In our daily lives and workplaces, we encounter many everyday tools as well as more specialized production equipment. We may have some understanding of these things, but if asked about our knowledge of certain machines or specialized tools, I suspect we'd be baffled. For example, today we'll discuss drag chain cables. We'll focus on their basic overview and uses to provide a clear understanding. This will help us understand how to operate them when we need them.
A Brief Introduction to Drag Chain Cables
Construction and production processes often involve numerous cables, and sometimes we struggle to move them safely. This is where drag chain cables come in. Drag chain cables are simply common cables enclosed in a protective cable chain, providing a protective shield that allows them to be moved at any angle without damaging the internals. They are also highly wear-resistant and are commonly used in production plants, firefighting equipment, industrial assembly lines, and CNC machine tools.
1. Applications of Drag Chain Cables
Ordinary drag chain cables offer advantages such as flexibility, mobility, wear resistance, oil resistance, and tensile strength. They are commonly used in automated mobile equipment, such as assembly lines in automated factories, welding machine robotic arms, and marine exploration equipment.
Specialized drag chain cables offer advantages such as resistance to cold, oil, seawater, chemicals, low temperatures, and compression. They are primarily used in harsh outdoor environments with demanding cable requirements, such as marine automation systems and instrumentation, shallow-water robotics, chemical automation equipment, and special flexible drag chain cables for metallurgical automation.
2. Precautions for Drag Chain Cable Installation
1. Drag chain cables must be installed without twisting. That is, the cable should not be unwound from one end of the cable drum or reel. Instead, the drum or reel should be rotated to unwind the cable. If necessary, the cable can be unwound or hung. Cable for this application should only be taken directly from the reel.
2. Pay attention to the cable's bend radius. The installation radius should be at least six times the cable diameter.
3. Cables must be laid loosely side by side in the drag chain, separated as much as possible. Use spacers or insert them into the separation holes in the brackets. The spacing between cables in the drag chain should be at least 10% of the cable diameter.
4. Cables in the drag chain must not touch or become trapped.
5. Cables must be secured at both points, or at least at the moving end of the drag chain. Generally, the distance between the moving point and the end of the drag chain should be 20-30 times the cable diameter.
6. Ensure that the cables move fully within the bend radius, i.e., do not force movement. This allows for relative movement between the cables and the guides. After a period of operation, check the cable position. This must be performed after any pushing or pulling.
7. If the drag chain breaks, the cables must also be replaced, as damage from excessive stretching is inevitable.
The above content is a simple sharing of the uses and installation precautions of drag chain cables. I hope it can help everyone clarify the matters that should be paid attention to in its installation and use. All work should still be based on safety first as the primary condition, and then organize production or life construction.
