Ropes with a plastic-coated metal wire rope core consist of a layer of strands wound on a metal core that is coated with a sheath of plastic. Inserting a plastic filler drastically reduces potential sliding of the various components and prevents geometric alterations in the ropes.

Application of a plastic coating has the following purposes:

• To create a mechanical joint that fixes the reciprocal positions of the components of the rope while allowing necessary movement.
• To reduce the internal corrosion process due to reduced permeability of the rope caused by polluting agents.
• To fill the free space between the exterior strands in order to prevent wear.

The following drawing displays the structure of ropes with a plastic-coated metal core.
The type of outer material used allows continuous operation of the rope in a wide temperature range (-35°C to 90°C) without dimensional alterations or fragile breaks.

The stabilizing effect induced by plastic coatings is especially evident when the rope is exposed to the following:

• transverse pressures
• torsion caused by wide lateral deviation angles on pulleys or drums
• shock loads.