PEMSA
PEMSA
ZINC CAREFULLY
Zinc whiskers can be a serious problem within the electronics of clean rooms of data processing centres .
Alan Darlow , commercial director at Pemsa UK , looks at cable tray finishes and how to address the issue of zinc whiskers in data centre environments .
Many years ago conduits were one of the most popular forms of cable management systems ( CMS ) although they are also the most limited in their cable accommodation capacity , both at the time of initial installation and in future modifications . Due to this , at present and in general , they are used only for a very small number of cables , where cables could be accessible to people or the installation must be protected against mechanical risks .
Cable trays , on the other hand , are the CMS that have the greatest capacity for cable housing and support . They are generally used in any installation containing a large number of cables , or where future expansions are required and can then be easily made .
In recent years , the use of wire mesh trays has been definitively extended , and they have become one of the most used in medium duty facilities for any installation , including data centres and IT data facilities . This is due to the fact that they have proved to be significantly easier and faster to install than the conventional perforated or plain sheet cable trays .
Wire mesh tray features
The main feature of wire mesh trays is that they are manufactured with steel wires that create a grid , therefore leaving an open mesh pattern . This allows perfect visibility of the cables throughout its length and facilitates the organisation of maintenance . Improved cable ventilation adds to the overall efficiency of the facility which is also made cleaner through the avoidance of the accumulation of dust and deposits .
12 | August 2017 Cable & Cable Management