Brazil Outlook by Wire Journal International, Inc.

WIRE JOURNAL AUGUST 2011

I N T E R N A T I O N A L w w w. w i r e n e t . o r g

• wire Southeast Asia preview • CabWire (European technical conference) preview • 2011 Wire Link Scholar Report

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WIRE JOURNAL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CONTENTS

Volume 44 | Number 8 | August 2011

F EATURES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CabW ir e

Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

2011 Wire Link Scholar report . . . .32

Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 26 WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Technical Papers . . . . . . . 66-85

Preview: CabWire 2011 . . . . . . . . . .38 Five industry associations are putting on this technical event, which will focus on ferrous and nonferrous topics.

Brazil Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 This feature presents analysis from CRU International on the Brazilian cable industry, and more.

Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Preview: wire Southeast Asia . . . . . .54 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

There are high hopes from organizers and exhibitors for this biennial event that returns to Bangkok.

Career Opportunities . . . . . . . 91 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . . 94

T ECHNICAL P APERS An in-process SRL predictor system for data cable manufacturing Ethem Erdas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Next issue

September 2011 • Equipment (capital)

Improvement of mechanical properties of drawn aluminum wire for wiring harnesses Kazunari Yoshida and Shunichi Kikuchi . . . . . . . . . . .76 Effect of boron alloying on austenite decomposition in 0.80C wire rod grades Emmanuel De Moor, David K. Matlock, Walther Van Raemdonck, Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Peter M. Power and Robert J. Glodowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Cover: Brazil, one of the four BRIC nations, has long been seen as a land of promise, but is it so now for the wire and cable industry? Maybe yes, maybe no. See p. 46.

AUGUST 2011 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE IN A ‘POWER’ MODE

. . . . .10

CONTENTS

NEXANS

PREVIEW: CABWIRE 2011

. . . . . . .38

CabW ir e Wor ld Conference 2011 Congress Center Düsseldorf, Germany

7-8 November 2011 Latest process and market developments

Activity in expanding power cable capacity has been on an upswing this year, and in a relatively short time it has gotten a big boost from Nexans, which recently reported that it is entering a joint venture with a Chinese manufacturer of power cables and that it will be building a new EHV cable plant in the U.S.

Led by the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA) with the help of four other industry associations (ACIMAF, CET, IWCEA and WAI), a comprehensive technical event, CabWire World Conference 2011, will be held Nov. 7-8 in a location that should be quite familiar to the wire and cable industry: Düsseldorf, Germany.

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EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL

EDITORIAL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Can it be that the world is falling apart but nobody has told the wire and cable industry? It may well be me, but I’m not sure whether I should be content, hopeful or terrified, so at this point I’ll opt for confused about the current status of the wire and cable industry. It’s my own fault as I’ve allowed myself to drink from the relentless media stream. A non-stop news flow of nations struggling with debt, high unemployment, barren housing markets, crippling fuel/energy costs and more. Topping the collective gloom was the July 25 plea by President Obama for the American public to rally behind the only budget plan that made sense (his). The message was clear: these are bad, bad times. Only the wire and cable industry by and large seems to be doing okay. Actually, it’s doing better than okay, especially for sectors like power cables and anything renewable energy related. Investments are being made, projects are going forward. As the last two years can attest, the wire and cable industry is not immune from current conditions, but at Interwire and in dealings with companies, there appears to be a lot of activity. That tone is also reflected in the Industry News section in recent WJI issues, which have included widespread announcements of substantial contracts, expansions and new ventures. That reality is not the one that I read about in the morning papers and hear in the evening news shows. It’s as if the bad news that dominates media coverage might as well be coverage for another planet. One person who has a good sense of the industry pulse is Jack Cutler of Connecticut-based Wire Resources, who for 35 years has filled positions in the wire and cable industry. An avid newspaper reader and viewer of Sunday talk shows, he had also listened to the President’s talk. He shrugs it all off. “Life goes on. The news has had absolutely no effect on us the last few months.” The industry has emerged from its horrendous two-year slump, and customer inquiries are up. A lot. Some calls are from company presidents and CEOs seeking experienced industry professionalss, and they want them now. “I don’t hear anyone say, ‘I can’t do anything until the debt ceiling is raised,’ ” he said. “It may not be gangbusters, but it continues to improve each week. The industry is steadily getting better.” So, what does one make of all this? That the wire and cable industry is unto itself? No, because we know better than that, but perhaps the essence of this dichotomy is that when the focus is on uncertainty and fears of unknown possible outcomes, little else gets seen.

Mark Marselli Editor-in-chief

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL (ISSN-0277-4275) published monthly by The Wire Journal, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wire Association International, Inc., which is located at 1570 Boston Post Road, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA, and can be contacted at tel. 203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail mmarselli@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in USA. Subscription rates: $110 per year, USA; $120 per year, Canada and Mexico; other countries, $140 per year (includes air mail). Back copies: $10 WAI members, $15 non-members. Periodicals postage paid at Guilford, CT 06437, USA, and at additional offices. Wire Journal International grants photocopy permission to libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, USA, for a fee of $0.50 per article. Payments should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders or reprints should be sent to the Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA. © 2011 by Wire Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Publisher of WJI assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein. Back issues of WJI are on microfilm and available from University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313761-4700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

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CALENDAR

CALENDAR Sept. 13-15, 2011: wire Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand. See p. 54.

grounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, info@mdna.com, tel. 312-781-5180.

Sept. 19-21, 2011: Electrical Manufacturing and Coil Winding Expo Nashville, Tennessee, USA. To be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Contact: Electrical Manufacturing Coil Winding Association (EMCWA), tel. 619-435-3629, www.emcwa.org.

May 9-10, 2012: 2012 National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. To be held at the Frontier Airlines Center. Contact Expo Productions, Inc., tel. 800367-5520, www.expoproductionsinc.com/wire_home.htm.

Oct. 4-6, 2011: WiCab/TuboTech São Paulo, Brazil. This multi-show staging to be held at the Centro de Exposicoes Imigrantes, include WiCab (wire and cable) and TuboTech (tubes). Contact: Cipa LTDA. Correia de Lemos, tel. 55-11-55854357; Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. See p. 52. Nov. 6-9, 2011: 60th IWCS Conference™ Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. To be held at the Charlotte Convention Center. Contact: Pat Hudak, IWCS, tel. 732-389-0990, www.iwcs.org, phudak@iwcs.org. Nov. 7-8, 2011: CabWire World Conference Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Congress Center Düsseldorf, this technical conference is being co-organized by ACIMAF, CET, IWCEA, IWMA and WAI. See www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com. See p. 38. March 26-30, 2012: wire Düsseldorf 2012 Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Messe fair-

May 21-23, 2012: Wire Expo 2012 Dallas, Texas, USA. WAI will hold this event at the Omni Dallas Hotel, which will include its 82nd Annual Convention and trade show, for the first time in Dallas, www.wirenet.org. Sept. 25-28, 2012: wire China 2012 Shanghai, China. To be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, fax 312-781-5188, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. Oct. 29-31, 2012: Wire & Cable India Mumbai, India. This event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. April 23-25, 2013: Interwire 2013 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center for the trade show, technical programs and the Association’s 83rd Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org. ■

W IRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL E VENTS For more information, contact the WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777; fax 001-203-453-8384; www.wirenet.org. Sept. 12, 2011: New England Chapter 17th Annual Golf Tournament Ellington, Connecticut, USA. This event will take place at a new location, the Ellington Ridge Country Club.

Oct. 24, 2011: Western Chapter 11th Annual “Wild West Shootout” Golf Outing Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA. This event will be held at the Los Verdes Golf Course.

Oct. 13, 2011: Southeast Chapter 10th Annual Golf Tournament Conover, North Carolina, USA. This event, which will take place at the Rock Barn Golf & Spa, will also be a scholarship fundraiser for Eric Vannais, the son of the late Stephen Vannais, the former chapter president.

Nov. 7-8, 2011: CabWire World Conference Düsseldorf, Germany. See main listing May 21-23, 2012: Wire Expo 2012 Dallas, Texas, USA. See main listing. April 23-25., 2013: Interwire 2013 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. See main listing.

