Looking for insight?
The Lexco Blog is here to help you stay up to date on the latest news, information, and updates to the wire cable Industry.
Your guide to wire rope and cable
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WIRE ROPE THIMBLES
At the heart of many heavy-duty applications like towing, hoisting, and lifting lies a seemingly unassuming component: the wire rope thimble. Yet, its role is nothing short of crucial. Here, we’ll lay out everything you need to know about wire rope thimbles, including what they are and why choosing the right one for your loop application matters.
WHY CHOOSING THE RIGHT WIRE ROPE TYPES MATTER
Have you ever witnessed your wire rope kinking, rusting, or fraying? Or perhaps found your wire rope twisting beyond what's expected and wondered if it's sufficiently rotation-resistant? Maybe you've been perplexed about why an assembly broke. Selecting the right wire rope types is not just about appearance or price—it's about fit, form, and function.
WIRE ROPE AND CORROSION RESISTANCE
Wire rope has a wide range of uses and performs critical functions in many fields, such as the aerospace, marine, construction and defense industries. However, wire rope is also susceptible to corrosion which affects individual strands, weakening the overall assembly below its rated weight capacity, and affecting its performance and safety.
USES, APPLICATIONS, AND TYPES OF WIRE ROPE USED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Wire rope and aircraft cable can be found in virtually every type of finished vehicle, such as cars, trucks, RVs, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, buses, mobile homes, and trailers. We’ll examine how automotive cable is deployed and the various types and components used in assemblies.
SWAGELESS VS. SWAGED CABLE FITTING: WHICH IS BETTER?
Swaging is a machine tool crimping process carried out to attach wire rope and aircraft cable end fittings. Commonly, swaged endings are hooks, threaded studs, shank balls and eye ends. Loops may also be formed by swaging sleeves, which run the end of the wire back on itself.
THE ROLE OF WIRE ROPE IN AEROSPACE ASSEMBLIES
Wire rope is also commonly known as aircraft cable due to its widespread use in aerospace cable assemblies. The strength and durability of wire rope are particularly valued in the aerospace industry due to the high safety concerns and regulations that apply, where even minor incidents can significantly impact consumer confidence. In addition, military specifications, such as MIL-DTL-83420, are also definitive on the standards expected for aerospace cable assemblies for military applications.
HOW & WHY AIRCRAFT CABLE AND WIRE ROPE ARE EXTRUSION COATED
Wire rope is also known as ‘aircraft cable’ due to its extensive use in aerospace applications. This cable is often coated with another material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon, or high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The coating creates a sheath around the cable inside. That sheath helps the strands inside keep their form, while simultaneously altering the outside profile of the cable.
EYE BOLTS: TYPE & CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHOOSING ONE
Eye bolts are essential to many wire rope applications as they create an attachment point for wire rope assemblies. They feature a loop at one end and a threaded shaft at the other. The shaft end can be screwed into architecture or an object, allowing wire rope assemblies to be attached. Eye bolts are deployed in various industries, such as lifting, marine, aerospace, engineering, and the military, where their applications include hoisting, rigging, anchoring, pulling, and suspension.
HOW AND WHERE TO USE CABLE FOR GYM EQUIPMENT
Cable machines, or pulley machines, are a staple of professional gyms and home fitness setups. Using cable for gym equipment allows users to incorporate different ranges of motion, exercises, and approaches into their routine, engaging different muscles. Cable machines generally engage the upper body, like your lats and traps, but they can also strengthen the core and lower back muscles, improve stability, and increase muscle mass.
TURNBUCKLE HARDWARE – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Turnbuckles are rigging hardware used for adjusting the tension of wire ropes and have applications across a wide range of industries, including engineering, aerospace, construction, and marine. Turnbuckles have a left-hand thread on one side and a right-hand thread on the other, allowing them to adjust from open to closed and either tighten or slacken the wire rope or cable’s tension. This opposite threading is why turnbuckles are such a simple yet essential tool; turning clockwise on the wire rope should increase while turning it anti-clockwise will reduce tension.
WIRE ROPE HARDWARE: AN INTRODUCTION
Wire rope is composed of several strands of wire that are wrapped around a core. The particular combination of materials and strands will come down to the individual specification of the product. For example, a common layout is a 6x19, which means there are 19 wires in a strand, and the rope has six strands, totaling 114 wires. Another common example is 6x36 which is 6 strands, 36 wires per strand, totaling 216 wires.
WIRE ROPE: WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?
Wire rope is composed of several strands of wire that are wrapped around a core. The particular combination of materials and strands will come down to the individual specification of the product. For example, a common layout is a 6x19, which means there are 19 wires in a strand, and the rope has six strands, totaling 114 wires. Another common example is 6x36 which is 6 strands, 36 wires per strand, totaling 216 wires.
HOW TO SELECT THE BEST WIRE ROPE ASSEMBLY SUPPLIER
Wire rope is an essential component across a wide variety of industries, including the military, aerospace, marine, and construction verticals, among others. Despite the broad spectrum of uses for wire rope, several common threads apply regarding quality, delivery lead-in, and specification requirements.
WIRE ROPE APPLICATIONS IN THE MILITARY
Wire ropes and cables are a staple component of both complex and simple industrial and military applications. Lexco Cable fabricates a number of wire ropes and cables for the United States Armed Forces for personal, structural, mobile, and control system applications.
WIRE ROPE VS. STRAND: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
When purchasing wire rope, the many types and designs of cabling can be a bit difficult to understand. What exactly is a wire rope, and what makes it different from other wire ropes, strands, and cables? Understanding the differences between these terms will help you understand what it is that you’re looking for.
INTRODUCTION TO GALVANIZED WIRE ROPE
Rope is one of the oldest inventions and has an incredible range of uses. However, as modern industry has advanced, rope requirements have risen far beyond the capabilities of even the strongest fiber ropes. Industries such as mining, shipping, heavy industry manufacturing, and many more must regularly lift, move, and hold incredibly heavy and complex loads.
