[GigaWatt]

I'm presently assembling a Pro 4824 and upgrading to linear rail. I've been delayed on progress this past week due to minor surgery. That gave me time to think and plan several items including the control cable routing & attachment. I'm trying to decide on leaving the cables loose in track chain, bundling cables, cables un-bundled but attached to chain with cable ties or cables bundled and attached to chain. Hopefully past builders can help me decide which method is best or the method you used.

[dharmic]

Leave them loose.

The chain parts are close enough together that they won't pinch as it moves and it'll mean they have a chance to slip past each other to allow for differing radii of curvature when you inevitably end up with them stacked atop each other. It also means life is a whole lot easier during cable installation, removal/replacement or when you go to add that one extra line for lamp, coolant spray, air blast, touch probe or whatever.

[SeanLe]

Loose but make sure that the beginning and end of the chain itself is well secured to the machine and lined up to prevent any kinks or breaks.

[LeeWay]

The only one I tied down was going through the gantry tube.

[bonesbr549]

I worked in the phone industry and tie-wrap everyhting. I have mine bundled together by catagory x,z and y and spiindle

[dharmic]

I worked in the phone industry and tie-wrap everyhting. I have mine bundled together by catagory x,z and y and spiindle

Curious: did you tie-wrap cables when they were running through conduit (eg underground), which is effectively what's happening in a chain?

[GigaWatt]

Curious: did you tie-wrap cables when they were running through conduit (eg underground), which is effectively what's happening in a chain?

I'm a retired electrical engineer. When running wiring & cables in conduit, we didn't use wire ties. There is to much opportunity to get hung up when pulling in conduit. However I did specify using ties & bundling in some applications for cable trays and other open installations. Since I don't have experience with movable chain, I was curious how it affected the cables with bundling and ties vs loose.

[LeeWay]

I think it really depends on how much room you have inside the track too. The type of sheathing on the wires as well as wire sizes may play a roll. I just observed how they acted while moving and decided I did not really need to tie them down. Even though there is a lot of space left in both of mine with cable track, the cables pretty much keep themselves aligned and ride in in virtually the same locations each time.
I don't think it is detrimental either way.

[bonesbr549]

Curious: did you tie-wrap cables when they were running through conduit (eg underground), which is effectively what's happening in a chain?

...ha...ha. Buried was in casing and therefore bundled already. I hated that goo thats packed in the underground cable.

However my first real computer job was an IT manager/Dept in a phone company and I did all the cabling and putting the rs232 ends on the cables and I remember one of the back office guys coming in and looking at my org skills in cable trays and had a heart to heart talk with me and said you got to do better.

So, he took me under his wing and it was a great education. I also label all cables. but they loose in the tray. Neat and tidy. That is not the case with my shop which at the moment is a complete disaster.