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Did you know that something as small as a cable management tray can make a substantial difference to the success of a project?  Although you might not consider cable management trays a pressing issue, they can significantly enhance your industrial plant’s safety conditions. They can also directly contribute to an enhanced long-term performance from your electrical plant applications because they stop your wires and cables from sagging. For these reasons, choosing the suitable cable management tray is critical. Read this article to learn just how you can select the right one for your industrial plant project.

What types of cable tray are there?

Several cable management tray systems are available for your project. From ladder to perforated, channel to solid bottom type cable management trays, these cable tray systems have different features. If you’re aware of their different elements you can effortlessly select the cable tray that matches your project’s demands. So, let’s look at some more information on these types of cable tray systems.

What is a ladder cable tray?

Ladder cable tray systems feature two long parallel rails connected with shorter metal rungs, serving the purpose of a power cable support unit. You can use a ladder cable tray to support insulated cables and accessing them is easy during plant inspections.

What are perforated cable trays?

Perforated cable trays are cable support units with holes on their base sheet. They also feature side rails that you can use to distribute wires in your industrial plant for your project.

What is a channel cable tray?

Channel cable tray systems are a type of industrial cable tray that is fully enclosed and features a channel. Manufacturers create different channel-type industrial cable trays from different materials, such as carbon steel, corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, stainless steel, and other types of metal. The best channel cable trays are hot-dip galvanized and are ideal for supporting control, computer, PLC, communication, and many other types of cables.

What is a solid bottom tray?

Solid bottom tray systems are types of industrial cable trays that you can use if your industrial, electric plant systems don’t produce much heat. Some do have ventilated bottoms, though, which are best for preventing overheating and protecting cable performance. If you also want to avoid cable sagging, use solid bottom trays with electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection properties. 

What are the types of materials for cable trays?

As you’ll see, there are so many types of materials for cable trays. Not only can you get steel cable management systems, but you can also buy aluminum, galvanized steel, and plastic cable trays that have been reinforced by glass-fiber.

How do you tell the difference between the different cable tray types?

You can differentiate the different cable management tray types by comparing their features, materials, and components, and as you can see, each of the cable tray systems have different characteristics.

Differentiating between cable tray types using materials

For example, an aluminum cable tray is just that – a manufactured cable tray made from aluminum. A steel cable tray is different from aluminum because manufacturers use steel to make them.

How to differentiate between cable tray systems by design

If you go by design, a few different cable tray systems have different designs. When you compare a ladder cable tray to a solid bottom cable tray, you’ll notice that ladder types have several rungs – just as a ladder does – and a solid bottom type has a solid base.

Distinguishing between cable tray systems by their benefits and disadvantages

You can also compare cable management tray systems by their advantages and drawbacks to differentiate between them. Cable tray systems are different to ladder cable trays since a cable tray can greatly reduce EMI (electromagnetic interference) and ladder trays do not.

How do I choose cable trays?

There are three main factors that you must consider when you choose a cable tray, including how many cables you have, cable types, and cable size. Once you know these factors, it’s easy to start making calculations to determine which cable tray system to choose. And did you realise that there is a rule you can follow to choose a cable tray? Your cable tray should always have sufficient space and you should note that 50% of the fill area remains free when you’ve installed the cables. You should also know or calculate the diameters of all cables, figure out how much airspace you have in between the cables, and consider the maximum width of the cable tray system.

How can I get better cable management?

Assessing your project’s needs and selecting the right cable management system is a great way to get better cable management. Your project might involve managing equipment manufacturing application cables. It may involve cable management for consumer electronics. These projects require different cable management solutions. While consumer electronic cable management requires cable ties, managing equipment manufacturing applications may require a more heavy-duty option. The features of cable systems are all different. For heavy-duty, plant engineering projects, you must carefully decide between cable ladders, cable trays, and substantial cable management systems to ensure your project is a success. You may choose to select an industrial plant engineering component vendor to ensure you get the right product for your project.  The quality we provide at Pro Support Solutions is second to none, so check out our website for more information on cable management solutions and cable management trays.

Select the most suitable cable management tray the easy way

Selecting a suitable cable management system is important, though difficult. You will need to ensure that you know the properties of the potential cable management systems and align the right properties with your project. When you choose Pro Support Solutions for your project, you can receive the right support you require to select the most suitable cable management solution for the job. Cable management is important, so don’t forget to choose experts such as our professional team and partners, MEFA, to complete your plant engineering project without any problems.