Slijtage kabelrups herkennen: waar je op let

Slijtage aan een kabelrups herken je aan speling in de scharnieren, afgesleten zijplaten of glijvlakken, kunststofresten onder de rups, veranderend geluid, doorhang van het bovenste deel en kabels die gaan draaien of uit hun vak lopen. Loop schakels, dwarsverbindingen, bevestiging, geleiding en kabels vast in dezelfde volgorde na.

Hoe zie je of een kabelrups versleten is?

Aan speling in de scharnieren, afgesleten zijplaten of glijvlakken, kunststofresten onder de rups, meer geluid dan normaal en een bovenste deel dat gaat doorhangen. Gebroken schakels of losse dwarsverbindingen betekenen dat er direct actie nodig is.

Waarom maakt mijn kabelrups ineens meer lawaai?

Ratelen, klakken of piepen betekent dat er iets schuurt, slaat of slijt. Vaak loopt de rups ergens aan, zijn de scharnieren versleten of is de snelheid van de machine verhoogd.

Is kunststof slijpsel onder een kabelrups erg?

Het is een teken dat de rups al slijt. Zoek waar het vandaan komt: schuren tegen de machine of goot, glijden op een verkeerde ondergrond of vuil tussen de schakels. Neem die oorzaak weg voordat je onderdelen vervangt.

Hoe vaak moet een kabelrups geïnspecteerd worden?

Dat hangt af van het aantal bewegingen en de omgeving. Spreek per machine een interval af, schrijf het op en kort het in als je bij een controle meer slijtage ziet dan de vorige keer.

Inspecteert Wisman ook kabelrupsen van andere merken?

Ja. We inspecteren elke installatie en leggen de staat per rups vast. Voor vervanging adviseren we een passende serie uit ons assortiment.

Recognising cable carrier wear: what to look for

Short answer

You recognise wear on a cable carrier by play in the hinges, worn side plates or gliding surfaces, plastic debris under the carrier, a change in sound, sagging of the upper part and cables that twist or leave their compartment. Always check links, cross connections, fixings, guidance and cables in the same order.

Recognising cable carrier wear: what to look for

Wear on a cable carrier almost always announces itself: the carrier starts to sound different, there is debris underneath, the hinges develop play or the cables start to shift. Spot those signs in time and you plan the repair at a moment that suits you. Miss them and you only discover the wear when the carrier breaks and takes the cables with it.

Here you read where to look, what each sign means and how to decide whether it can wait. What you do next, repair or replace, is covered in repair or replace a cable carrier.

How do you check a cable carrier for wear?

You need very little: a torch, a phone for photos and someone to move the machine slowly. Work in the same order every time, then you also notice small changes.

(01)Look first while stationary: links, side plates and cross connections, especially in the bend and at the end fixings.
(02)Let the machine move slowly: watch the hinges in the bend and listen during rolling off and along the entire travel.
(03)Open a few cross connections: or look between the links at the cables.
(04)Look under and beside the carrier: for debris, plastic fragments and rubbing marks on the machine or the channel.
(05)Take photos: of the same spots as last time, so you can compare.

Which signs point to wear?

Every sign points to a cause. This table follows the check points of our inspection checklist and refers to the matching page in the troubleshooting guide.

What you see or hear	Where to look	What it usually means
Play in the hinges	Bend, while moving slowly	Wear on the hinge points
Worn side plates or sliding surfaces	Underside and side	Rubbing, contact or gliding on the wrong surface
Plastic debris under the carrier	Floor, channel, machine	Wear that is already under way
Discoloured or brittle material	Links and side plates	Heat, UV, coolant or chemicals
Rattling, clacking or squeaking	Bend and travel	Contact, worn hinges or too high a speed
Upper part sags	Self-supporting section	Overloaded or worn hinges
Wear marks on the trough walls	Guide channel	Carrier runs askew, alignment is off
Cables stacked, crossed or in a spiral	In the carrier	Laying, layout or strain relief
Twist marks or creases on the sheath	Cables	Cables are twisting

Sound often gets too little attention. A carrier that makes more and more noise is rubbing or striking something. What lies behind it is explained under cable carrier makes noise.

