Best practices in cable

and pipe seals for

industrial machinery
In an increasingly complex world, the Roxtec multi cable transit solution protects against
multiple threats in a small package just right for modern connected machine builders and
smart factories. To mitigate water, dust and gas ingression and at the same time protect
industrial machinery from electromagnetic interference leading to compromised reliability is
a tall order of challenges for the manufacturing industry. This paper discusses best practices
in cable and pipe seals, and is intended to be of use for plant managers, design engineers,
installers and maintenance people looking at improving their operations to stay ahead of
their game.

Industrial manufacturing companies face two major challenges in today’s world related to
cable and pipe penetrations. As robotics and automation is being deployed faster than ever,
machinery needs to be upgraded and kept up-to-date as technology advances. The other
is to effectively reap the benefits out of the intelligent factory for increased productivity and
reduced downtime. Downtime is today the single largest source of lost production time for
most manufacturers.

Industrial manufacturing has probably never been more exposed to competition than
today and the need for smart solutions is vital to survive. Cable and pipe seals play a vital
role in keeping production running. Changes in requirements, adaptability to new market
conditions and complex supply chains are other challenges for machine builders which
Roxtec addresses with its modular cable transit system. Roxtec’s seals are used in industrial
machines all over the world in the food and beverage, robotics and general machinery
industry as well as for buildings and infrastructure to protect equipment from breakdowns
and to keep assets and people safe.

Recommendations for cable and pipe seals

Threats and risks to people and asset in the industrial environment must first be analyzed
and understood before a sealing solution can be chosen. Along with the goals and objectives
set by the owner, a viable protection level can be determined and evaluated against
investment cost. To consider both direct and indirect costs is often the best approach on
the way to the right solution. Examples of conclusions from successful assessments of the
international industrial environment are:

OO Seals which are fully adaptable to cables and pipes of varying outer diameter reduce the
need to keep seals for fixed diameters in stock.

OO A sealing concept which can be applied to a broad range of applications brings

advantages in terms of product commonality, training and installation.

OO Seals that can cope with multiple demands saves space and improves overall risk
mitigation.

OO Seals that are easy to install and to open in case of late adjustments, retrofits or
upgrades are cost and time efficient solutions.

OO Seals for cable and pipe systems that can be adapted to many different kinds of surfaces
i.e. steel, aluminum and concrete allow for full flexibility around the factory.

OO Seals able to seal off pipes, cables and hoses of different material i.e. steel, plastic and
aluminum increases installation flexibility.

OO The material of the transit frame should preferably be the same as the wall material to
avoid corrosion over time.

OO Hazardous gases from painting processes or similar must be kept in the designated zone
without leaking out in the open environment where they can compromise health and
safety for the workers.

OO Make sure the bending radius and the maximum pulling force are within set limits to
avoid irreparable damage to cables, conduits and metal screens.

OO High voltage power cables and communication cables mustn’t be passed in the same
conduit in order to avoid risk for disturbances and communication error.

OO Make sure to use cable clamps with good cable retention to ensure that cables do not
move out of position during operation of the machinery.

OO Implement a safety plan that complies with your building codes.

How do I determine which seals for cables and pipes I should use?
In order to find a good balance between investment cost and risk mitigation, the
environment where the machinery is going to be used must first be understood. Laws and
regulations in the market will put further requirements on equipment functionality and safety.
These pre-requisites can’t be stressed enough as the cost for production stops for corrective
actions are very high.

Sealing off cable entries in cabinets and junction boxes from the surrounding environment is
a crucial part of designing reliable machinery for maximum uptime. The cable seal must be
able to fully protect from water and dust including complete washdown in for example the
food and beverage industry where a significant part of the overall production time is used
for washdown to sanitize production equipment. This requires outstanding performance from
the cable seal to keep water and moisture out to avoid machine failure and unscheduled
downtime. Industrial gases and fumes are also often present in the machinery environment
and need to be kept out. In a robotic paint cell on a typical automotive assembly line, 60
vehicles per hour get spray painted(1), and a leaking cable seal and failing robot would not
only put production output at risk but also be a threat to health and safety for the workers.

Furthermore, any professionally installed electrical machinery must have a bonded

grounding system with an effective low impedance path to earth for reliable and safe
operation. Space constraints is another challenge in machine design, and when taking all of
these requirements into consideration the task grows rapidly in complexity.

Sealing concepts for an increasingly complex world

Given the complexity just discussed, a sealing concept that allows for late design changes
gives a lot of benefits. Cable density is increasing as machinery gets smarter and the exact
number of cables for the final installation may not be possible to determine until the very
last stage in deployment. User friendly upgrades and retrofits to machinery is another
ingredient in an already complex world of requirements. Pre-terminated cables are today the
norm for many machine builders as they bring substantial cost savings over field terminated
cables in terms of higher quality and reduced installation time but post a challenge to
traditional ways of sealing cables in cabinets.