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS Nexans makes an industry ‘power’ statement in China and the U.S. Nexans’ plans to expand its global presence in power were declared in two recent announcements that the company is taking a majority share in a Chinese power cable venture and that it is opening a new Extra High Voltage (EHV) power cable plant in the U.S. Nexans reports that it has entered into an agreement with China’s Shandong Yanggu Cables Group to acquire a majority stake in its power cable business, providing it “a strategic footprint in the rapidly growing Chinese Energy Infrastructure market.” A press release said that a joint venture will be created that is based Shandong Yanggu’s power cable business in China, with Nexans holding a 75% share and Shandong Yanggu the remainder. Founded in 1985 and located in Shandong province in Northern China, Shandong Yanggu is one of the leading manufacturers of power cables in China, with 2010 sales of its power cable businesses totaling approximately 150 million euros, it said. The company has three manufacturing facilities producing extra- and high-voltage cables, mediumvoltage and low-voltage power cables and employs approximately 1,200 people. The company has also recently completed a major investment program to enhance its industrial capability, it said, and is fully qualified by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) to produce 110kV and 220kV cables. The company supplies energy infrastructure cables to SGCC, power generation groups and various other industries, it said. “China is the largest, fastest growing market for Energy Infrastructure in the world,” Nexans Chairman and CEO Frédéric Vincent said in the release. “This investment reinforces our presence in this exciting market and is consistent with our long term strategy to grow in emerging markets.” “Nexans is a worldwide cable leader; to co-operate with Nexans will further reinforce our positioning in the market,” Shandong Yanggu Chairman Li Ming Suo said in the release. “We are confident that our joint venture, being welcomed by the relevant authorities, will be developed as one of the most significant cable manufacturers in China and in Asia.” The transaction is expected to take six to eight months to complete and is subject to various conditions precedent including the approval of the Chinese regulatory authorities, the release said. Nexans also announced that it plans to build a plant in the U.S. at a location, yet to be decided, for the manufacture of underground EHV cables and for possible extension to submarine HV activities. A press release said that Nexans is investing in the new plant to capitalize on the significant investments expected in EHV cables in North America in the coming years. The company already has HV plants in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The total investment for the initiatives is expected to be 10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

approximately US$80 million, it said, adding that the plant is expected to begin operation in the summer of 2013. “The ever increasing demand for electricity from consumers and industry is driving ambitious plans for the development of major power infrastructure projects in North America,” said Nexans Chairman and CEO Frédéric Vincent. “For effective and efficient transmission of electri-

Nexans has plans for power cable in both China and the U.S. Image courtesy of Nexans. Photo by Raphael Demaret. cal power, with minimum losses, these new schemes need to operate at EHV levels. So by establishing this new plant Nexans will be ideally positioned to support these projects with high quality EHV cables designed and manufactured to meet specific local market conditions.” He added that the investment “also represents a significant step forward in increasing our footprint in North America and demonstrates our long-term commitment to this key market.” The release said that Nexans currently makes mediumvoltage, low-voltage, overhead transmission, industrial and LAN cables in North America, which in 2010 represented more than 10% of the Group’s total sales, with over 1,300 people employed in seven production facilities, four in the U.S. and three in Canada.

Correction An article in the June issue about recipients of industry awards winners honored by the Wire and Cable Manufacturers’ Alliance, Inc. (WCMA) mistakenly identified the award by its former name, the Charles D. Scott Distinguished Career Award. That name that was used from 1985-2007, then was changed by WCMA to the “WCMA Distinguished Career Award.”

Anixter Inc., a leading distributor of cable, has filed suit in federal court, accusing one of its U.S. suppliers, Commodity Cables, Inc., of selling millions of feet of substandard and/or counterfeit communications cable. The supplier, in turn, has reportedly counter-sued, and what happens from here should be of much interest to the wire and cable industry as it once again raises the issue of accountability. In a press release and in comments in Cabling Installation & Maintenance, Anixter alleges the following: Commodity Cables sold offshore-manufactured cable that fails to meet applicable fire- and flame-resistance standards established by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), even though some of the cables were marked as UL-certified or ETL-verified. Anixter says that last year, it inspected the manufacturer’s cable in inventory and discovered numerous boxes labeled with what appeared to be fraudulent UL marks and other safety certifications. Out of concern, the distributor sent cable samples to UL for burn testing and as a precautionary measure, implemented a vendor lockout against Commodity Cables to ensure it did not buy or sell any more of the manufacturer’s product. Samples sent to UL failed applicable fire-resistance standards. On December 20, 2010, Anixter told its customers who had purchased Commodity Cables product from the distributor that it was issuing a broad recall of the brand. Anixter says it has worked with many customers to remove and replace Commodity Cables’ product with compliant cable. It also claims that Commodity Cables has refused to cooperate in addressing the problem and that a U.S. government agency has launched an investigation into the matter. In its suit filed earlier this year in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Anixter is seeking more than $1 million in damages, as well as punitive damages for false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contract and deceptive trade practices. Contacted for comment by WJI, Fred Rescigno Jr., the owner of CCI, said that he wants to present a statement about the allegations, but that it was not possible to do so in time for this issue.

South Korea’s LS Cable reports it has achieved another North American first South Korea’s LS Cable & System announced that it has won its first submarine cable project on a turnkey basis from an American power supplier, a deal that calls for it to lay 35kV-capacity underwater cables to improve the power supply efficiency between Long Island and Captree Island, New York. A press release said that winning the contract from National Grid, a power grid operator covering the eastern region of the U.S., furthers the company’s efforts to advance in the global submarine cable market. Recent contracts the

company has won include a submarine cable network project between Hwawon and Anjwa; a wind power plant pilot complex in Woljeong-ri, Jeju-do; a submarine cable project for a tidal power generation complex covering from Jangjuk to Sudo of Jeollanam-do; a contract for a 20kV submarine cable installation project for 10 km from Tidore Island to Ternate Island to the north of Indonesia; and a contract for a 33kV submarine cable delivery and power grid project in the island areas of Sarawak, Malaysia in 2011. “This contract is a proof that LS Cable & System is advancing as a new power player in the global submarine cable market,” said Jae-In Yoon, executive director of LS Cable & System’s Power Business Division. “We will strengthen marketing activities further as we forecast a continued increase of new demands in the global market from international power grid connection projects and offshore wind power complexes.” The release attributed the company’s success to “the aggressive investment it has made.” That focus was reflected on May 26, when representatives from LS Cable and its U.S. operation, Superior Essex, held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new power cable manufacturing facility in Tarboro, North Carolina.

CommScope to supply Illinois wind farm with copper-clad grounding wire U.S.-based CommScope, Inc., announced that it will supply the Bishop Hill Wind Farm in Henry County, Illinois, with its GroundSmartTM Copper Clad Steel solution, an alternative to solid and stranded copper that it said is increasingly in demand by utilities for its cost-efficiency and anti-theft characteristics. CommScope will provide 1.7 million feet of its GroundSmart copper-clad steel grounding wire to the project this year, the largest GroundSmart application to date, a press release said. The wind farm, it noted, will include some 130 wind turbines. “Copper-clad steel continues to gain in popularity due to its lower cost, the integrity of the material and the suitability of its use in grounding applications as a replacement for copper for wind farms,” Ric Johnsen, senior vice president, Broadband, CommScope, said in the release. The copperclad steel provides a safe, highly reliable alternative to the use of solid and stranded copper for grounding applications, it said, noting that it is specifically designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. The wire has an electrical conductor that has an outer sleeve of copper metallurgically bonded to a solid steel core. With theft of copper on the rise, the lower copper content in GroundSmart also reduces the attractiveness of the product to thieves.

New cable system is said to offer a Middle East-to-Europe alternative Telecom companies in Russia, the U.K., Oman and Iran plan to construct a subsea cable system that will link AUGUST 2011 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

Anixter files lawsuit, claims distributor sold substandard, mismarked cable

INDUSTRY NEWS

Frankfurt, Germany to the Gulf, offering high-speed connectivity for telecommunications between the Middle East and Europe. DataCenter Dynamics reports that Oman’s Omantel, the U.K.’s Cable & Wireless and Russia’s Rostelcom will work with the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company of Iran to construct the Europe Persia Express Gateway (EPEG) system, which is designed to be an alternative to cables that currently run through Egypt and the Gulf of Suez into Europe from the Middle East. The system will be run by each telecom company in their respective countries, it said, noting that the 6,000-km route will be shorter than the alternative routes, making it more economical to construct and manage. Initial service will offer 540GB/second and increase capacity to 3.2TB/second, it said.

