Picture a manufacturer of industrial furnaces. The new production facility is up and running, but the machines are not working as they should. Time and again there are unexpected problems and finally, production has to be stopped. Apparently, high temperatures and electromagnetic radiation (EMC) from the electrical label cable tie are causing interference between the machines.
Read this article to find out why you should include a professional cable protection system in your parts list.The furnace manufacturing case shows how important it is to plan the cable protection system while plant machinery is being constructed,” explains Anja-Karolin Schulze, Product Manager for Protective Cable Systems at HellermannTyton in Germany. The manufacturer in question had designed the plant without defining any cable protection. The machine cables were neither completely heat-resistant, nor did they provide enough EMC protection. The unprotected cables represented an engineering weak point. “In this case, our customer required a fast solution combining EMC metal protective conduits and threaded fittings suitable for high temperatures.
Whether a specialist scenario or a typical incident – such as a forklift running over wiring repeatedly – cable protection is often left till last, or not properly addressed at all when industrial installations are being designed. That can lead to unnecessary additional costs. In the worst case, leads and cables hang or lie around without protection in the machine area, making them extremely prone to damage. “Or the machinery does not run as efficiently as it could,” says Ms. Schulze.
Her conclusion: “Once you have had a bad experience, you will never plan and construct a system again without a concept in place for proper cable protection.”“It is ideal to think of cable protection during the construction stage and to rely on system solutions such as HelaGuard,” advises Ms. Schulze. Every protective cable hose has unique features, depending on its area of application. Only with the right fitting with an effective seal for each conduit can you ensure that the protective system will perform as required. Product expert Anja-Karolin Schulze: “It is not only important to protect the cables with conduits or tubing, but to also protect each end with suitable fittings. Otherwise the cable protection system will be vulnerable. If conduits are not properly sealed with the correct fitting, cables are open to unwanted and potentially dangerous mechanical or chemical influences or contact with water.”
|