Festoons, Cables & Glands

A festoon cable system is a method of supplying power, data or media to moving machinery. These systems suspend flat form cables, round form cables or flexible hoses in a looped arrangement.

As the machinery moves, the festoon system extends and retracts to maintain a continuous, uninterrupted supply of electrical current, compressed air, gas or liquid without the cable becoming tangled, strained or damaged. Festoon systems can travel along a fixed track, wire rope or I-beam.

Festoon systems are used across a wide range of industries and environments and can be custom-designed to handle extreme operating conditions where standard off-the-shelf solutions would be inadequate.

A festoon power cable is specifically engineered to withstand the unique demands of continuous movement. This makes festoon cables the correct choice wherever a conventional fixed cable would be impractical, unsafe or simply unable to survive the operational stresses involved.

Unlike standard electrical cable, festoon cable is designed to flex repeatedly through thousands of extension and retraction cycles without the conductor fatigue, insulation cracking or sheath failure that would rapidly compromise an ordinary cable in the same application. All of which makes festoon cables the natural solution for supplying power, control signals or data to any machinery that travels along a fixed path.

Some of the top use cases of festoon cables include overhead cranes, hoists, automated guided vehicles, gantry systems and conveyor equipment.

Beyond its mechanical resilience, festoon cable is available in both flat form and round-form configurations, in a range of sheathing materials including PVC, PUR and EPR. This gives engineers the flexibility to specify exactly the right cable for the environment and duty cycle in question.

At Metreel, we supply our festoon systems to suit different applications and load requirements.

Generally speaking, enclosed track festoons travel along a fixed self-cleaning track and are well suited to cranes, hoists and other moving machinery where a safe, reliable and low-maintenance power supply is required.

Or, for heavier duty applications (i.e. high-speed container cranes, steelworks, rolling mills, large bridge cranes and offshore skid systems), medium and heavy duty cable trolley systems offer the ultimate endurance and load capacity.

Looking to minimise installation complexity on site? Look no further than pre-assembled festoon systems such as Metreel’s ReadiBuild® service. This ensures all cables are cut, assembled and packed ready to roll directly onto the pre-installed track upon delivery.

A festoon cable trolley is the wheeled carrier that suspends and supports the festoon cable or hose as it travels along the track, beam or wire rope of a festoon system.
Rather than allowing the cable to hang freely or drag along a surface, both of which would rapidly cause damage through abrasion, kinking or excessive strain, the trolleys distribute the weight of the cable evenly at regular intervals along its length, maintaining a series of controlled loops that extend and retract smoothly as the connected machinery moves along its travel path.

Each trolley runs along the track on wheels or rollers, and the cable is attached to the trolley at defined spacing points using loop clamps or strain relief fittings that prevent localised stress concentrations from developing at the attachment points.

A festoon power cable is a specialist flexible cable designed specifically to supply electrical power to machinery and equipment that moves continuously along a fixed path, such as overhead cranes, hoists, gantry systems and automated production line equipment.

Unlike conventional fixed installation cable, which is engineered to remain static once installed, festoon power cable is purpose-built to withstand the mechanical demands of continuous dynamic movement, such as flexing, extending and retracting repeatedly throughout its service life.

It does so without the conductor fatigue, insulation cracking or sheath degradation that would cause a standard cable to fail prematurely in the same application.

Flat form and round-form cables are the two principal cable configurations used in festoon systems, and the choice between them depends primarily on the application and the space available. Flat form cables are designed specifically for festoon use and offer a compact, lightweight profile that minimises the load on the trolleys and reduces wear during repeated extension and retraction cycles. Round-form cables are more conventional in construction and are typically specified where the application requires a greater number of cores, higher current ratings or specific sheathing materials such as PVC, PUR or EPR. Both configurations are available in screened variants to meet EMC requirements, and a full range of cable fittings, plug and socket connectors and cable glands is available to complete the installation.