Jordan O'BrienInstallers working on festivals, concerts, or just about any event knows that it’s vitally crucial to protect the miles of cables that are needed. Thankfully Penn Elcom’s latest product has been specifically designed for that purpose, with the Cross 3 supposedly able to survive fires, and just about anything that is thrown at it.
Cross 3, the first product in this new series was revealed to the public at the CUE 2018 expo in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a biennial trade show for events, installation and entertainment technology. Cross 3 is three channel ‘crossover’ product manufactured from Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), chosen for its strength, high resistance to abrasion, flexibility and recyclability.
Penn Elcom has put the Cross 3 through some serious challenges. It’s supposedly robust enough to survive being driven over by a 44-tonne articulated lorry, which should ensure the cables inside are nice and safe.
It’s not just lorries that can drive over the Cross 3 either, vans, cars, bikes, forklifts, cherry pickers, scissor lifts, mobile cranes, tractors, ATVs, golf buggies, and just about any other vehicle should have no effect on the cables hidden inside.
All elements of the Cross 3 product – top and base – are fire retardant and compliant to DIN EN 13501-1.
The sections are 29cm wide (11.4in) with an unobtrusive low-profile height of 5.5cm (2.2in). Multiple sections of Cross 3 can be conjoined using an interlocking pin system.
The cover hinges open from the base for quick and easy access for laying cables, while each of the three Cross 3 cable channels feature a 33m diameter, ideal for accommodating multicores, mains, all types of data, TRS, fibre and copper cables.
These standard sections each weigh a 7.5kgs (16.53lbs), and the hinged lids can be supplied in a range of hi-visibility colours or black to blend in with the base sections, offering bespoke solutions for different applications.
Quick fit anti-slip / sliding pads are available for the hexagonal base structure to ensure it grips efficiently to multiple surfaces – from grass to trackway to concrete. These are attached via removable pins to assist quick and efficient assembly.
Custom logos can be applied to the top (visible) sides of the base for customisation and easy identification.