Trough Cable Tray Production Line

Product Overview

The trough cable tray production line turns steel coil into finished trough trays and their covers. Coil is unwound and leveled, the heat dissipation holes and joint holes are punched, the blank is cut to length, and the strip then runs through the forming stands that shape the U profile — one continuous pass instead of a sequence of separate operations.

That single pass is the practical difference from cut-and-fold work. A folded tray takes several press-brake hits plus separate drilling, and each piece is handled between steps; here the strip moves through the line and leaves as a formed tray.

Tray bodies and their matching covers both come off the line. Factories that make cable containment as a product — electrical cable tray manufacturers, sheet metal shops moving tray work off a press brake, and contractors prefabricating for their own installations — use a roll forming line for electrical cable tray manufacturing to turn tray production from a job-shop process into a repeatable one.

Production efficiency is far higher than traditional cutting and folding.

Three-Section Line Build

• Trough tray forming section — A feeding platform, the main cold bending forming machine and a receiving platform form the tray body. Strip is fed into the roll stands, the U profile is shaped progressively, and the finished tray runs out onto the receiving table.
• Cover forming section — A second, separate cold bending machine is dedicated to the cover profile, so tray bodies and covers are formed on their own tooling and can be scheduled independently.
• Connecting plate section — Joint plates that link tray lengths on site are produced in their own section, so you are not cutting and drilling plates by hand or buying them in.
• Heat dissipation hole stamping section — Vents in the tray base come from a dedicated automatic stamping section, so the base stays flat and the pattern repeats accurately along the run.
• Coil rack and feeding — An electric adjustable-speed material rack carries the coil and feeds it at a speed matched to the forming stations; feed speed is set from the control system rather than by hand.
• Electronic control system — One electrical control set runs the whole line, with the operator working from the control cabinet.
• Optional bottom transverse reinforcement — A bottom cross-reinforcement system can be added for trays that need extra stiffness across the base; because it changes the tooling arrangement it has to be specified with the order.
• Supplied as one line — The three sections, coil rack, platforms and control set are built to work together. That is the practical difference between buying from a cable tray production line manufacturer and assembling separate machines: alignment, feed speeds and control are matched before the line leaves the works.

Tray Range and Cover Matching

Tray width runs from 100 to 800 mm and sidewall height to 200 mm, which covers the sizes electrical contractors specify most often. Narrow trays in the 100 to 200 mm band suit instrument and control cable runs, single runs through ceiling voids and riser drops. The 400 to 800 mm widths are what plant rooms, substations and heavy power distribution need when several cable bundles share one route.

Sidewall height sets the cable fill depth. A shallow tray keeps a single layer visible and easy to lace; a 200 mm sidewall lets you stack power cables without the bundle sitting above the edge of the tray.

Widths and heights are set on the machine rather than fixed by the frame, so one line covers a full standard range instead of one size per machine. And because the tray body and the cover are formed on separate cold bending machines, the trough cable tray production line delivers a cover profile matched to the tray width you are running, in the same production cycle.

Two boundaries are worth settling early. Trays wider than 800 mm or deeper than 200 mm are outside what this line forms, and a cover with a particular edge return or lip has to be checked against the tooling. Send the profile drawings with your size list and we will confirm which sizes run as standard and which need different rolls.

Stations, Rollers and Controls

• Forming stands and roller shafts — Each stand carries steel roller shafts with large forming discs, and the profile is shaped in small steps from flat strip to finished U. Running the strip through a sequence of stands is what separates a roll forming line for electrical cable tray manufacturing from a press-brake setup: the shape is formed continuously, not one bend at a time.
• Width and height adjustment — Roller positions correspond to the tray size being run, and handwheels on the stands let the operator move rollers to the new position when the tray width changes.
• Punching ahead of forming — Holes for heat dissipation and for the joint plates are punched in the flat strip before the forming stands, which is why the hole pattern follows the tray edges accurately.
• Leveling unit — Coil is leveled before it reaches the punch, so the strip sits flat through the tooling and hole spacing and sidewall height stay consistent down the coil.
• Cut-to-length unit — The developed blank is cut to the length that produces the finished tray length, so cut length and formed length stay matched without a second measuring step.
• Roller take-off — A roller table carries the formed profile away from the last stand; at the discharge end a red roller bed takes the tray as it comes off, with formed panels stacked alongside.
• Control cabinet — Line start and stop, feed speed and station sequencing run from the electrical control cabinet at the operator position.
• Frame — The stations sit on a long bolted steel frame with a painted finish and bare polished rollers, so the line can be split for shipping and re-aligned on site.

Technical Specifications

Output, Labor and Payback

Running cost on a tray line is coil, power and operator time. The line takes the folding hours out of the labor figure, because the profile is formed and the blank cut to length in a single pass.

Labor settles at one operator at the control cabinet and one helper on coil loading and take-off. On a long run of one size the helper is free for other work between coil changes, which is where most of the saving sits against manual folding.

The line earns its money on repeatability as much as on speed. Every tray in a run comes off the same roller settings, so widths stack neatly, covers fit first time, and installers are not re-drilling or trimming joints on site. On a project with hundreds of metres of tray, that matters more than a headline speed figure.

Plan production by size: every change costs setup time, so grouping orders into longer runs is the simplest efficiency gain available on the machine.

Scrap is easier to control too. Cutting blanks out of sheet leaves an offcut per piece, while a coil-fed line cuts to the length it needs and the remaining strip keeps running.

Payback is worth working out on your own numbers — metres of tray per shift, selling price per metre, coil cost and the labor hours the line replaces. Send your tray list and shift pattern and we will work through that calculation with you.