Special Metals Corporation plans to move its A-1 Wire Division to Indiana U.S.-based Special Metals Corporation, a producer of high-nickel, high-performance engineering alloys, will relocate its operations from Illinois to Indiana, creating up to 100 new jobs by 2014. Wire reports said that the company “will make a significant investment” to move its A-1 Wire Division, which produces stainless steel and nickel alloy wire, from Rockford, Illinois, to its 50,000 sq-ft plant in Elkhart, Indiana. The transition is scheduled to begin in September. Special Metals currently employs 25 workers in Elkhart, and will begin hiring additional manufacturing, logistics and support associates to coincide with the relocation timeline and infrastructure improvements, the reports said. Created in 1998 when Special Metals Corporation of New Hartford, N.Y., acquired Inco Alloys International, the company is known for alloys that are engineered to offer a combination of heat resistance and high temperature corrosion resistance and are used in a variety of industries and applications around the world.

Holloway Wire Rope opens 1st branch office in Wichita, sees growth there Earlier this year, U.S.-based Holloway Wire Rope opened a branch office in southwest Wichita, and the company’s owner says he sees lots of growth potential for the region. Wichita Business Journal reports that the branch office is the first for the Oklahoma company, which sells wire cables, lifting devices and rigging equipment. It cited owner Curt Tuggle as saying it is a good location as Holloway Wire Rope already has customers in Wichita and the closest competition for this market is either from other Oklahoma companies or ones in Kansas City. The new presence could help the company double the business done in Wichita in the next 12 months, he said. At its website, Halloway Wire Rope is described as a privately held corporation that has been in business since 1941. It also notes that one of its projects was to supply the cable assemblies that suspend the massive video 12 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

screen/scoreboard in the Dallas Cowboys football stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Daikin America plans significant FEP expansion at Decatur plant Daikin America, which notes that it is one of two suppliers of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) for use in plenum-rated cable, recently announced it is undertaking a $60-million investment to expand capability in its Decatur, Alabama facility for the production of FEP and ethylene tetrafluoroethyelen (ETFE). A press release said that Daikin’s plans call for it to complete the capacity expansion by October 2012, at which time it will have raised its supply capability of both FEP and ETFE by more than 50 percent. Donald Shaw, Daikin America’s director of sales, said both fluoropolymers are experiencing increased use in areas including wire and cable, aerospace, automotive and photovoltaic applications. “With tight supply in both product lines, we are accelerating the installation of this capacity to meet our customers’ needs,” he said, noting the new capacity will be evenly split between the two materials. Gary Stanitis, director of marketing for Daikin America, said that the expansion is not in response to recent market demand or to the FEP crunch that followed the temporary shutdown of Daikin’s FEP-producing plants in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami struck that country in March. The expansion was planned prior to the recession of 2008, and the strong recovery we have experienced has finally allowed for final approval of this plan, he said, adding that the bulk of the immediate demand growth is for FEP, driven by the strength of the plenum cable market, which he noted continues to be North America’s single largest application for fluoropolymers.

Saco Polymers completes acquisition of U.K.-based AEI Compounds U.S.-based Saco Polymers, Inc., reports that it has completed the acquisition of U.K.-based AEI Compounds from its parent company, TT Elecronics, for US$13.8 million. A press release said that the deal “represents a combination of the market leaders in the U.S. and Europe/Middle East in the crosslinkable and polymer compounds manufacturing industry based on Sioplas technology.” It said that both companies share a market focus on wire and cable and PEX plumbing pipe industries, with AEI Compounds a major supplier of thermoplastic and silane crosslinkable halogen free flame retardant (HFFR) compounds to the wire and cable industry. “The acquisition of AEI Compounds with principal markets in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa combined with SACO’s prominence in North America is a key step in SACO’s strategy to create the first truly global manufacturing and product development platform in this industry to better serve its expanding customer base,” the release said. It noted that AEI Compounds will continue its current oper-

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ations as a wholly owned subsidiary of SACO Polymers, Inc., and that key management of AEI Compounds will remain with the business. It added that combining the respective product offerings and geographic strengths “will greatly expand both businesses in the coming years.” One wire report noted that in 2009, AEI invested 2.5 million pounds sterling to relocate its manufacturing and technical operations to Sandwich. The investment included transferring the company’s six compounding lines from its former plant in Gravesend, as well as adding a new line dedicated to production of low smoke and fume (LSF) grades for the cable industry, it said.

China MOC is said to be pleased with WTO ruling against EU duties The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) is very pleased with a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the European Union is illegally taxing Chinese steel fasteners. The finding by the WTO appellate body that the EU had not fairly imposed anti-dumping duties on the fasteners from China, was hailed by the MOC, said an article in ChinaDaily.com. An unidentified official in MOC’s Treaty and Law Department said in a statement that the ruling was “of great significance and will help Chinese enterprises

enjoy better competitive conditions in the international market including the EU.” The release added that, “This is not only a victory for Chinese industry but for the WTO rules as well. The ruling has reinforced the confidence of WTO members in the WTO rules and the multilateral trading system.” Specifically, the WTO found that the EU erred by viewing China as a single exporter instead of treating the companies individually, the article said. It noted that the EU has been requiring Chinese exporters to prove they meet with the single duty requirements in responding to antidumping cases. The ruling stems from EU imposed anti-dumping duties of 26.5% to 85% on fasteners from China for five years in January 2009, it said.

Pemex and Mexichem form vinyl chloride joint venture Petroleos Mexicanos, the state oil company, plans to double its production of vinyl chloride through a $556 million joint venture with Mexichem SAB, the largest maker of plastic pipes in Latin America. Bloomberg reports that Pemex, as Mexico City-based Petroleos is known, is requesting approval for the project from the nation’s antitrust agency per a statement on the company’s website. With the joint venture, Pemex’s vinyl

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INDUSTRY NEWS

chloride production will increase to more than 400,000 tons annually by 2013, which represents a 116 percent increase from 2010, the statement said. The Bloomberg report said that Mexichem spokesman Enrique Ortega said that the Latin American chemical producer has bought more than 15 companies since 2007, and that it wants to reduce its dependence on third-party vinyl chloride producers such as Dow Chemical Co. Last October, Mexichem’s board approved about $1 billion in investment in the state of Veracruz to expand its domestic production of vinyl chloride, with the option to increase the amount by $500 million if a joint venture with Pemex was reached, according to an interview with former Chairman Antonio Del Valle Ruiz, the report said.

nkt cables wins submarine cable project for major windfarm project nkt cables announced that it has signed a contract for supply of on- and offshore high-voltage cables, including delivery and installation of accessories for the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm. A press release said that the contract, valued at approximately 80 million euros, is for a wind farm, the West of Duddon Sands project, that will be located 14 km southwest of the Barrow-in-Furness coastline in the Irish Sea. It is being constructed in a partnership between DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables. The contract, it said, calls for nkt cables to manufacture and deliver 82 km of 155 kV export cables integrated with 48 core optical fibers and 22 km of 155 kV land cables, together with delivery and installation of 155 kV accessories for both the on- and offshore part of the wind farm. The cables, the release said, are to be produced at the nkt cables plant in Cologne in 2012 and 2013, with installation planned for 2013. The West of Duddon Sands project will consist of 108 3.6 MW turbines that have a collective capacity of 389 MW. From 2014, the wind farm is expected to deliver electricity equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 300,000 households, which it said will rank the offshore wind farm as being among the largest in the world. “We appreciate the cooperation with DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables, and we are proud of the fact that nkt cables’ technologies and capabilities have been elected for this flagship project,” said NKT Holding CEO Thomas Hofman-Bang.

Poland’s Tele-Fonika Kable.reports cable order for wind farm Zuromin Tele-Fonika Kable reports that it has won an order to supply a 110kV cable system for wind farms in ¯uromin, Poland. The ordering company and general contractor for the farms, a press release said, is the Spanish GLOBAL ENERGY Services (GES) Group, which is represented in Poland by GES SIEMSA S.A. with its headquarters in Warsaw. 16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Within the framework of the cable system, Tele-Fonika will provide more 12.6 km of 110kV XRUHKXS 1x185RC/50 cable along with the cable equipment manufactured by Pfisterer, it said, adding that the cable is being manufactured at Zakład Bydgoszcz by the end of July 2011. The wind farms, under the working name of ¯uromin 1 and 2, are located in the near vicinity of Zielona in the Kuczbork-Osada commune, district of ¯uromin, Mazowia Voivodship, the release said. WF ¯uromin 1 will have 15 turbines, and WF ¯uromin 2 will have 17. The estimated height of the turbines (turbine towers), installed by the Gamesa G90 company, will reach 78 m and 100 m, it said.

