Selection guide
Four figures decide which cable chain you need: the fill, the inner size, the bend radius and the travel. Work through them in that order and you land on the right series first time. The configurator runs the same steps automatically if you prefer to enter machine data only.
Start with the list of everything that travels along: power cables, data buses, air and coolant hoses. Note the outer diameter and weight per metre for each. Total weight per metre, together with the unsupported length, determines the series. Never fill a compartment beyond roughly 60%, and never stack cables of different diameters without separators.
Add the outer diameters, allow 10% clearance and you have the minimum inner width. The thickest cable sets the inner height: it must never be pinched between the crossbars. The bend radius is at least ten times that diameter; twelve to fifteen times for shielded cables, heavy power cables and hoses. Torn between two sizes? Take the larger — an extra separator is cheaper than a second chain.
Chain length is roughly half the travel plus the bend arc plus a small reserve. Stay within the series' unsupported length or the upper run will sag: then pick a heavier series or a gliding arrangement with a glide channel. Then choose the version: open crossbars ventilate best, cover bands and tubes keep chips, dust, coolant and sparks out.
This guide applies whether you search for energy chain, drag chain, cable carrier, cable track, Energiekette, Schleppkette, kabelrups, chaîne porte-câbles or cadena portacables. The calculation steps are identical for every series and every brand.
