top of page
Writer's pictureKyra Tan

Can ordinary cables be used as drag chain cables?

In daily production activities, ordinary flexible cables are often used as drag chain cables in cable drag chain systems. So, in fact, from a professional point of view, can ordinary cables be used as drag chain cables? Acewo Cable will tell you.

To understand this problem, we must know the difference between ordinary flexible cables and drag chain cables. Generally speaking, four major differences determine that ordinary flexible cables cannot replace drag chain cables:


1. Conductor structure


The commonly used conductors of drag chain cables are generally 0.1/0.14/0.19mm multi-strand oxygen-free copper wires with short pitch precision twisting (large square drag chain cable conductors will also use special group twisting to ensure the breakage or displacement of cable conductors during cable bending); ordinary cable conductors are generally 0.2/0.25 oxygen-free copper wires twisted. From the conductor's point of view, TRVV drag chain cables have better softness.


2. Insulation material


Drag chain cable conductors generally use special modified elastomer nitrile/automotive materials/TPE/PE and other materials. Different insulation materials are selected according to different use environments to ensure the softness of the cable while improving the performance of the cable in a specific use environment to a greater extent; RVV cable insulation material is generally ordinary PVC material.


3. Cabling method


Drag chain cables adopt short pitch layer twisting, anti-twist structure layering, group gap filling, twisting + re-twisting, and other cabling methods when cabling, which ensures the roundness of the cable while making the cable core compact and not easy to loosen; ordinary flexible cables have large cable intercepts and the core is easy to loosen.


4. Sheath difference


In terms of material: Drag chain cables generally use special modified elastomer nitrile as the cable sheath material. This cable sheath has basic properties such as softness, wear resistance, weather resistance, and tear resistance; ordinary flexible cables generally use ordinary PVC material as the cable sheath, and its performance is different from the sheath material used by TRVV drag chain cables.


Sheath molding method: Drag chain cables use full extrusion or semi-extrusion molded cable sheaths, the cables are compact, and the core wires are not easy to loosen during bending; ordinary flexible cables use sleeve sheaths, and the cable core wires are prone to loosening during bending.


At the same time, drag chain cables need to be used for high-frequency movement and bending, and the cables are frequently bent and moved under force in the drag chain system. When ordinary cables are operated in such an environment, they are subjected to bending stress and the cable core is compressed, which causes the cable to bear tension as a whole. At the beginning of use, due to the elasticity of the cable material itself, the cable can still bend and operate normally with the drag chain and tank chain, but after a period of operation, the cable will be permanently deformed due to excessive stress due to the material, and it cannot be restored. After this special extrusion process, the cable core forms different compression and tension areas, which are prone to spin, and the cable core may break at any time.


Therefore, any cable has its special performance to meet its use environment, and it is unwise to use non-specific cables instead of professional cables. Whether in actual use or theory, ordinary cables are not suitable for use as drag chain cables.


Acewo Cable has been specializing in the production of industrial wires and cables for 16+ years, supporting customized cables, specializing in the production of UL/CCC/CE M12 Cables, Gigabit Ethernet cables, USB Camera cables, Camera link cables with high-flexibility and bend-resistant drag chain materials, and high-end customization with enterprise standards and industry standards.

1 view0 comments

Related Posts

See All

Comentários


bottom of page