Nexans wins 20 million euro contract from Brazil for overhead power lines Nexans reports that it has been awarded a contract valued at 20 million euros from the IE Madeira consortium to deliver the overhead lines for the Madeira River Power Interconnection in Brazil. A press release said tha IE Madeira is a consortium comprising the utilities Furnas, Chesf and CTEEP. Nexans, it said, will supply 6,700 km of its special all-aluminium conductor (AAC) for the first circuit, each conductor features 91 bare wires, with a diameter of 44.4 mm. The new HVDC link, the first of two, will transmit 3,150MW of power produced by the Rondônia hydroelectric plant in northwest Brazil to São Paulo, Brazil, it said. The HVDC transmission at 600kV will reduce transmission losses and the link will comprise two parallel overhead lines, the release said. It noted that the cable is being manufactured at three Nexans plants in Brazil, located in Americana and Rio de Janeiro. The first transmission line, it said will be installed in the last quarter of 2011, while the entire project will be on line by 2013.

CCCA announces the names of its new officers and committee members The U.S.-based Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) announced the election of new officers and its executive committee that were selected at its annual meeting. A press release said that the officers now include: Kevin Ressler, TE Connectivity, CCCA Chairman of the Board; Randy Mortensen, Anixter, Secretary; and Rob Wessels, CommScope, Treasurer. Joining the officers on the CCCA’s Executive Committee are Kevin St. Cyr, Berk-Tek, a Nexans company, and Gary Stanitis, Daikin America. A non-profit corporation, CCCA serves as a resource for well researched, fact-based information on the technologies and products of structured cabling media to support current and future needs of the networking, IT and communications industries. It also is proactive at codes and standards bodies and other trade, industry and governmental organizations in communicating and influencing policy and decisions affecting the quality, performance and societal needs of the structured cabling infrastructure.

Davis-Standard to once again stage its plastics seminar; dates are Oct. 11-12 U.S.-based Davis-Standard, LLC, will again host its popular workshop,“The Basics of Plastics Extrusion,”

on Oct. 11-12, at its headquarters in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. A press release said that the comprehensive two-day class will cover the fundamentals of plastics extrusion, as well as the composition and properties of various polymers and the mechanics of essential downstream processes. Topics include extruder components, temperature control, maintenance and screw design. In addition to instruction, course participants will tour Davis-Standard’s Technology Center and manufacturing facilities, and will have access to polymer process engineers

and technical specialists, the release said. The fee is $750 per person with a 10% discount given for groups of three or more. Course books and materials are included, and class size is limited to promote student/teacher interaction. For more information and to register, contact Davis Standard’s Debbie Crowley at tel. 860-599-6237, dcrowley@davisstandard or go to www.davis-standard.com.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

“My goal is to continue a tradition of growth by broadening our membership base and supporting CCCA initiatives that strengthen the quality and integrity of our industry,” Ressler said. CCCA Executive Director Frank Peri said work continues to prevent potentially hazardous, non-compliant cable from being imported, distributed and sold in the U.S. market. “We still have a long way to go. Through our industry alerts and continuing work with UL, we are making progress.” CCCA member companies include: Accu-Tech; AlphaGary; Anixter; Belden; Berk-Tek, a Nexans Company; Cable Components Group; comCables; CommScope; Daikin America; DuPont; 3M Dyneon; General Cable; Optical Cable Corporation (OCC); OFS, a Furukawa Company; Panduit; PolyOne; Sentinel Connector Systems; Solvay Solexis; Superior Essex; and TE Connectivity. For more details, contact Peri at tel. 904-223-4100 or fperi@cccassoc.org, or go to www.cccassoc.org.

INDUSTRY NEWS

News briefs Germany’s Niehoff GmbH reports that it has donated six million yen (around US$75,000) in humanitarian aid for victims of the earthquake that struck Japan on March 12, 2011. It noted that the company has very strong ties with Japan, having opened a sales office there in 1991 (Nippon Niehoff Co., Ltd.), and that it has developed a very close relationship with Japanese customers over the years. The

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donation, it said, was passed on to the Japanese Red Cross in the hope that the aid will improve the situation of at least some of the people who were affected. … Cerro Wire LLC, a U.S. manufacturer of copper electrical building wire and cable, announced that its plant in Ogden, Utah, has achieved a rate of zero OSHA-recordable incidents over the last two years and has only had four incidents over the last five years. A press release cited a shift in mindset and corporate culture, with veteran employees working cooperatively to help newer workers understand that most accidents are preventable. … U.S.-based AIM Inc., a supplier of CNC wire bending solutions, has named Oronim Technologies Private Limited as its exclusive representative for the Indian Market. The company, located at Mumbai, is a consulting firm that specializes in steel wires and welding industry, with 20 plus years of cumulative experience in steel wire processing, welding and consumable manufacturing. The contacts are Hemant Nimkar, hemant@oronim.com, and Vishwesh Oroskar, vishwesh@oronim.com. … Metalloid Corporation, a supplier of specialty lubricants for sectors that include wire and cable, reports that it plans to move from Indiana to Sturgis, Michigan. The move includes its manufacturing, laboratory and general offices. For more about the company, go to www.metalloidcorp.com. … U.S.-based IEWC announced plans to expand its international distribution services by opening a sales office and stocking facility near São Paulo, Brazil. “In our vision to be the premier global supplier of wire, cable and wire management products, this move will be the fourth continent in which IEWC now does business,” said IEWC CEO David Nestingen. “We already have strong partnerships with our suppliers in this region and we look forward to bringing our supply chain solutions to the Brazilian marketplace,” he said. IEWC Mexico President Ricardo Garcia will be responsible for overseeing this initiative, which is targeted to be complete by the end of the year. ■

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS Report: thousands of cable makers in China, but key firms are emerging

upgrade their expertise, even when they have the latest Japanese, U.S. or German machinery. Where the customers are also overseas companies, such as European car companies or other OEMs, it is more likely that there will be a joint venture with a Chinese company, it said. Nexans, it noted, has taken one more step to increase its own share of the Chinese cable market and announced plans to set up a power cable joint venture with China’s Shandong Yanggu, valued at approximately US$199 million). Nexans will hold 75%, the rest by Shandong Yanggu. “We are continually updating our Chinese cable company information, and we track more than 60 Chinese cable companies every quarter to monitor their performance.

A new report from U.K.-based Integer Research focuses on the leading domestic producers of cable in China, which it notes is clearly the largest producer and consumer of cables worldwide, but a challenging place to understand. A press release from the company, which notes that it has a new office in Beijing that helps its efforts in the country, said that the Chinese market now represents more than 45% of the world total by volume, and that more than 4,600 Chinese cable companies report their financials at the provincial level. “Many of these are small informal operations, producing building wire or electronic wire,” it said, noting that there are typically around 200 building wire producers in each of the coastal provinces as well as approximately 1,000 companies that make simple UL 1xxx electronic wire (UL 1007/1015) or the Chinese (CCC) equivalent. “What is not so clear is which companies will be able to move up the value chain and start producing more complex electronic wire products, cost effectively produce quality HV and EHV power cables, and also move into a range of specialty industrial power, telecom and signal cables.” The release said that many Estimated revenues of top Chinese cable companies. Chart courtesy Integer customers, both telecoms and Research. power utilities, are buying at a provincial level. “The leading cable producers can have up to 20-25% market share at We also collect data on more than 2,000 private compaprovincial level, but at a national level this drops below nies and have just updated out latest cable ranking esti5%, even for large producers such as Far East Holding mates for the leading Chinese producers in 2010. Far Group, Baosheng Group, Hengtong Group and Wuxi East Holdings Group is still the leading producer in Jiangnan Cable Group. These companies have emerged as China. YOFC (Yangtze Optical Fibre), which is partly leading producers at the provincial level, and will have owned by Prysmian/Draka also had a storming year, with built up a strong business network in the business comoptical fiber and fiber optic cable revenues of more than munity and through the ruling Communist Party. Many of US$700 million in 2010,” the release said. the leading producers have joint ventures with the leading The above analysis and market information was extractEuropean, Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese cable ed from Integer’s Wire & Cable Company Service (which producers.” has just released its quarterly update) and Wire & Cable The release warns that there are some areas where Regional Study: China (a new study out now). For more Chinese producers themselves have not been able to information, go to www.integer-research.com. Have news that belongs here? If so, e-mail it to editorial@wirenet.org.

