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Anyone who ever used a steel cable carrier will rarely change to a model made from other materials, writes Thomas Ameis, Senior Technical Expert, Tsubaki Kabelschlepp GmbH. And for a very good reason: despite plastic cable carriers becoming ever more advanced and robust, there is simply no alternative to steel in many applications. Especially when ambient conditions are extreme, properties such as strength, temperature resistance, hardness, Charpy impact strength and corrosion characteristics are invaluable. STEEL-LINE cable carriers from KABELSCHLEPP Metool are designed for extreme applications. The company’s extensive experience of applications and design expertise guarantee success, especially for particularly ‘tough cases’.

Dr. Gilbert Waninger, Head of

Development at Waldrich Siegen GmbH, invented the steel cable carrier in 1953. One year later, Dr.-Ing. E. H. Oskar Waldrich founded Kabelschlepp GmbH, laying the cornerstone for a new industry. Steel cable carriers became popular for use with longitudinal milling machines, crane systems and many other applications. Around 50 years later, steel cable carriers are still one of the mainstays of the company –KABELSCHLEPP Metool is leading in this field.

SOMETIMES IT JUST HAS TO BE STEEL Naturally, the cable carrier experts now also offer an extensive range of plastic and hybrid carriers. This allows customers to always find the right material for virtually any application. Cable carriers with steel side bands are a practical choice for extremely rough environmental conditions, very high temperatures or high mechanical loads. They can ensure very extensive unsupported lengths with high additional loads from cables. Due to the higher weight, steel cable carriers can only be used up to approximately 2 m/s travel speed, but this aspect is almost always a minor factor for the ‘classic’ areas of application in heavy engineering, steelworks technology, mining or deep drilling. The focus is on the robustness and durability of the solution. On request, however, KABELSCHLEPP Metool can even implement travel speeds up to 4m/s through additional measures.

STEEL-LINE cable carriers from Kabelschlepp Metool are designed for extreme applications.

Many customers choose steel cable carriers based on their high level of robustness to withstand the rough environmental conditions with a high degree of contamination under great mechanical load.

In many applications, there is no alternative to steel. Kabelschlepp Metool ensures successful use of the these cable carriers, especially with complex application parameters.

MORE COMPACT AND MORE RESISTANT Steel cable carriers can be built with a significantly more compact design compared to plastic cable carriers with the same load capacity. Conversely, this means that a steel cable carrier with the same size and same load has a significantly longer unsupported length than a plastic cable carrier. Steel as a material makes full use of all its strength benefits here. Additional loads up to several hundred kilograms per metre are possible if multiple side bands can be placed side by side.

Many customers choose steel cable carriers based on their high level of robustness to withstand the rough environmental conditions with a high degree of contamination under great mechanical load. In addition to the typical application, for example in steelworks on roll stands, continuous casting systems or flame descaling systems, these carriers have been operating reliably in the field of

With their high load capacity, steel cable carriers can handle extreme mechanical stress as well as operating conditions with hot swarf or sparks and very high permanent temperatures.

drilling systems for many years. They can handle the mechanical impact forces from the stones, sand and soil in the extreme ambient conditions. Even complicated motion sequences such as the power supply for a rotating coal digger or reclaimer can be covered with steel cable carriers. The proven cable carriers are under constant further development and continue to move into new areas of application: The TKSR is a brand new, highly compact model from KABELSCHLEPP Metool, designed for use in aerial lifts. SUITABLE EVEN FOR EXTREME HEAT AND OFFSHORE USE Depending on the model, steel cable carriers can resist short-term temperature loads or application-related maximum values of up to 400°C, and briefly even up to 1,000°C for stainless steel versions. Galvanized steel cable carriers are the first choice in industrial furnaces, in foundries and in the steel processing industry. Relatively high operating temperatures occur in rolling mills, for example. Even environments with hot swarf cannot affect the functionality of steel cable carriers. In addition, the carriers are resistant to chemicals and radiation and are a sound choice for handling robots and manipulators in chemical plants. KABELSCHLEPP Metool offers stainless steel cable carriers in three different quality levels, which can even be used in the environment of acid baths in galvanizing shops, in power plant applications or in other areas with radioactive radiation.

Offshore applications are another classic area of application for stainless steel cable carriers, which have to meet strict technical requirements in this field. This is where KABELSCHLEPP Metool steel cable carriers excel thanks to their resistance to seawater and UV radiation. They can permanently and reliably withstand the rough climate. With their high load capacity due to the material properties and their robust design, they can handle even extreme mechanical stress from particularly high additional loads, even with extensive unsupported lengths. EXTENSIVE PORTFOLIO OF CABLE CARRIERS AND ACCESSORIES The STEEL-LINE range from KABELSCHLEPP Metool includes a number of steel cable carriers in various sizes and configurations, with a comprehensive range of accessories available to match. All cable carriers are made of galvanized steel or — for even higher requirements — stainless steel. Different types of stainless steel can be used based on the application. Depending on the local conditions at the place of use, KABELSCHLEPP Metool offers different stay variants made of an aluminum alloy. The cable carriers are usually equipped with aluminum stays that can be precisely adapted to the respective application in a 1mm grid in both cases.

The stays have two central purposes: they form the mechanical connection between the side bands and are also the contact and friction points with the cables and hoses that are guided in the cable carriers. Their coefficient of friction therefore has a crucial influence on the service life of the cables and hoses and on

the reliability of the entire cable carrier system. MAINTENANCE FREE AND RECYCLABLE Decades worth of product and application know-how have resulted in a highly differentiated range with design details that are adapted to the operating and Steel cable carriers are ambient conditions at hand. ideal in extreme conditions KABELSCHLEPP designs the side and at high temperatures. bands with link plates with different geometries, including an open stroke system with self-cleaning effect to minimize wear caused by dirt and to achieve the longest possible service life. To support this objective, the steel cable carriers require no maintenance or lubrication: all STEEL LINE products do not require lubrication and are therefore maintenance-free. The steel cable carriers can simply run for many decades — KABELSCHLEPP Metool knows of cases where a cable carrier has been in use for over 50 years. However, the benefits of a steel cable carrier do not stop at the end of its service life. Up to 100% of the components of the steel cable carriers can be recycled at the end of their service life, conserving resources and protecting the environment. Using one tonne of steel in recycling saves one tonne of CO2 emissions and avoids mining of 1.5 tonnes of iron ore. All’s well that ends well — and one more reason to stay true to steel.

For a gantry developed for the ion beam therapy centre in Heidelberg (Germany), large steel cable carriers in different sizes were installed in a multi-band design in combination with plastic cable carriers, in order to carry a number of different lines in a circular motion.

For a horizontal drilling system from Prime Drilling GmbH, Kabelschlepp Metool designed a customized steel cable carrier that is mounted on the side of the drilling system carriage mast.