Method for Fabricating the Inner Bend of a Mesh Cable Tray

The inner bend of a mesh cable tray can be fabricated by carefully cutting and reshaping the tray using hand tools like bolt cutters or specialized forming machines, ensuring structural integrity and corrosion protection.

Manual On-

Site Bending

For small-scale or on-site adjustments, wire mesh cable trays can be bent live at the project using a bolt cutter. The process involves: Cutting selected wires along the bend line to allow flexibility. Using the cutter to drag a layer of zinc across the cut ends, forming a protective layer that maintains corrosion resistance.

Carefully bending the tray along the desired inner radius, ensuring the mesh structure remains intact. Optionally, applying rubber caps to exposed cut ends for additional safety and protection. This method is suitable for creating bends, tees, crosses, risers, and reducers directly from straight sections without requiring pre-fabricated components.

Using Cable Tray Making Machines

For larger-scale or factory fabrication, cable tray roll forming machines can produce precise bends and inner curves: Metal strips or coils are fed into the machine, which uses progressive dies and rollers to form the tray into the desired shape. Specialized tooling can create inner bends, embossing, and center spine features with high precision. Automated systems allow for consistent bend radii and repeatable quality, which is particularly useful for mass production or complex tray layouts.

These machines can handle steel, stainless steel, or aluminum mesh trays, and the process ensures that the structural strength and corrosion resistance of the tray are preserved.

Best Practices

Maintain minimum bend radius: Ensure the bend radius is sufficient to prevent damage to cables and maintain proper spacing. Check mesh integrity: Avoid excessive deformation that could compromise load capacity or ventilation. Corrosion protection: After bending, inspect the tray for exposed metal and apply protective coatings or caps if necessary.

Plan layout: Pre-mark the bend location and angle to achieve accurate alignment with the overall cable tray system. By combining careful manual techniques or automated forming processes, the inner bend of a mesh cable tray can be fabricated efficiently while maintaining safety, durability, and compliance with installation standards.