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

JSW Steel increases its capacity India’s JSW Steel Ltd. (JSW), the flagship company of the JSW Group, announced that it has placed an order with Germany’s Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co. KG to supply, install and commission a three-roll Reducing & Sizing Block (RSB) for the company’s combined 500,000 t/a wire rod and bar mill in Salem in the state of Tamil Nadu. After the successful start up of the 370 mm RSB at Bhushan Power & Steel early this year, this is the second RSB for India, it said in a press release. The block, due for delivery in mid-2012, will be implemented in the combined wire rod and bar mill after the existing roughing and intermediate mill, the release said. The RSB operating as a finishing block will roll finished bar sizes from 16.0 to 60.0 mm. As a pre-finisher, it will produce the entry cross sections for the downstream wire rod finishing block in the range of 16.9 to 20.5 mm. The scope of the order, the release said, includes the three-roll RSB with an automatic quick-stand changing system that provides remote controlled adjustment of passes and guides as well as the roll shop equipment with quick roll change and CAPAS, a computer-aided system for accurate adjustment of rolls and roller guides.

The release said that, with the company’s recently acquired majority stake in Ispat Industries Ltd., JSW has become India’s largest privately owned steel producer, with an installed capacity of 14.3 million tons per year.

Asia Pacific Wire & Cable listed on NASDAQ Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited (APWC), which was formed in 1996 and manufactures telecom cable (copper and fiber optic), power cable and enameled wire products in the Asia Pacific region, primarily in Singapore, Thailand, Australia and China, has expanded its global presence with its listing earlier this year on the NASDAQ stock market, where it is traded under the symbol APWC. APWC, whose executive business office is located in Taipei, Taiwan, distributes copper rod and wire and cable products manufactured by its principal shareholder, Taiwan-based Pacific Electric Wire & Cable Company, which owns over 65% of company, with about 25% from the NASDAQ shares. Based on available information, the company reports that it believes that it is one of the five largest producers of telecommunications and low-voltage power cable and enameled wire in Thailand and either the largest or second largest supplier of power cable in Singapore. ■

AUGUST 2011 | 21

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN NEWS BRIEFS

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Jon Taylor has joined Hitachi Cable Manchester at its facility in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he will serve as Mid-West sales manager. He has more than 15 years of industry experience, and previously was national account manager for Berk-Tek, a subsidiary of Japan’s Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Cable Manchester manufactures high-performance copper and fiber optic cables for the communication industry. Industry veteran Tom Siedlarz recently joined Amaral Automation Associates as a sales representative. He has more than 35 years of experience within the wire, cable and plastics industry. He began his career as a machine designer for Wire Machinery Corp. of America, and later became a sales engineer and vice president of sales. He then became a regional sales manager for Zumbach Electronics Tom Siedlarz Corp., and later founded Siedlarz Associates, representing Zumbach, WST preheaters and Unitek in the Northeast. He helped establish Unitek North America and served as its president until 2008. Most recently, he operated Plastic Equipment,

LLC, representing Woywod Plasticolor, Balloffet Die Corp. and Tips & Dies, Inc. He is an active WAI member, serving on various committees, and is currently a member of the Finance Committee, as well as the New England Chapter, of which he is a Past President. CommScope, Inc., has promoted Laurie Oswald to vice president of North American sales for its enterprise business unit, based in Richardson, Texas. She has more than 15 years of experience in enterprise and carrier markets, and most recently was regional vice president of sales for the northern U.S. Prior to joining CommScope in 2003, she was a regional sales manager with Rittal Corporation. She replaces Angela Haneklau. Based in Hickory, North Carolina, USA, CommScope, Inc., supplies a complete range of telecommunication products. Basic Wire & Cable announced that Ron Rowe, vice president of sales, Midwest division, has retired after 35 years of service in the industry. He was known for his extensive product knowledge, his ability to help customers and for starting programs. His duties will be covered by other company sales associates. Based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Basic Wire & Cable supplies electrical wire for transmission of power, sound and images. ■

OBITUARIES Jack Salt, industry veteran and WAI Past President, dies at age 79 Jack Benton Salt, a WAI Past President and an industry veteran whose career in the wire industry began in 1957, died July 4, 2011 after a long battle with multiple myeloma. A Florida native, he attended the University of Florida where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He served four years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, and in 1957 he began a 21-year career with Mid-States Steel and Wire Company, working executive sales positions in Jacksonville, Florida; Cortland, New York; and Winston-Salem, Jack Salt accepts the Donnellan Memorial North Carolina. In 1978, he became Vice-President of Sales Award in 2006. for Southern Steel and Wire Company. Active on many WAI committees and a Life Member, Salt was also a member of the WAI’s Board of Directors and served as President in 1988-89. The 2006 winner of the 22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WAI’s Donnellan Memorial Award for his contributions to the association remained active with the WAI even after he retired, and was a major champion of the Association’s annual Reference Guide. Outside of the wire industry, the North Carolina resident had a wide range of interests. He was active with both the local and national chapters of the National Railway Historical Society, a board member of the Winston-Salem Symphony, a past president of the Tar Heel Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America and a Rotary Club president. “I had many opportunities to discuss WAI business with Jack during my tenure as President and beyond,” said David Richards, COO, RichardsApex, Inc. “We spent time on several committees together and Jack took his volunteer responsibilities seriously. Besides his love for the Association, Jack was a kind person and cared about the folks in this industry, regardless of their age or credentials. I am honored to share the title of recipient of the Donnellan Award with Jack Salt. Blessings to his family.” WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll said that Salt always remained positive and was an incredible gentlemen. “Jack was a great friend of the Association. While battling cancer, he remained very interested in the association and even participated in the two most recent Past President conference calls.”

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara Berrien Salt; a daughter, Martha Salt McGee; a son, Jack Benton Salt Jr.; a brother, Thomas Richard Salt; and three grandchildren. Roman Russek, known for his wide knowledge of power cables, and in later years for his expertise in the transfer of technology within international joint ventures, died June 17, 2011, at age 88. At the close of WWII, Russek found himself far from his native Poland as a member of the Polish Army under British command. He earned engineering degrees from Heriot Watt University (Edinburgh) and London University, and in 1949 became a scientific officer in the Wood Lane Research Laboratories of British Insulated Callenders Cables in London. Roman Russek In 1954, he joined the High Voltage Department of Canada Wire and Cable (CWC) in Toronto, and over the next 14 years was involved

in virtually every aspect of product design, manufacture and marketing. As design engineer and then department manager, he represented CWC in many negotiations, traveling internationally and authoring technical papers. Fluent in five languages, in 1969 Russek joined CWC’s international business as vice-president of technical services, and spent 14 more years transferring technology from the domestic company to the many fledgling associate companies in countries from Mexico and Ireland to Australia and Iran. He and his department did market surveys, designed cable factories, negotiated with equipment suppliers and located management staff to help new and growing companies, one of which today is Conductores Monterrey (Mexico). He retired in 1983 and opened a consulting firm providing services to the wire and cable industry. He and his wife, Sheila, a longtime member of CWC’s R&D Laboratory, were also volunteers with the Canadian Executive Services Organization, giving their time and expertise to small wire and cable companies in developing countries such as Sri Lanka, Colombia, Peru, China and the Philippines. Russek is survived by his wife, Sheila; two children; three grandchildren; and one great grandchild.

AUGUST 2011 | 23

PEOPLE

OBITUARIES (cont’d.)

FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH Indonesian fiber optic system completed, connects five islands

AFL to supply Nigeria’s first open access fiber optic backbone network

Huawei Marine Networks reports that it has successfully completed construction of the MATARAM-KUPANG Cable System (MKCS), which is owned by PT Telkom, the largest state-owned telecoms operator in Indonesia. A press release said that the system, which about 1,200 km long, connects five islands off the east of Indonesia, with seven landing points. The MKCS system, it said, is the first fiber submarine cable system in this region and has the potential to increase bandwidth over a thousand times what is currently available in these areas. The MKCS system represents phase one of the “Palapa Rings” program launched by the Indonesian government, and will connect central and western communications backbone giving Indonesia’s major islands high-speed internet, the release said. The new system, it said, includes two ultra long hauls, both of which are more than 400 km. The project, it noted, marks the first commercial deployment of advanced Enhanced Raman technology by Huawei Marine Networks. “We’re pleased to be part of the creation of this submarine cable system for Indonesia,” said Huawei Marine CEO Nigel Bayliff. “In the MKCS project, we were able to apply some of our most advanced technology to the system design and installation.”

