Keeping track of developments

By Chris Scott, product manager for Marshall-Tufflex

Cable management solutions have come a long way since Marshall- Tufflex began manufacturing them almost 40 years ago. The early years of the business – and the sector as a whole – was founded on function over form, with containment products doing their job without offering much in the way of flexibility or aesthetics.

Now looks and performance stand on almost equal footings. Architects and designers want trunking systems to look good and perform to high standards and electrical installers want them to be easy to source and install.

As the cable containment market has matured, manufacturers have introduced many new systems and expanded existing product lines, requiring electrical wholesalers to not only stock a wider choice of products, but consider how front-line counter staff are kept up-to-speed with new developments.

At Marshall-Tufflex we have embraced (and in many cases driven) this market development, continually appraising our product ranges and anticipating future trends. In recent years three distinct areas of development have influenced our products and solutions – modular wiring systems, antimicrobial trunking and Cat 6 compliant cable containment. 

Modular wiring systems
Prefabrication and the move towards modular buildings has created a buzz within the construction industry for a number of years and new standards for pre-fabricated modular wiring systems address current developments for this section of our industry. But while great strides were made in fast-tracking many construction tasks, simplifying the installation of electricity proved a harder nut to crack, and the need to address the swift provision of power became increasingly critical; buildings could go up in double quick time but fitting out power requirements took just as long as before.

We began researching ways of solving this problem and our modular wiring system – MT32 – was developed. The MT32 Modular Power Connection System is a unique plug and play wiring solution that works in conjunction with trunking or underfloor power delivery systems to deliver a quick and easy way of taking power from the main distribution board and delivering it to final outlets via plug-in connectors.

There are a number of major benefits to using MT32, firstly we estimate that electrical contractors can achieve double the workload with the same resource when using MT32. This time saved on site delivers valuable cost savings, helping keep projects on schedule and avoiding penalty fees. In addition it is pre-wired and factory tested, ensuring safe and problem free connections.

The system uses keyed connectors that guarantee correct polarity and connection and because it is a tool-free installation with no hard wiring, cutting or fabricating on site it is a very simple solution.

MT32 can also be re-used, for example if an office is refurbished or more desks added, the system can be unclipped, reconfigured and re-connected, making the process quicker, more cost-effective and more environmentally sustainable.

The system was borne out of research Marshall-Tufflex conducted into speeding up electrical fit-out times. A similar concept was developed for the lighting industry using 16Amp connectors. But manufacturing a system capable of delivering 32Amps via a connector small enough to utilise in perimeter trunking applications and underfloor distribution systems proved a challenge that was eventually solved by Marshall-Tufflex in conjunction with development partner Tyco Electronics.

In bringing MT32 to market we achieved what had become somewhat of a Holy Grail within the industry – providing a 32amp power connection small enough to work safely within all manner of applications. MT32 utilises a compact inline connector to deliver on its promises. All installers need to do is click it together, circuit test and sign-off.

When we discuss the possibilities with specifiers we find there is a Eureka moment when they suddenly realise the huge potential MT32 offers to reduce installation times and simplify electrical connection. Switched-on contractors are already wising up to the fact that they could significantly improve their margins by using MT32 – for example they may be able to install four accessory boxes with MT32 in the time it takes to hard-wire one.

And don’t just take our word for it. Roy Sherrock, purchase manager for contractor Hobbs Electrical in Milton Keynes, is clear on the benefit modular systems deliver for his business: “It is immense and futuristic. Speed of installation is one of the main benefits. We can email our AutoCAD drawings over to our supplying manufacturer and it will design the modular system and supply it all ready to be plugged in.”

Antimicrobial cable containment
Both Odyssey and Sterling trunking also offer an antimicrobial option. The science behind these systems revolves around the use of silver, which has established antibacterial properties. Pairing it with PVC-U cable containment is a logical development, given the high number of times this dado height product may be touched. These new systems, such as Bio Trunking, can render harmless many of the most virulent bacteria, for example MRSA, E-Coli and Salmonella. If someone carrying one of these bugs on their hands touches the treated PVC-U, bacteria transferred to the trunking begins to die, minimising the risk of cross contamination. On untreated products, the harmful bacteria will grow.

 Antimicrobial cable management systems come in two variants:
? The silver-based formulation is added to the PVC-U during manufacture, ensuring that it is evenly distributed throughout the product. Should the trunking get scratched, the active agent continues to do its job.
? The silver-based formulation is applied to the surface of the cable containment – typically on metal trunking systems. However, once this coating is scratched, germs can penetrate the surface layer of these products and breed unchecked.

 Specifiers working on healthcare or related projects really should give priority consideration to trunking with the antimicrobial agent integral to the product, rather than applied as a surface coating. This specification ensures maximum performance throughout the lifetime of the trunking. And, while there is no substitute for meticulous cleaning regimes and scrupulous personal hygiene, building products such as this are a valuable and additional weapon that can be used to great effect in the fight against superbugs and other infections.

 Technical standards
Those thinking of using an anti-microbial system should confirm that it is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and compliant with the European Biocidal Products Directive (BPD). All Marshall-Tufflex Bio systems have been tested to the standard ISO22196:2007 which is a quantitative standard and the results show that the survival rate of the bacteria tested is less than 0.1%.

 Cat 6 compliance
A number of Marshall-Tufflex cable containment systems are Cat 6 compliant. Cat 6 simply refers to the standard of data cabling used within the system. The essential difference between Cat 5, 5e, 6, 6a, 7 and 8 cable standards is the ability of the data cable to carry information through an increase in bandwidth and, at the same time, reduce network interference (it has more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise). It’s an issue that will be faced increasingly as commercial premises become more hi-tech and are fitted with larger numbers of networked devices that carry out more complex tasks.

However, with each step up the Cat ladder the wiring gets thicker. To give an example, Cat 6 cabling is approximately 5- 6mm in diameter, with data bends of up to 50mm being required to channel it around corners. Cat 7 cabling is about 10mm in diameter. Sounds innocuous enough, but if more space is not allowed for these data bends, and the cable is fed through a standard radius bend in a trunking system, problems may arise – subjecting Cat 6 to standard bends can pinch or compress the copper wires, resulting in a drop in performance and data may be lost in transmission or streaming quality affected. If Cat 6 cabling is specified, it must be accompanied by a Cat 6 compliant trunking system, for example Marshall- Tufflex’s Odyssey or Sterling solutions.

We believe there is an appropriate trunking system for each and every project – it’s just a question of selecting the right material, profile, size and additional features such as EMC screening and Bio.