Mark Cunningham,
GORTRAC
A & A Manufacturing Co. Inc.
New Berlin, Wis.

Two 100-ft-long carriers handle cables that supply power to gates and vehicle arrestors on the John T. Alsop, Jr. Bridge, Jacksonville, Fla. Anodized aluminum crossbars are bolted in place at more than 400 links. Stainless steel bars include additional vertical separators and horizontal dividers to keep cables in place.

Cable and hose carriers prevent the lifelines of automated machinery from tangling and fatiguing prematurely by limiting flexion to a specified radius, and imparting a gentle rolling to feed lines in and out as machinery moves. But there's a lot more to applying cable and hose carriers than just stringing cables through — and picking a carrier out of a catalog is not likely to provide the best possible solution. After all, application variables make it difficult to satisfy weight requirements, travel speeds, environmental conditions, mounting configurations, and space limitations with one standard product. A better tactic than catalog shopping or even developing a custom design from scratch, which can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming (particularly for limited quantities) is an approach somewhere in the middle.

Assembling standard components (including links, crossbars, and accessories) into configurations that satisfy a specific application often makes for ready-to-install carrier subassemblies, with all the necessary accessories, mounting hardware, brackets, and fabrications. This is a practical way to achieve the results of a custom cable and hose carrier at a reasonable cost.

Choosing which type

Most cable and hose carriers consist of parallel side links joined together by crossbars that support the hoses, where pivot pins and stops allow the links to travel through a predetermined arc. Some designs are open between links, while others are completely enclosed for greater cable and hose protection.

Open, nonmetallic carriers are made of heavy-duty fiber-reinforced nylon, and are most suitable for high speeds and long travels. These carriers are nonconductive and corrosion-resistant, particularly when they incorporate nonmetallic pins or bars. Typical uses include machine tools and industrial robots. Lighter versions are also suited to automation machinery or where quiet operation is necessary.

Completely enclosed carriers are another link-type design that envelops the top and bottom of hoses and cables in environments with abrasive materials. Several enclosure subtypes allow easy access to cables and hoses with removable slide strips or plates.

Metallic link-type carriers consist of metal links joined by hardened steel pins that act as both bearings and lock points. They are suitable for machine tools, cranes, industrial robots, mobile and construction equipment, and steel mill machinery.