AFL announced that it will supply fiber optic cable and equipment to Nigeria's first open access fiber optic backbone network. A press release said that Nigeria's National Broadband Carrier Network Project includes a 14,000-km fiber optic network that will be linked through regional network owners to enable advanced communications to all regions of the country. The network owner, Dangote Industries Limited, is installing over 3,000 km of fiber optic cable supplied by AFL to link to the open access backbone that is operated by Dancom Technologies and will interconnect directly with Phase 3 Telecom, it said. It noted that the Dancom network construction incorporates AFL’s SkyWrap® solution, a fiber optic cable that is helically applied on existing ground or phase conductors using specially designed installation equipment. “AFL is honored to participate in such an important project that will directly impact the lives of the people of Nigeria. Given the difficult terrains, wetlands and environments of the Niger Delta region where part of this installation is located, SkyWrap was the perfect solution for this project,” said Paul Thompson, managing director of AFL in Europe. Boye Olusanya, managing director of Dancom Technologies said in the announcement that the lower eastern half of the project was completed and is now ready to carry commercial traffic. “The SkyWrap solution has enabled this first stage of installation to be deployed quickly at an average rate of between five and nine km per day with minimal disruption to existing power services. This solution was especially outstanding when we crossed a large 1.3km span over the River Niger,” he said. “AFL SkyWrap technology is allowing us to bring secure and reliable high bandwidth data services to many regions of Nigeria where capacity and quality of network services were very limited,” said Aliko Dangote, president and CEO of Dangote Industries. “When completed, the Dancom and Phase 3 network will be part of the only neutral open access national fiber backbone in Nigeria,” he said. In 1984, Alcoa, Inc., joined forces with Fujikura Ltd. of Japan to form Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. Two divisions were created: AFL and AFL Automotive. In 2005, Fujikura Ltd. assumed complete ownership of AFL, which is based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, with operations in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Asia. In 2009, AFL acquired Draka’s OPGW division, and in 2010 it acquired Verrillon, adding specialty optical fiber to its portfolio. It also opened a new fiber optic assembly facility that year in the United Kingdom. ■

Upgrade planned for TWI system Pakistani private submarine fiber optic cable operator Transworld Associates (Pvt.) Ltd. and TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity business, plan to upgrade the TW1 undersea cable system that connects Pakistan, the UAE, and Oman. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. Lightwave reports that the TW1 system spans more than 1,200 km and comprises a two-fiber pair link with an ultimate design capacity of 1.28 Tbps. The upgrade, it said, will provide the option of adding six additional wavelengths, using plug and play technology. The article cited Transworld President Kamran Malik as saying that the upgrade was vital for maintaining reliable broadband services in Pakistan as well as in the Middle East. “This upgrade is indeed a significant step for Transworld, as we are demonstrating again our capabilities to meet expectations for high-quality international connectivity services for our ever demanding Pakistani and Middle Eastern customers.” Transworld was described as a joint venture of Orascom Telecom, Orastar Ltd., and Omzest Group. It was created in the wake of the deregulation of the Pakistani Telecom sector with a mandate to operate the first privately owned submarine fiber-optic cable system between Karachi, Pakistan; Muscat, Oman; and Fujairah, UAE.

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

FASTENER UPDATE

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Cardinal Fastener in Chapter 11, closes then reopens as it seeks help U.S.-based Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and temporarily suspended operations before reopening on a smaller scale. Cleveland.com reports that the Bedford Heights, Ohio, company was forced to close because of financing. It said that in an e-mailed statement, company President John Grabner explained that the voluntary filing was necessary “largely as a result of an impasse in negotiations with Wells Fargo, our primary lender, regarding working capital financing.” The bolt manufacturer had become a supplier to the U.S. and European wind turbine industry in 2007, and made national headlines when it was toured in 2009 by then President-elect Barack Obama, the report said. Grabner said that the company remains profitable on an operating level, but needed more flexible working capital arrangements. The article said that Cardinal had been losing business to European parts makers underbidding Cardinal, which reduced its workforce from 65 a year ago to about 50. Crain’s Cleveland Business reports that the company has reopened with about 20 employees, and that as many as four companies have expressed interest in buying the business, although the owners have indicated that their preference is to secure the financing they need to continue operating the company. The article noted that in 2010, the company was named “Supplier of the Year” by the American Wind Energy Association. Further, two years ago that President Barack Obama visited the company and described it as an example of a U.S. manufacturer lifted by the nation’s increasing development of wind energy. In Cardinal’s Chapter 11 filing, it notes that after that visit, “Cardinal became a national face for American manufacturing and job growth.”

NFDA revises its international focus

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26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The National Fastener Distributors Association’s Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to discontinue the recruitment and inclusion of international fastener distributors and manufacturers as NFDA members. A press release said that the vote reverses a decision made in 2009 to accept international members into the organization. “When the decision was originally made to expand NFDA membership worldwide, the board believed this would be an effective way to unify the international fastener industry toward a common goal,” said Mark Lenhart, Executive Vice President. “But as sourcing of products worldwide has become more commonplace, it is not necessary for the NFDA to provide international businesses access to our membership.” Despite this decision, the NFDA remains committed to growing and helping North American fastener distributors and manufacturers expand their global footprint, the release said. ■

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WAI

NEWS

WAI NEWS

WAI Store adds 2 books With one eye to the future and one on the past, a pair of new books are available in the WAI Store, one an examination of process control in manufacturing, and the other a historical chronicle of the renowned Roebling Company. The Practical Application of the Process Capability Study, by Douglas B. Relyea, delineates the process capability study, a powerful tool for increasing return on investment

from statistical process control/Six Sigma efforts. With easyto-read, step-by-step flow diagrams on how to perform studies and measurement process analyses, the book covers: the benefits of statistical process control over product control; case studies; ways to determine return on investment in process capability studies; and methods to correct lack of stability and capability. Relyea is the founder and senior partner of Quality Principle Associates, a New England-based consulting firm

Volunteer Sp✹tlight This occasional section will provide readers a better idea of what WAI’s committees/board of directors do.

WAI’s Education Committee The Education Committee oversees the creation and implementation of WAI’s technical and educational products and services. The 17-member group organizes courses, workshops, and other presentations for WAI’s annual convention; develops the association’s ongoing series of webinars; and publishes handbooks and instructional DVDs for sale through the WAI Store. The committee meets two or three times a year in person or by conference call. Additional work on specific projects is done by committee members working in smaller, ad hoc groups. “We have to stay dedicated to innovation and strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value,” said Committee Chairman Dale Olp, North American Steel & Wire Inc. “Our goal is to determine the educational needs of the industry at large and do our best to ensure the association is meeting those needs. To do that, we always want to be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Ideally, we don’t just react to what the industry needs, but we get ahead of the curve to create something new.” The committee organizes the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course, a recurring program presented during Interwire and Wire Expo that is constantly being revised to give attendees a grounding in the principles, processes, and products of ferrous, nonferrous, and electrical wire and cable. Originally organized into a three-year rotating cycle, the course has been streamlined and adapted to match the changing face of the annual WAI conference with which it coincides. The committee also developed the Production Solutions series of exhibit-floor demonstrations at Interwire and Wire Expo. These practical “how-to” presentations give exhibitors another way to communicate directly with cus-

