Metool recommends the use of hybrid cable carriers that combine steel or plastic belts with aluminium stays. Not only is aluminium a good gliding partner for the cables, it also permits larger cable carrier widths without the use of additional side bands due to its significantly higher rigidity compared to other materials.
Kabelschlepp Metool’s product portfolio offers users variable modular systems for designing tailor-made hybrid cable carrier solutions with a wide range of vertical and horizontal stay systems. The versions with aluminium stays are available in 1 mm increments. The robust design of the sidebands offers durability combined with simple assembly. In addition, the user benefits from excellent ease of maintenance, since the stays can be opened along the inner and outer radius, allowing quick and easy access to the inserted cables.