Flexible

[WallaceP]

Hello, I am looking for advice on an alternative to metal flexible conduit.
I do work in a factory and the remote foot switches and controls are wired with flexible steel conduit and constantly get distroyed. They were originaly just steel and were changed to pvc coated and lasted a bit better but ultimately failed. I am thinking some hydralic hose but im worried it might not be as flexible and wont lie flat on the ground.
Has anyone had any experience with this before?

 

[snowhead]

The main problem you'd have with hydraulic hose is getting suitable ends for it.
You won't find any ends with conduit thread on them.

Hydraulic hose is not very flexible, is very resistant to bending and is thick walled.
You'd probably have to add weight to the foot switches to keep them in place on the floor, unless they're fixed down.

I own an excavator so have made up and replaced hoses.

Time for a plan Z.

 

[Rockingit]

Can you fix the boxes to the floor and use solid steel conduit in the final few inches?

 

[WallaceP]

Can you fix the boxes to the floor and use solid steel conduit in the final few inches?

No they like to move them around for different jobs they are doing with the machines. Here is an old photo I found on my phone of the damage

 

[DefyG]

Surprised there isn't a compliant SY type cable available for just that type of job.
What voltage does the foot switch operate at?

 

[Rockingit]

No they like to move them around for different jobs they are doing with the machines. Here is an old photo I found on my phone of the damage

That's not wear and tear, that's vandalism! ?

As just said, have you explored an SY option?

 

[Rockingit]

SY Braided Sheath Cable 2.5mm 4 core x 100m - https://www.brymec.com/sy-braided-sheath-cable-2-5mm-4-core-x-100m.html or something else like it

 

[WallaceP]

SY Braided Sheath Cable 2.5mm 4 core x 100m - https://www.brymec.com/sy-braided-sheath-cable-2-5mm-4-core-x-100m.html or something else like it

Sy gets damaged very quickly too! ? The outer jacket wears away then the braiding turns into a birds nest

 

[Rockingit]

H07? Depends on the 'cutting' risk I guess.

My only other thought would be some sort or modular bussbar trunking (look up Schneider's) or a sunken buss rail around the machine so that the pedal could be slid around on the floor and no hanging cables at all. How many conductor ways are we talking here?

 

[DefyG]

That looks like the cheap and cheerful bog standard flexi conduit which isn't very robust.
We used some stainless steel flexi conduit for a particular job once which was very robust, but also about 4 times the cost if I remember.

 

[Rockingit]

That looks like the cheap and cheerful bog standard flexi conduit which isn't very robust.
We used some stainless steel flexi conduit for a particular job once which was very robust, but also about 4 times the cost if I remember.

I did think that but didn't want to offend the OP!

Possibly an other option might be to go a bit Heath Robinson and wrap a heavy coating of SA tape all over the length - but then you loose the flexibility and might as well use hi-tuff or SWA. Or...... run the flexi inside clear PVC hose?

 

[WallaceP]

That looks like the cheap and cheerful bog standard flexi conduit which isn't very robust.
We used some stainless steel flexi conduit for a particular job once which was very robust, but also about 4 times the cost if I remember.

Ohh, Yeah that was the ‘original’ stuff. Then we tried brand name kopex, then the coated kopex. The machine was bought second hand and the oem parts were long gone by the time I seen the machine

 

[WallaceP]

I did think that but didn't want to offend the OP!

Possibly an other option might be to go a bit Heath Robinson and wrap a heavy coating of SA tape all over the length - but then you loose the flexibility and might as well use hi-tuff or SWA. Or...... run the flexi inside clear PVC hose?

Oh it wont offend me. I am well aware of the quality of the stuff! Plus that stuff has the benefit of double up as a stanlet knife when it splits.

 

[WallaceP]

Surprised there isn't a compliant SY type cable available for just that type of job.
What voltage does the foot switch operate at?

24v DC mostly. One is 110v. They tend to use 6 cores for each station

 

[UNG]

Would this be any good for your application igus® Energy Chain: triflex® R TRE.30 - https://www.igus.co.uk/iPro/iPro_01_0037_0005_GBen.htm other variants are available and detailed on the same page

 

[dodger421]

We have similar problems with the footswitches on the smaller CNC machines. PVC coated Kopex is about the best stuff we’ve found, everything else just ends up getting cut to shreds by the swarf embedded in the operators safety boots.

Occasional re-education of the operators helped get them to stop chucking it around as much and drastically cut down on the number of replacements each year. A very large stillson works wonders.

 

[WallaceP]

Would this be any good for your application igus® Energy Chain: triflex® R TRE.30 - https://www.igus.co.uk/iPro/iPro_01_0037_0005_GBen.htm other variants are available and detailed on the same page

Ah, i will look into this. I must admit when i seen energy chain I wasnt so confident after having to replace what felt like miles of the flat energy chain in the past but this stuff looks good

thank you