How long is the travel?
Up to 6 metres unsupported, plastic stays comfortably within its sag specification. Between 6 and 15 metres, choose plastic gliding in a trough or steel unsupported with a taller side band. Above 15 metres with heavy fill, steel with support rollers becomes the standard because friction in a plastic glide trough gets too high.
How heavy is the fill?
Add the weight per metre of all cables and hoses, including medium: a Ø 16 mm hydraulic hose already weighs over 0.6 kg/m when filled. Above 10 kg/m combined with more than 4 metres of travel, plastic reaches its limit; above 15 kg/m we recommend steel or aluminium as standard.
What happens in the environment?
Plastic handles roughly 100 °C continuously and tolerates short peaks, but glowing swarf burns into it. For turning shops, welding robots and cutting machines, choose steel, optionally with a sheet-steel swarf cover. Aggressive coolants or solvents: always request the chemical resistance list before ordering.
Do noise or speed matter?
Above 3 m/s plastic is markedly quieter and induces fewer vibrations in the machine. If steel is unavoidable in a manned area, choose a version with plastic glide elements and polymer pins — in practice that saves 5 to 10 dB(A).
| Criterion | Plastic | Steel | Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vrijdragende slag | ✔ | ✔ | ≈ 6 m |
| Vulgewicht | ≤ 10 kg/m | ≤ 40 kg/m | 10–15 kg/m |
| Temperatuur continu | ≤ 100 °C | ≤ 250 °C | 100 °C |
| Hete spanen / lasspat | — | ✔ | n.v.t. |
| Snelheid | ≤ 10 m/s | ≤ 5 m/s | 3 m/s |
Frequently asked questions
- Is aluminium available as a middle ground?
- Yes, hybrid chains with aluminium crossbars and plastic side bands are lighter than steel and carry more than all-plastic. They suit long travels at moderate temperatures.
- Roughly how much more expensive is steel?
- Expect a factor of 2 to 3 on the chain itself, plus heavier mounting and more installation time. Request a quote with both variants to see the exact difference for your size.
- Can I run a plastic chain in an existing steel trough?
- Often yes, provided the trough width matches the chain's outer width and glide shoes or glide surfaces are present. Send us the trough dimensions and we will check.
Read next
- Which cable carrier series fits my machine?Series differ in pitch, side-band height and radius range. How to derive the right series from your own dimensions in four steps.
- How do you calculate unsupported length and sag?Fill weight sets the unsupported length. When to switch to gliding, and how much sag is acceptable.
- How do you protect cables against heat and weld spatter?Continuous versus peak temperature, radiant heat and spatter: which protection type suits which heat source.