A ladder cable tray is a structural systems design to organize and support cable in commercial or industrial settings. This tray has two rungs running parallel to each other, and are connected by rungs – looking like a ladder. This allows for an effective cable-management system that provides easy ventilation and maintenance in the future.

This type of cable tray is often preferred in the area of high-volume and heavy-duty wiring in either indoor or outdoor environments, as they have strong load-bearing capacity and provide efficient heat dissipation.

What Are the Main Components of a Ladder Cable Tray?

The main components of a ladder cable tray include the following:

• Side Rail: These are the two longitudinal members on either side of the tray that run parallel and provide a good structural support.
• Rungs: These are the cross members joining the parallel rails with each other and are placed at regular intervals, thus allowing cables to be laid and tied securely around it.
• Splice Plates: These are used to join the two tray sections together.
• Covers: These are optional components in the cable tray and are installed if the cable needs protection from environmental elements.
• Support Accessories: A few support accessories like clamp, brackets and hangers ensure the proper installation and alignment of both cable tray and the wires.

These components work together and in sync to create a robust and scalable routing solution for hanging and improperly routed wires around your building.

What Are the Key Features of Ladder-Type Cable Trays?

The ladder cable trays have found their application in diverse business settings and this is all for the key features of it. Including:

1. Higher Load Capacity: This type of cable tray often finds its applications in the higher-volume and high-density wiring areas, because of its high load capacity.
2. Supports ventilation: The open design of the ladder cable tray ensures superior ventilation, thus helpful in preventing any cable overheating.
3. Corrosion Resistance: Depending on the material and coating type you choose, this cable tray can withstand harsh environments.
4. Ease of Cable Tray & exit: Due to the open-design structure of ladder cable trays, the wires can be easily installed or removed from it without disturbing the entire system.
5. Modular Design: The flexible and modular design of this cable tray is not just easy to modify, but also expand or rerouted in the future when and as required.

What Are the Standard Sizes and Specifications Available?

At Simco Steel, we specialize in offering our customers both customized and standard-size ladder cable trays. Where, they are available in various standard sizes to suit your applications, including:

• The width of ladder trays ranges between 150 mm to 1200 mm.
• The length ranges from 2 meters to 3.5 meters.
• The height is between 50 mm to 150 mm.
• The rung spacing usually ranges from 250 mm to 300 mm.
• And, the thickness of it varies between 1.3 mm to 3 mm depending on the load requirements.

These are the standard size of ladder cable trays available at our store. But don’t worry if you have some specific variations in your mind, as we offer customized cable trays as well.

What Materials Are Used to Manufacture Ladder Cable Trays?

Depending on the project requirements and ladder cable tray application, they are made of different materials:

• The most economical and widely used ladder-type cable tray is made of mild steel along with some protective coatings.
• Stainless steel offers superior resistance to corrosion, especially in marine or chemical environments.
• For lightweight wires, outdoor use, and corrosion-resistant properties, a cable tray made of Aluminum would be a great choice.
• The Fiber-glass reinforced plastic cable tray is non-metallic, corrosion-resistant, and suitable for a highly corrosive environment with moisture, dust, and debris.
• For additional corrosion protection, the cable trays made of mild steel are coated with zinc to make them galvanized steel.

Each material serves a different purpose and feature based on the load requirements, application, and environment of use.

Why Should You Choose a Ladder-Type Cable Tray?

Choosing ladder cable trays above others comes with numerous benefits, including:

• Flexibility: Supports complex routing with tees, bends, or vertical risers.
• Easy Maintenance: Open design allows easy to inspect and maintain cables in the future.
• Scalability: Easy expandable for future upgrades, without affecting the existing system.
• Cost-Effective: Reduced labor and installation time are required when compared to conduit systems.
• Fire Safety: Allows heat to dissipate quickly, preventing wire overheating thus minimizing the risk of a fire breakout.
• Corrosion Resistant: The extra layer of coating on cable trays, ensures its protection from corrosion in harsh environments.

If you are looking for long-lasting cable management, that neither wears-tears nor is affected by fire and corrosion and is also easy to expand – choose ladder cable trays without a doubt.

How Does a Ladder Tray Compare to Other Types of Cable Trays?

Here’s how ladder cable trays differ from the other cable trays:

• Ladder vs Perforated: Ladder trays offer more heat dissipation and air circulation leading to fire minimization, while perforated trays are preferred for lightweight and more shielding loads.
• Ladder vs Solid Bottom: Ladder trays provide easy access and installation time, while the solid bottom trays are more difficult to install, are time-consuming and also neglect future expansion.
• Ladder vs. Wire Mesh: Ladders are more suitable for heavy-duty and high-volume cables, while the wire mesh is only suitable for light to medium-weight cables.

Ladder cable trays, thus strike a perfect balance between load capacity, strength, durability, accessibility, expansion,, and overall performance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can ladder cable trays be used outdoors?

Yes, ladder trays made of galvanized steel, aluminum, or stainless steel are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, making them an ideal choice for outdoor use.

Do ladder trays support both power and data cables?

Absolutely yes! Ladder cable trays can accommodate both the power and data cables, with appropriate separation which is needed for an effective maintenance and to prevent interference.

How easy is modifying or expanding a ladder tray system?

Thanks to the modular structure of ladder cable trays, they can be easily expanded or modified using additional fittings like couplers, tees or elbows without any hassle.

Do ladder trays promote cable heat dissipation?

Yes! The open design structure of the ladder tray ensures easy heat dissipation that is generated by the cables, thereby improving its safety and performance.