High powered industrial machinery can generate airborne disturbances of high frequency
which yet is another threat to cabinets and control panels, and proper shielding is necessary
to ensure reliability. With IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) coming into play in many
manufacturing plants, machine generated disturbances may also interfere with wireless
machine to machine communication which post significant risk to the connected factory. A
frequency plan which takes electromagnetic disturbances into consideration must often be
worked out to ensure that connected machinery can co-exist without operational issues.

Roxtec offers the manufacturing industry a modular cable transit concept which simplifies
machine design, reduces cost and offers the performance required by modern connected
machinery. Compact frames in plastic, aluminum, steel or stainless steel can early in the
design process be bolted or welded to the machinery. The frame becomes an integral part of
the machinery and once cable routing is determined, rubber modules with adjustable inner
diameter are fitted around cables and located in the frame.

With an openable frame in stainless steel, machines that are already in operation can
continue to run as frames and modules are being fitted, and there is no need to disconnect
low-voltage cables and suffer from production stops(2). A frame with spare capacity for
additional cables is the best way to make machinery future-proof and to give machine
builders a competitive edge. Once new cables are to be fitted, modules are easily removed
and the new cable with the connector attached can be passed through the frame.

Bonding and grounding is key in machinery safety, but as machinery becomes more
advanced, electromagnetic interference related threats create new problems for machine
builders. Conventional pig tails for grounding have served the industry well, but for high
frequency disturbances they do not offer the best way for fault current back to source. The
integrated braid in the BG™ and BG™ B modules have extremely low impedance between the
cable shield and the cabinet wall, which makes the transit an effective grounding solution
for safety, with very high protection for conducted interferences. In tests it has been proven
that Roxtec BG™ and Roxtec BG™ B modules have an efficiency of 99,4% in leading off fault
currents which is best in class, and superior to traditional pig-tail connections(3).

In addition, the braid around each module half does in fact create a so called honeycomb
filter in the frame opening which furthermore shields against airborne disturbances up to
around 100 MHz(4). However, for machine cabinets and control panels intended for higher
frequency shielding instead of bonding and grounding, it is recommended to use Roxtec
ES seals. The ES seals provide protection against the discussed electromagnetic shielding
demands with higher attenuation than traditional solutions plus efficient shielding against
interference originating from outside the plant. In an increasingly complex world, the Roxtec
Multi Cable Transit solution protects against multiple threats in a small package just right for
modern connected machine builders and smart factories.

Industry savvy with long experience from sealing applications

Roxtec’s modular cable transit concept takes into consideration that cables often do
not have exact tolerances and therefore vary in diameter along the cable. To get the full
performance and cable retention properties out of your investment it’s necessary to pay
attention to the exact fit required between cable and the sealing element. This is particularly
true as demands increase with risk for severe consequences in case the seal fails in meeting
the specification. The Roxtec Multidiameter™ concept with removable layers ensures an
exact fit time and again regardless of cable diameter tolerance. When not needed, fixed
diameter modules can be fitted instead(5).

The Roxtec Multidiameter™ rubber is resistant to many industrial chemicals and has very
low thermal transmittance, which makes it an effective heat insulator and great vibration
damper. It maintains performance at both low and high temperatures and is therefore
suitable for both cold room applications and in machine tools.
All products go through rigorous testing. Any product rated IP 66/67 have passed a dust test
for 8 hours, an immersion test for 30 minutes and a water jet test for 3 minutes. For wash
down applications in the food and beverage industry Roxtec also offers full IP69k solutions
compatible with the most common cleaning agents used in sanitation of the production
equipment i.e. clean-in-place (CIP) or steam-in-place (SIP).

In machinery and robotics applications, cables have to be routed snug to the equipment to
save space. With the Roxtec Multidiameter™ as the sealing element, a small bending radius
of the cable is possible to achieve which saves space. To allow customer cables to be tested
upfront is another way to ensure sealing and retention performance for machinery with
moving parts and a service offered by Roxtec.

Conclusions
With the advantages in sealing technology and thereby performance over time, Roxtec’s
modular cable transit system has been installed in virtually all type of manufacturing
industries with equally high level of satisfaction from the user. Owners, integrators, installers
and OEM’s utilize the system to protect cable entries against water, dust, gas, pests and fire.
They also allow end users to optimize resources, cut down on costs and increase operational
reliability of machinery. In the industry of food and beverage, manufacturing, robotics it’s
essential to maintain production at its maximum efficiency and ensure availability of critical
equipment at all times. If you want to know more about Roxtec’s solutions for sealing of
cables and pipes you can visit www.roxtec.com, a world renowned leader and pioneer
recognized for their engineers attention to detail in the design of their products as well as
product reliability and flexibility it provides to its users.

1. “Sealing solutions for speed and simplicity”.

2. Always make sure to adhere to the local installation procedures upon installing cable transits.
3. “Diverting unwanted currents from your electrical installations” by José Claudio de Oliveira e Silva at
APTEMC in collaboration with Roxtec International AB.
4. Shielding efficiency will vary with the choice of frame and with the frequency of the disturbance. In
­general, the smaller the frame the higher the shielding efficiency.
5. You find details about your nearest Roxtec representative on roxtec.com.

roxtec.com