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tomers while helping them learn how to improve their own work processes. A little more than two years ago, the group launched WAI’s first-ever series of webinars, which have since grown into an ever-expanding catalog of live and archived Web presentations. A major new benefit, this program is free to all WAI members. “The Education Committee represents a diverse group dedicated to helping the industry share expertise and ideas,” said WAI Director of Education and Member Services Marc Murray, staff liaison to the committee. “There are people in the group from all segments of the industry with all different levels of experience. They make sure every angle gets covered when it comes to giving the industry valuable information, both technical and practical.” Education Committee Chairman: Dale Olp, North American Steel and Wire Inc. Vice Chairman: Ralph Noonan, Etna Products Inc. Peter Blackford, Cable USA Inc. Donald Dodge, Calmont Wire & Cable Joseph Domblesky, Marquette University Mark Garretson, Flynn Garretson Associated Companies C. Richard Gordon, Gerdau Ameristeel William Jarae, Charter Steel Erik Macs, Fine International Corp. Richard Medoff, Ace Metal Inc. Donald Neville, RichardsApex Europe Ltd. Brian Parsons, Southwire Co. Paul Pawlikowski, Delphi Packard Electric Systems Horace Pops, Horace Pops Consulting Inc. Peter Power, Power Innovative Technology Robert Shemenski, RMS Consulting Inc. Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Gerdau Ameristeel

history. The Roebling Company’s diverse product line included wire rope, copper magnet and electrical wire, screens and hardware cloth, air cord and aircraft strand, flat and braided wire, prestressed concrete wire and strand, galvanized bridge wire, and many other products. To maximize quality, the Roeblings started drawing their own wire in the 1850s, rolling bars into their own rods in the 1870s, and making their own steel in the 1900s. The Roeblings designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge and built the great cables on the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. Zink’s 288-page, hard-cover book, published in 2011, is available from the WAI Store for $50 for WAI members and $75 for nonmembers. For more information, or to order online, visit www.wirenet.org/waistore. ■

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WAI NEWS

that specializes in the education and application of data analysis techniques to industrial problem solving. After 20 years in manufacturing engaged in extrusion, die stamping, machining, and molding processes, he formed the consulting company in 1987. He has a degree in manufacturing engineering from Three Rivers Community College in Connecticut and a business degree from Eastern Connecticut State University. He recently presented a successful workshop at WAI’s Interwire 2011 in Atlanta on evolving from product control to process control, touching many of the themes in the book. Relyea’s 135-page, soft-cover book, published in 2011, is available from the WAI Store for $40 for WAI members and $45 for nonmembers. The Roebling Legacy, by Clifford W. Zink, charts the saga of the Roebling Company and shows how wire was the binding thread through 125 years of family and industrial

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER Midwest Chapter: another good golf tournament at St. Andrews course Early day thunderstorms gave way to what turned out to be a great day for golf for the WAI’s Midwest Chapter, which returned Monday, June 20, to the St. Andrews Golf & Country Club, West Chicago, Illinois, for its 9th Annual Golf Tournament. “We had a great outing,” said event organizer Kevin Sopczak, director of marketing and sales for Shaped Wire/Leggett & Platt. A total of 63 players took part, with the winning team of Vincent Griffin and Ron Finton, both of Premier Wire Die, and Jeff Lemon and Paul Zollinger, both of BAE Systems, taking top honors for the best ball scramble. The team shot a very respectable 63, 9 under par, for the best ball contest. Other winners included: closest-to-the-pin (3 winners) Shane Tirey, Fort Wayne Metals; Gene Finley and Tony Katauskas, JOMB; and long drive, Jeff Lemon, BAE Systems. The event also supported the chapter’s scholarship fund, which began in 2008 in conjunction with The Wire Foundation Inc., and has awarded two $1,000 scholarships in each of the past three years. Corporate Hole sponsors for the event included: ACME Refining, D&S Wire, Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne Wire Die, Krueger Steel & Wire, Premier Wire Die and Worth Steel and Machinery. Closest to the Pin sponsors included A-1 Wire, ACME Refining and Premier Wire.

until Aug. 12 at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, 225 Slater Street, Manchester, Connecticut, for $119 per night. Call 860-533-8484 to make reservations and mention that you are with the WAI New England Chapter. The tournament and raffle also help the chapter’s scholarship fund provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors who are children or dependents of WAI New England Chapter members in good standing. The program is operated in conjunction with The Wire Foundation, and has awarded $13,000 in college scholarships since 2006. For more information, contact Mike McKee at tel. 978365-5700, mikem@lloydbouvier.com and/or John Rivers at tel. 860-896-4761, johnr@dms-inc.com; or WAI’s Anna Bzowski at tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 126.

New England Chapter looks to repeat huge field for Sept. 12 golf tourney

Southeast Chapter to honor its late president at 2011 golf tourney

Organizers of the New England Chapter’s annual golf outing hope that they will see yet another impressive player turnouts when its 17th Annual Golf Tournament is held at a new location, the Ellington Ridge Country Club (ERCC) in Ellington, Connecticut, on Monday, Sept. 12. “We’re expecting that this will be another great day for golf and the chapter,” said Mike McKee, Lloyd & Bouvier, who is co-chairing the event with John Rivers, Delaware Marketing Services. He noted that the new course should make this year’s tourney that much more interesting. Wherever it is held, the New England Chapter golf outing is well attended, with serious interest in the bragging rights that are up for grabs. Last year, the team of Dick Palmer, Ron Reed, Scott Reed and Al Divincenzo won the tourney, which saw some 140 players take part. Check-in is 8:15 am, with a continental breakfast and warm-up (the driving range will be open). Play starts at 9:30 am, and the $140 registration fee includes the breakfast, greens fees, cart, skills contests, driving range, reception and awards dinner. The registration deadline for golf is Sept. 2, and company sponsorships are still available. A block of rooms for Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 is being held

The WAI’s Southeast Chapter has given a new name and purpose to its 2011 golf tournament to honor Stephen Vannais, the former chapter president who died earlier this year in a plane crash. The official name of the chapter’s Oct. 13 golf tournament at the Rock Barn Golf & Spa, Conover, North Carolina,

30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

A view of the Ellington Ridge Country Club course, host to the New England Chapter’s Sept. 12 golf tourney.

At the 2010 Southeast tourney, CommScope’s team of (l-r) Paul McConnell, Bob Gildea, Brian Yount and Brian Deese won with a blistering score of 55, 17 under par.

Art Deming serving as president of the WAI’s Southeast Chapter Art Deming, senior manufacturing engineer, Nexans BerkTek Electronics Cable., has taken over as president of the WAI’s Southeast Chapter, replacing the late Steve Vannais, who died in a Jan. 5 plane crash. Deming, who had known Vannais for 15 plus years, said that he volunteered to help the chapter out by taking on the responsibility of president. “I wanted to help the Southeast chapter move forward after the loss of Steve and help pay tribute to his memory,” he said. “The Southeast Chapter has a good Art Deming following and I wanted to help promote the WAI and possibly target some webinar topics on safety in the next year.” Deming has 31 years of industry experience, including 13 years at Amphenol Spectra Strip, four years at NokiaMaillefer, two years at Superior Telecommunications, two years at Rosendahl/Knill Group, four years at Nextrom, one year at Lake Cable and six years at Nexans. ■

AUGUST 2011 | 31

CHAPTER CORNER

is now the 10th Annual Golf Tournament: The Vannais. Further, the event will also serve as a scholarship fundraiser for Eric Vannais, the son of the late Steve Vannais. Steve’s widow, Beth, who has helped out on the golf tourney before, will be there again this year, working with Tulsa Power’s Tim McElhany, who used to co-organize the annual golf tournament with Vannais. “Steve did a lot for both the chapter and the industry, and we’re hoping that we’ll get donations from members of other WAI chapters and the industry at large as a way of showing respect for his contributions,” McElhany said. Helping him is the chapter’s new president, Art Deming, senior manufacturing engineer, Nexans Berk-Tek Electronics Cable. Check in for the tourney is at 11 am and play starts at 11:30 am. The $130 fee includes a box lunch, the skill events (the $10,000 Hole-in-One, Long Drive, Closest-tothe-Pin and most Accurate Drive) and the barbecue dinner and raffle start at 5 pm. The chapter would appreciate donations for the raffle, McElhany said. He noted that a range of sponsorship opportunities are available for companies. Individuals and companies that wish to contribute to the Vannais fund can contact Tim McElhany at tel. 864-2236146 or tmcehany@tulsapower.com, Art Deming at tel. 252-236-6226, art.deming@nexans.com or WAI’s Steve Fetteroll at tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 115, sfetteroll@wirenet.org.

