PG40 160×40 mm Ten Slot Aluminium Strut Profile Wide Beam for Overhead Rails

OEM / ODM Available Free Sample Available ISO 9001:2015 EN 755-9 RoHS REACH

A 160 x 40 mm ten slot PG40 aluminium strut profile wide beam with 10.2 mm grooves and square M6 corner holes. For overhead rails, cantilever arms and wide machine beams.

Wholesale Price $7.20 - $11.60 / m per m

Material	Aluminium
Alloy Grade	6063-T5
Temper	T5
Section Size	160 x 40 mm
Slot	10 x 10.2 mm groove, 8 mm mouth, 40 mm pitch, outer pair 120 mm apart, M8
Length	6 m stock, cut to drawing to +/-0.5 mm
Tolerance	EN 755-9 / GB/T 6892, wall +/-0.15 mm
Surface	Mill finish / clear anodised / black anodised
MOQ	150
Lead Time	20-30 days after deposit for mill finish
Loading Port	Shanghai / Ningbo
Supply Ability	250 t per month
Payment Terms	T/T 30% deposit + 70% before shipment \| L/C at sight
Trade Terms	FOB \| CIF \| EXW
Certifications	ISO 9001:2015 \| EN 755-9 \| RoHS \| REACH

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Structural framing · PG40 wide beam

A PG40 160 x 40 mm ten slot aluminium strut profile is a wide flat beam with a 40 mm slot pitch, a 10.2 mm groove and an 8 mm slot mouth, taking 40 series M8 hardware. The outer slots on the 160 mm face are 120 mm apart, the corner holes are 5 x 5 mm tapped M6 and the Ø12 mm bore is tapped M14. The flange is 4 mm and the web 11 mm, and the section weighs about 5.8 kg/m. It is supplied in 6063-T5, cut and machined to order.

The question this section always raises is what the extra 40 mm of depth is worth compared with a 120 x 40 mm beam in the same range. The answer is about 2.4 times the stiffness for about 26 per cent more weight, which is a good trade — but only if you mount it the right way up. A 160 x 40 mm section laid flat is softer than a 120 x 40 mm section on edge, so the orientation decision comes before the size decision.

160 x 40 ten slot section: ten slots on a 40 mm pitch, with the outer pair 120 mm apart and square M6 corner holes.

What the extra 40 mm of depth buys

Stiffness in bending goes with the cube of the depth, so increasing the depth from 120 mm to 160 mm is a 33 per cent increase in a dimension that is cubed. The result is a disproportionate gain, and the table below sets it against the weight penalty.

Section, mounted on edge	Depth	Second moment of area	Weight	Deflection under the same load
120 x 40 mm ten slot	120 mm	approx. 220 cm4	approx. 4.60 kg/m	Reference
160 x 40 mm ten slot	160 mm	approx. 540 cm4	approx. 5.80 kg/m	About 41 per cent of the reference

Read the last column carefully. The 160 x 40 mm beam deflects about 41 per cent as much as the 120 x 40 mm beam — in other words it is roughly 2.4 times as stiff — for 26 per cent more weight. That is the whole argument for the larger section, and it is a strong one, because 2.4 times the stiffness for 1.26 times the weight is a much better exchange rate than adding wall thickness can ever give you.

Depth beats wall thickness, always. If you need more stiffness and you have room for a deeper section, go deeper. Adding wall thickness to a section of the same depth buys a fraction of what adding depth does, at a similar weight penalty.

Mount it deep, not flat

A 160 x 40 mm section is a wide beam, and the temptation on an overhead rail is to lay it flat so there is a broad top surface for a trolley or a carriage to run on. Structurally that is the worst thing you can do, because it puts the 40 mm dimension in the load direction instead of the 160 mm one.

The stiffness of the section is proportional to the width times the cube of the depth, so swapping the two dimensions changes the second moment of area by the ratio of their squares: 160 squared over 40 squared is 16. Laid flat the same section is about sixteen times softer than it is on edge, which is not a tuning difference, it is a different structure.

Orientation	Depth in the load direction	Relative stiffness
On edge, 160 mm vertical	160 mm	Reference, the stiff direction
Laid flat, 40 mm vertical	40 mm	About one sixteenth of the reference

For a running rail, keep it on edgeMount the rail on edge and fit a separate flat track or a wear strip on top if a carriage has to run on it. Do not turn the structural member into the track.

For a cantilever arm, the 160 mm face resists the momentA cantilever is a beam fixed at one end, so the bending is at the root. Keep the 160 mm dimension in the plane of the load and brace the root.

For a wide mounting surface, use the slotsThe 160 mm face gives you the mounting surface, and the slots along it are what you fix to. The stiffness comes from the depth, not from the width.

Sizing an overhead rail

Fix the deflection limit from the process A manual push trolley and a powered carriage with a position sensor have very different tolerances. The limit comes from what runs on the rail.
Calculate the required second moment of area For a central point load on a simply supported beam, the deflection is the load times the cube of the span divided by 48 times the modulus times the second moment of area. Solve for the second moment of area.
Check the answer against 540 cm4 At a span of 2 m and a 5 kN central load this section gives about 2.2 mm, which is inside an L/500 limit. Beyond about 2.5 m at that load you need a mid support or a deeper beam.
Use the M14 bore for the rail supports The rail hangers carry the whole load. Fix them into the Ø12 mm bores tapped M14 rather than the slots, and space them on the calculated span.
Check the rail for twist as well as sag An overhead rail that is loaded off-centre twists as well as bends. A single beam on edge has limited torsional stiffness, so a pair of rails or a box arrangement is better for a heavy off-centre carriage.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use the 160 x 40 mm or the 120 x 40 mm section?

Compare the required second moment of area with 540 cm4 and 220 cm4. If the job needs more than about 220 cm4, the 160 mm section is the cheaper way to get there than any increase in wall thickness.

Can I mount it flat to give a wider running surface?

You can, but the section will be about sixteen times softer, so it will sag badly over any real span. Mount it on edge and fit a separate track or wear strip if a carriage has to run on it.

What is the maximum span?

At a 5 kN central load and an L/500 limit, about 2.5 m. Send us the span, the load and the tolerance and we will calculate it for this section.

What is the difference between this and the heavy version?

Internal wall thickness and the corner hole form. The heavy version has round M6 corner holes instead of square ones, which gives a better thread and easier chip clearing for tapped connections.

Do you supply it cut and drilled?

Yes. We cut to your cutting list to plus or minus 0.5 mm, face and square the ends, drill and tap the corner holes and the M14 bore, and supply end caps.

Send the rail span and the mounting orientation

Tell us the span, the load, the deflection limit and which dimension stays vertical. We will confirm whether the 160 x 40 mm section is right and quote cut lengths and machining.

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