Installation and First Run

1. Prepare the floor and the layout — Set the line on a level concrete floor with coil loading at the entry end and clear space at the discharge for the roller table and stacked trays; confirm crane or forklift access for the coil weights you plan to run.
2. Connect power and earth the frame — Wire the control cabinet to the supply agreed on the order drawing, earth the frame, and check motor rotation before running the drives.
3. Bolt and align the sections — Join the line sections on the leveled floor and check straightness along the full length; a line that is out of line will twist the profile and mark the tray edges.
4. Set the stations for your first size — Set each forming station in sequence for the tray width and height you are starting with, then hand-feed a short strip to check the profile before threading a full coil.
5. Thread the coil and run a trial length — Check hole spacing, cut length, sidewall height and cover fit against the drawing, and adjust the punch and cut settings before committing a batch.
6. Approve the first article and record the settings — Keep a setting sheet for each tray size covering station positions, punch tooling and cut length, so the next run starts from a known point instead of from scratch.

Rollers, Wear Parts and Care

Roll forming is a low-wear process when the strip stays clean, and most trouble on a tray line starts with dirt, misalignment or a dull punch rather than with the rollers themselves. Wipe the strip path and the stand area at each shift change, clear slivers from under the punch, and check the lubrication points on the stands and the drive at the intervals your maintenance plan sets.

Watch the formed profile rather than the machine. A mark that repeats at the same spacing along every tray usually means a damaged or dirty roller, and a sidewall that varies in height supports a stand that has moved. Re-check the frame bolts and shaft couplings after the first weeks of production, then at the intervals in the manual, because a line this long settles after it has been run in.

Punch tooling is the part that wears first. A dull punch burrs the holes and can tear thin sheet, so hold a spare punch and die set for the hole pattern you run most often. Bearings on the roller shafts and the components on the cut-off unit are the other items worth keeping in stock; ask us for the recommended spare parts list with your order so the first set ships with the machine.

Store coils dry and off the floor. Rust that forms on a coil edge transfers straight onto the formed tray and shows up as a stain on finished work.

Ordering and Delivery

• Send the tray list first — Widths, sidewall heights, plate thickness, tray lengths, hole pattern and cover profile. As a cable tray production line manufacturer we quote from your drawings and size list, so every size is checked against the line before a figure is given.
• Coil details — Material grade and coating, coil width, coil weight and bore. These decide the material rack setup and the feeding arrangement.
• Power supply — Your plant voltage, phases and frequency, so the drive and control system are built for your supply rather than adapted on site.
• Layout drawing — A floor plan or sketch showing where the line will sit, coil entry and tray take-off. We use it to check clearances and how the line works with your existing slitting, stacking or packing equipment.
• Investment level — The line is priced well below the fully automatic tray lines on the market. The quotation is built from your tray list and the sections you need, and states the price, lead time, payment terms and shipping terms for that configuration.
• Packing and shipping — Tell us the destination port and whether your site needs a particular packing method or marked lifting points. Packing and shipping terms are confirmed in the quotation.
• Documents with the machine — Layout drawing, parameter sheet and operating manual are issued with the order. Appearance, configuration and technical parameters can change as builds are updated, so the confirmed drawing governs the delivered machine.
• Commissioning plan — Agree before shipment who attends installation, what operator training is needed and which spare parts ship with the line.

Coil Grades & Coatings

• Thickness — the stands and punch are tooled for the plate thickness range given in the specifications, so a coil outside that band is a tooling question rather than a setting change. Give us the exact thickness you buy, not a nominal figure, because mill tolerance can take a coil under the lower limit.
• Galvanized coil — hot-dip galvanized steel is routine input for trough tray. The zinc layer is softer than the steel beneath it and picks up on the forming discs, so the stands want wiping more often on a long galvanized run than on cold-rolled. Tell us the coating mass you specify (Z120, Z275 and similar) so punch clearance and roller settings are chosen for it.
• Cold-rolled and oiled coil — clean, lightly oiled cold-rolled strip feeds steadily and keeps the punch cool. Heavy oil carries slivers and dust into the stands, so wipe and drain the entry side if your coils arrive heavily oiled.
• Pre-painted, stainless and aluminium — pre-painted or plastic-coated coil marks on the forming discs and is not a standard input; stainless and aluminium form and punch differently from carbon steel and are quoted as a separate tooling configuration. Do not plan a run in any of these without checking with us first.
• Coil width — the coil has to cover the developed blank rather than the finished tray width, so the width you buy follows the profile and not the tray size. Send the tray profile and we will confirm the coil width each size needs.
• Coil weight and bore — check coil weight against the rack rating before you order. Coil bore, outside diameter and winding direction decide the mandrel and the loading arrangement, so include them with the rest of the coil data.
• Coil condition — rust on a coil edge transfers onto the formed tray and shows as a stain on finished work; welds and slits inside the coil interrupt the feed, and a telescoped coil will not track straight into the leveler. Store coil dry and off the floor, and do not load a coil that has been stored on its side.
• Confirming your grade — before the order is fixed, send the mill certificate for the steel you actually buy, with grade, coating, thickness and width, plus a 1–2 m strip cut from the coil. Ask for a trial length to be run on that material so the formed profile is agreed on your steel rather than on ours.

Scale & Supply Capability

Tianjin Coorig Technology Co., Ltd. has been building sheet metal and MEP prefabrication equipment since 2004, with a team of around 200 people working from our own factory in Tianjin, China. In more than 20 years we have supplied buyers in over 35 countries — processing plants, mechanical installation contractors and agents — and we look after export, documentation and shipping as a one-stop service. A database of 3,000+ qualified suppliers, in-house quality control and our automated manufacturing systems keep build quality and delivery predictable. Reference work includes the Beijing Olympic Games, Egypt CBD, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and BYD's European Center.

FAQ