LONG RUN CABLE CHAINS: CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS
The topic of this newsletter is one of the most fascinating in the world of cable chains: “long run” applications.
The function of cable chains is to guide and protect cables and hoses during their linear movement. In long travel applications, this principle is pushed to the extreme.
In numerous industrial sectors, there are machines designed to operate over distances that are difficult even to imagine. In addition, there are often harsh environmental conditions and increasingly demanding performance requirements, driven by technological evolution. What was once considered a limitation has now become a standard. This translates into ever more ambitious challenges for machine manufacturers and for all component suppliers, including Brevetti Stendalto.
The main critical factors in long travel applications concern the distances to be covered, the additional weights, as well as the speeds and accelerations involved, without ever losing sight of a fundamental requirement: system reliability.
In this scenario, the reliability of components becomes a key element. Even a short machine downtime can generate significant economic losses. For this reason, it is essential to adopt solutions designed to ensure operational continuity and minimize interruptions.
CABLE CHAINS FOR LONG RUN APPLICATIONS
It is precisely in this context that the cable chains, in long strokes applications, must prove to meet very high performance standards.
For us, the analysis of installations carried out over time represents a valuable source of knowledge. Field experience, combined with continuous Research & Development activities, allows us to constantly improve our products, adapting them to the ever-evolving needs of the industry.
A concrete example is the new assembly sequence of the 80R1 chain (pictured), which has led to an improved version in terms of performance, while keeping the components unchanged and ensuring full interchangeability with existing installations
STACKER – POWER PLANT – INDIA
Let us take a stacker reclaimer as an example, one of the most common machines used in bulk material handling. In these applications, the cable chain must manage significant loads and very long stroke distances, operating continuously over areas spanning thousands of square meters.
This massive machine is designed to continuously handle bulk material intended to feed large power generation plants. Its dimensions are such that, to the naked eye, it is difficult even to see the end of the chain.
In this application, a special 80R1 is installed, equipped with integrated rollers along the entire travel length, designed to drastically reduce dynamic friction. The chain runs inside a galvanized steel guide over hundreds of meters.
GOLIATH CRANE – CHINA
It is also essential to mention Goliath Cranes, large gantry cranes with capacities that can reach up to 1,000 tons. In these systems, loads are handled by two trolleys (upper and lower trolley), both characterized by high operational continuity.
In these applications, cable chains must handle very high loads, ensuring reliability under all operating conditions. It is therefore common to find multiple chains, required to support the high number of services.
STS CRANE – CHINA
Another significant case is that of Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, a symbol of innovation in the port sector. Here, cable chains are subjected to high speeds and accelerations, ensuring extremely fast working cycles and increasingly demanding performance. Their task is to handle the loading and unloading of containers between ship and port.
A distinctive feature of these cranes is the folding boom, a hinged arm that requires a guide trough divided into two sections. These must align perfectly when the boom is extended, to ensure smooth and continuous chain travel.
Pictured is one of our most recent supplies (2025), already ready to enter operation in the first quarter of 2026.