When is wear a problem and when can it wait?

Not every sign means the machine has to stop right away. We distinguish three states, the same ones the Carrier check uses:

OK: nothing points to damage or wear. Keep checking the carrier regularly.
Attention: at least one point indicates wear or a deviation, such as play, debris, noise or sagging. Find the cause and plan the repair before something breaks. The carrier is also at Attention if you could not check three or more points.
Action required: something is broken, loose or running out. Think of broken side plates, loose cross connections, links separating in the bend, cables in a spiral, a carrier jumping out of the channel or intermittent signals. Have the carrier checked before the machine keeps running.

With the Carrier check you go through these points in a few minutes. You get a status and the pages from the troubleshooting guide that match your answers.

Calculate it yourselfCarrier checkHow is your cable carrier doing? Check it yourselfStart the carrier check

Where is the wear and what does that say about the cause?

Where the wear is tells you more than the wear itself. Wear on the side usually points to contact with the machine, the channel or another carrier, often caused by a driver that is out of line. Wear on the underside belongs to a gliding arrangement on a rough or unsuitable surface.

Play in the hinges comes from many movements or a carrier running at the limit of its load. Discolouration and brittleness come from the environment: heat, UV, coolant or chemicals. Chips and abrasive dust act like grinding paste between the links.

If the wear keeps coming back, simply replacing parts will not help. In a dirty environment an enclosed cable carrier such as the TKA or the steel S/SX Tubes is a better choice, because chips and dirt then cannot reach the cables. More on causes and solutions under cable carrier wears quickly.

Troubleshooting guideCable carrier wears quicklyWorn side plates, sliding surfaces or hinges after a short time.Go to the solution

How do you recognise wear on the cables?

Cables usually wear because of what the carrier does. Look at the jacket: rubbing, cracks, flattened or discoloured spots. Check whether the cables lie straight, whether they are fixed at both ends and whether they follow the radius of the carrier without kinking.

Intermittent signals from encoders and sensors or motors that drop out now and then are often the first sign of a cable break. If the damage keeps appearing at the same spot in the bend, the radius or the layout is the cause. See cable break in the cable carrier. Cables lying in a spiral were usually laid in twisted or not fixed properly. How that is prevented during assembly is explained in mounting a cable carrier.

How often should you check a cable carrier?

There is no fixed number. It depends on the number of movements, the speed, the load and the environment. A carrier in a clean environment with few strokes needs less attention than one among the chips in a multi-shift operation.

So agree an interval per machine and write it down. Our inspection checklist has its own column for this, so you fill in the interval that suits your machine and load. If you see more wear at a check than last time, shorten the interval.

Have many carriers, or rather not keep track yourself? With maintenance and inspection we record the condition of each carrier in RupsInspect, with photos, a priority and advice: do nothing, repair or replace. We set the interval together with you. We also inspect carriers from other brands.

inspection of a cable carrier on a gantry crane

ServiceMaintenance & inspectionPeriodic inspection with RupsInspect, parts from stock and quick repair.View the service

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell a cable carrier is worn?

By play in the hinges, worn side plates or gliding surfaces, plastic debris under the carrier, more noise than usual and an upper part that starts to sag. Broken links or loose cross connections mean action is needed right away.

Why is my cable carrier suddenly making more noise?

Rattling, clacking or squeaking means something is rubbing, striking or wearing. Often the carrier is touching something, the hinges are worn or the machine speed has been increased.

Is plastic debris under a cable carrier a problem?

It is a sign that the carrier is already wearing. Find out where it comes from: rubbing against the machine or channel, gliding on the wrong surface or dirt between the links. Remove that cause before you replace parts.

How often should a cable carrier be inspected?

That depends on the number of movements and the environment. Agree an interval per machine, write it down and shorten it if you see more wear at a check than last time.