2024 EC&M Product of the Year: Award-Winning Cable Tray System Expedites Installation in the Field

Eaton, an intelligent power management company, launched its KwikRail cable tray, the 2024 EC&M Platinum Product of the Year award winner, when it identified a gap in the market for a better ladder tray system meeting NEMA 12A and 12B requirements. Over the course of two years, the manufacturer consolidated features from its existing Redi-Rail and KwikSplice cable tray systems into a new product.

“By combining the best aspects of both products, we aimed to provide customers with a best-in-class product that not only offered lower total installed cost but could also be easily modified in the field and seamlessly integrated into various verticals including data centers,” Cuzzupe says.

The KwikRail cable tray system helps contractors improve project speed and simplify installation by requiring up to 80% fewer parts and being up to 75% faster to install. It also offers improved cable management compared to conduit systems and features the ability to field modify for future expansion. 

“These benefits are achieved in part by Eaton’s innovative tab and lock trapeze system that eliminates the need for hold-down hardware, resulting in significant time savings when positioning and clamping cable tray supports and requiring drastically less hardware compared to traditional strut trapeze solutions,” he says.

Designed for flexibility

The product, which won the Conduit, Raceways & Wireways category, became commercially available in April 2023 following rigorous lab testing and achieving third-party UL classification and a CSA rating.

Eaton designed the system for NEMA 12A and 12B (CSA class C-3 and D-3M) load classes for small power and instrumentation tray cable management in multiple applications including commercial buildings, light industrial, and more.

The team at Eaton designed the KwikRail cable tray system with several major considerations in mind. For example, the product includes I-beam rungs for a high strength-to-weight ratio. In addition, the system features an I-beam side rail splice retention groove allowing installers to easily guide and snap the splice in place with two bolts compared to the four or eight bolts required for traditional solutions.

“This results in significant time and material savings,” Cuzzupe says.

In addition, Eaton’s team engineered a tab and lock trapeze hanger design eliminating the need for hold-down hardware, offering time savings compared to traditional strut trapeze systems.

“This innovative design reduces the part number footprint needed to splice the system together compared to wire basket or conduit systems,” he says.

To achieve this, the straight sections and fittings feature perforations along the side rail that allow the installers to quickly and easily alter the system. One of the greatest technical challenges of designing the system was figuring out how to incorporate perforations into the side rail, Cuzzupe says.

“It was a unique manufacturing challenge that we successfully scaled,” Cuzzupe says. “This feature is a significant achievement and sets our product apart in the market by enabling unprecedented flexibility for cable management trays.” 

Saving time in the field

Eaton engineered the solution to provide customers with the option to choose between welded rungs or bolted rungs. The Add-A-Rung kits enable installers to add an additional rung to either welded or bolted KwikRail configurations using pre-cut rung sections and included attachment hardware.

“This means contractors can quickly adjust the system to prevent cable sagging, providing an extra layer of support without compromising performance,” he says. “This means contractors can quickly adjust the system to prevent cable sagging, providing an extra layer of support without compromising performance.”

The system also facilitates direct dropouts with the use of a waterfall accessory, and a wide range of fittings and accessories are available to accommodate nearly any cable management layout.

“Overall, our primary design goal was to offer an advantage over standard wire basket or conduit systems—and we achieved just that,” he says. “The KwikRail cable tray system meets the cable management demands of today and tomorrow at a lower total installed cost, with the ability to expand alongside evolving needs and be easily modified in the field.”

The cost of the system depends on the project, but Eaton has a savings calculator available for its KwikRail cable tray system at Eaton.com/KwikRail. This calculator demonstrates the total cost differences between the KwikRail cable tray and other cable management methods. It considers material costs, labor costs, and potential support structure cost savings. For example, a 1,000-ft run of KwikRail generates a savings of nearly 50% compared to a wire basket alternative.

“These savings are attributed not only to optimized labor efficiency, but also to material savings, he says. “Wire baskets support every 5 ft to 8 ft, while KwikRail only needs support every 10 ft to 12 ft, reducing the number of supports needed.”

Splicing hardware is also included in the straights and fittings for KwikRail, which is not typically included in wire basket solutions. Further, the two-bolt splicing method is quicker and requires fewer parts than a standard wire basket washer splice kit.

Today, the KwikRail system is stocked as part of the company’s Ready, Set, Stock program across Eaton warehouses in North America. So far, the ease of installation and versatility of the system have impressed customers in vertical markets such as data centers, alternative energy sites, government projects, and hospital projects.

“With KwikRail, we are proud to provide an easier and faster-to-install cable management solution that enables significant time and material savings compared to other ladder or wire basket systems,” he says. “We’re extremely proud of our KwikRail cable tray system because it is a perfect demonstration of how we work closely with our customers to understand their day-to-day challenges.”

For more information, visit https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/catalog/support-systems/kwikrail-cable-tray.html.

Gold Award

POWER DISTRIBUTION EQUIPMENT

Lex Products’ PowerRACK for Outdoor Use (the Power Distribution Equipment category winner and overall Gold winner) is designed for rough use and harsh environments. The product provides enhanced safety and durability where a range of power loads are required. The first cULus-listed portable power distribution unit eliminates the need to reconfigure or rewire panels for each job. Fed directly from a power source, these units deliver 800A of 3-phase power to multiple circuits, creating a main power distribution station within the job site. Part of the Load Master Series, these racks feature outputs with electronic 100% rated adjustable circuit breakers. Ranging from 60A to 600A, overcurrent protection is configurable to match specific application loads.

For more information, visit https://lexproducts.com/general/outdoor-rack.

Silver Award

POWER DISTRIBUTION EQUIPMENT (BREAKERS & SWITCHES)

In the Power Distribution Equipment (Breakers & Switches) category, ABB redesigned the 400A to 600A General Duty and Heavy Duty Spec Setter Safety Switch with premium features to improve safety. The product, which won the silver award, includes a wall mounting bracket and securing clips, plus a clear line shield and neutral kit as a standard offering. The viewing window option extends to the heavy-duty product offering. The new wall mounting bracket is designed to ease Safety Switch installation by decreasing installation time and improving installation accuracy. The door latch of the enclosure also comes with a new secure clip, which ensures the latch does not accidentally open. Handles are now level to the product enclosure during the shipping process, resulting in reduced warehouse footprint and decreased packaging material. These 400A-600A General Duty Safety Switches are available in NEMA Type 1 and Type 3R enclosures, fusible and non-fusible with a maximum voltage rating of 240VAC, 250VDC.

For more information, visit https://electrification.us.abb.com/products/switches-disconnects/spec-setter-heavy-duty.