The concept for the generic wire basket tray originated in Europe about 50 years ago. Its rise in popularity paralleled the growth of computer networks and the need to convey relatively small loads of low voltage data cables across building interiors.
Snake Tray® is proud to announce Solar Snap Snake Tray, the revolutionary new integrated cable routing system for two 500 kcmil cables, one ground cable and a position for ¼” messenger wire.
This IS your father’s Oldsmobile. Steel cable runways have been a staple of telecommunications rooms, data centers, and other highly-cabled facilities for generations. While other cable management solutions have since arrived on the scene that offer more flexibility and higher loading capacities while requiring less labor and lowering costs, (like the Snake Tray 801 Series Mega Snake®, a topic for another blog), steel cable runways remain popular in many telco installations. Why? Because that’s the way it has always been.
Actually, yeah, they kinda are. Aluminum cable ladder trays or racks have been around since the dawn of manufacturing automation. You’ll find them wherever there are industrial-class environments and electricity—which means basically anywhere: factory floors, chemical plants, offshore oil platforms, power substations, distribution centers, hyperscale data centers, sports stadiums, and the like. Made from extruded aluminum, they are very lightweight, weather-resistant, and strong enough to handle tremendous loads without sagging. They can be used indoors or outdoors, installed on rooftops, on top of rows of server cabinets, attached to walls, or suspended from ceilings. They are also more expensive than heavier generic steel cable runways, for example.
Have you ever compared the time it takes to fabricate a ninety-degree turn using generic wire basket cable trays versus the Snake Tray® Mega Snake®? We have, and we made a video about it.
In Part 1 of this blog we discussed how Snake Tray’s hand-bendable wire basket cable trays support COVID-19 restrictions on the job site by allowing electrical contractors to finish jobs faster with a minimal workforce. It’s easy to see the value of Snake Tray products when overhead turns and transitions are completed in 15 seconds by a single installer rather than 15 minutes by a team. But what about installing power distribution systems and network cables underneath raised-access floors in modern office buildings? Well, it turns out Snake Tray has a couple more solutions that can improve profitability and speed installation while maintaining proper social distancing practices down there, too.
Dig a trench end-to-end to bury cables, or dig holes to plant above ground pilings?
Guess where a buried cable failure point may be, or easily access cables for repair and replacement?
Use thicker conductors to compensate for underground de-rate, or carry all the PV energy the array can produce on 50% less cable size?
With a turbulent economy and new COVID-19 restrictions on the job site, efficiency and predictable results are critical for electrical contractors. They need to get in and get out as quickly as possible and accomplish the job with minimal manpower. Snake Tray provides a wide range of cable management systems that support COVID-19 restrictions by allowing buildings to be wired faster by fewer people on the job site and enable “waterfall” construction practices.
Data centers are like 21st century gas stations; there’s one popping up on every corner to handle the flood of network traffic. The difference is, you don’t see the pumps. But they’re there, pushing out the fuel – data – that drives our digital economy.
The coronavirus pandemic has shown us how easily supply chains can be interrupted for indeterminable lengths of time. As consumers, we’ve all seen stores stripped bare of essentials like toilet paper, bleach and foodstuffs. The problem is exacerbated for manufacturers with global supply chains. They rely on partners to deliver raw materials or sub-components produced in overseas factories to create finished products domestically. That’s never the case with Snake Tray.