WIRE LINK REPORT

2011 Wire Link Scholar Report structure in the world. Completed in 1974, it required 76,000 tons of steel, 72,000 cubic yards of concrete and 17,500 tons of mechanical equipment as well as 2,000 miles of electrical wire. I took an elevator to the Skydeck, an observation deck on the 103rd floor, and in a less than a minute I was 412 m above ground level, and able to step on one of the glass balconies that extend four feet away from the building. While not a mountaintop, the cityscape view was majestic in an urban way, and I was able to minutes later just take the elevator back down and prepare for my industry trek. My trip began the next morning as I headed to Krueger Steel and Wire in nearby Elmhurst. The drive wasn’t long but this was my first experience driving on the wrong side of the road. I edged out slowly onto a busy five-lane city street, tightly gripping the steering wheel. A short time later I arrived there safely and was met by David Gillespe, vice president of operations. The company, founded in 1946, is family-owned and operated, and employees worked together as a team. For instance, I came across a group of operators that huddled to troubleshoot an issue with one of the drawing lines. I was also impressed by the degree of effort that On April 23, I flew into Chicago and headed downtown, was put in to ensure that each coil is tracked and clearly where I was stunned by huge skyscrapers. Until you see identified through the process. them in the flesh, it is difficult to comprehend the sheer size Tom Parker took me on the tour of the plant, where I saw of these buildings, and even more amazing when, while still everything from goods receipt to finished drawn wire. Tom recovering from jet lag, I went on a short tour of the “Willis was obviously very experienced, and at some point had Tower” (formerly known as the Sears Tower). This 108worked in all areas story, 1451-ft (442 m) skyscraper of the plant. He now is the tallest building in the U.S. works in the die and the fifth tallest free-standing servicing department. He explained the different designs and the importance Chris Barker, operations of maintaining a manager for Tata Steel’s U.K. rod good die condition to mill in Scunthorpe, North allow for a quality Lincolnshire, was the 2011 Wire product to be proLink Scholar. The award, offered in duced at the end of alternate years to a U.K. and the line. In about an American professional in the wire hour, I saw how a and cable industry, provides a tworelatively small operweek, all-expenses-paid opportuni- Chris Barker, l, with Adcom Wire Plant Manager Steve ation (30 employees) ty to visit and learn about the Riley and Wire Foundation President John Drummond. can be competitive industry on the other side of the by focusing on all Atlantic. The scholarship was creparts of the process and ensuring it was done right the first ated by the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate time. Workers alias Wire Workers in the U.K. and the That afternoon, I made a short drive to the east of Chicago Wire Association International in America. As for a tour of the ArcelorMittal strip mill. I met up with my the 2011 U.K. representative, Barker toured guides, David Price, senior research engineer, and Dane companies along the east coast of the U.S., Armendariz, a WAI Past President, at the research departand attended Interwire 2011 in Atlanta. ment, and from there we made a short drive to the strip mill. It was my first experience inside a working strip mill, and it

By Chris Barker

32 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

AUGUST 2011 | 33

WIRE LINK REPORT

around the wire. This process was done on one of the jacketwas interesting to see how the design of a strip mill differs ing lines. The individual wires are coiled on reels ready for from a rod/wire mill. The biggest difference I saw was that use in the next part of the process. Wires are grouped togeththe mill stands were far bigger than those for a rod mill, and er to form the three core industrial cables used in a housethat the product travels vertically through the process in hold environment. First, the wires are stranded together and many places, which allows for a much smaller mill footprint. go through a detection system to check for defects in the My next destination was in Indiana. I arrived at the Fort plastic PVC. A thin paper is placed around the wires before Wayne Airport, where I met up with John Drummond. John, they get a protective PVC coating. The PVC color depends also a WAI Past President, who was my host for the remainon regulations/resistance. The cable then goes through an der of my trip. We travelled to Fort Wayne Wire Die identification process, and is embossed with its cable grade (FWWD), where we met our tour guide, Sales Manager per regulations. High-speed inkjet also John Dabbelt, who took me through includes similar information as well as die theory. He explained the five internal information, such as time, date major functions of the die as well as and operator. The plant was very autothe different materials used to make mated, and trials were underway on a them, from carbide to natural dianew packaging line that shrink-wraps, mond. I was particularly interested weighs, boxes and seals. how they use X-ray orientation to From Indiana, it was a short drive to mount the diamond in the correct orithe state of Kentucky, my destination entation in the die casing to ensure for the next three plant tours. Prior to precise profiling, accurate hole sizing visiting the plants though, John and increased wearability. FWWD Drummond dropped in at the Louisville also assesses used dies for wear patSlugger Bat Plant – home of the baseterns. The type of wear pattern, John ball bat! We took a short tour of the explained, can tell you a lot about a facility, which have been perfecting wiredrawing process, such as the baseball bats for over 125 years. A alignment and whether the correct miniature sized slugger bat was given reduction angle is being used. out to every tour member, and mine is Fort Wayne Metals was my final now on display in my son’s bedroom. visit of the day, and my host was The first plant tour in Kentucky was Engineering Manager Patrick Sheean. Chris Barker at Cerro Wire with Beneke Wire, which manufactures The company produces ultra fine Manufacturing Director Kurt high-quality aluminum wire and rod. wires for the medical industry. These Breischaft, a past Wire Link Founded in 1968 by Charles J. Beneke, wires, finer than a human hair, are Scholar. the company produces drawn wire and used to produce strand/cables for cold finished rod in aluminum alloys, orthopaedic cables, spinal cable sysboth heat and non-heat treatable, in fintems and catheters. I was struck by ished coil or straight lengths. My hosts were Michael how clean the facility was, which makes sense when you Beneke and Kenneth Downs. It was apparent from the consider that most of their products are used in the medical minute I stepped into their plant that this place embodied a industry; it wasn’t a surprise how ultra clean the facility was. family atmosphere. The Beneke family, which owns and I was told that women were employed in certain areas of the runs the business, seemed to have an excellent relationship plant because their hands are better suited than those of most with staff, and that was reflected in the workplace. men for working with such fine wires. I was particularly Aluminum can make for a dirty process, yet I didn’t get that impressed with one product, Nitinol, a nickel-titanium medsense walking round the facility. I also learned that the role ical grade that can be deformed at room temperature but of operators is different than for steel as the alumium drawwith only a small increase in temperature will return to its ing process is slower, which enables the operator to visually original shape. This is highly useful when a wire needs to be check the product as it passes through each stage of the inserted during an operation, but then has to return to origiprocess. On another topic, one question I asked at my plant nal shape once in the human body. tours was how problematic it was to get customers to return My final visit of Indiana took me to Crothersville and coil carriers, and most of the responses pegged that at Cerro Wire LLC, a manufacturer of copper electrical buildbetween 10-15%. I was told that Beneke Wire helped design ing wire and cable. The company supplies both residential a coil carrier for small lightweight products that has helped wire for interior electrical wiring in homes, apartments, and provide them substantial cost savings. manufactured housing, and building wire for commercial Adcom Wire Co. in Nicholasville was my next stop in and industrial buildings. My host was Kurt Breischaft, himKentucky. The ride there took us through what John called self a former U.S. Wire Link scholar, who shared his experi“Horse Country,” which made sense as we passed miles and ences of his trip to the U.K. Having never seen a copper miles of perimeter fencing from the horse stables/ranches. wiredrawing process, I was intrigued as to how all the wires This part of Kentucky was very green and picturesque. We came together and how the plastic insulation was formed

Everything I needed to know about networking I learned at Wire Expo. Q: Why did you join WAI? A: For several reasons including Wire Journal, WJI Reference Guide, and great networking opportunities within the industry.

Q: How did you get involved in the wire industry? A: My company, Sumitomo Electric supplies raw materials— PCD, Single Crystal Diamonds—to the wire industry.

Q: What would you be doing if you hadn’t gotten involved in the wire industry? A: I would probably be working at Lowe’s® Home Improvement. Q: If you were to nominate yourself for an award, what would it be for? A: The Cleanest Office Desk Award. Q: Where would you most like to visit? A: Antarctica would be a cool place to say you have been.

Aaron Nolan Sales Engineer | Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc. Member Since: 2005

Q: What can you help people learn more about? A: The use of industrial diamonds for all applications, not just limited to the wire industry.

Q: Who was your mentor? A: My role model was my father. He showed me through hard

Meet Aaron Nolan. One of WAI’s worldwide members. One compelling story.

work that you can achieve anything. Also that life can be tough at times; it’s how you respond during those difficult times that shows your true character.

Who is this mysterious gem? He’s an über-cool contact who knows—really understands—industrial diamonds. A cut above, he reinvented the 4 C’s favoring Career, Character, Charisma, and Customers.

Q: What do you do for leisure? A: When I’m not working you can find me hitting the links golfing.

His dream destination—far beyond cool—also cuts a lot of ice. Handy and bright, when Aaron decided to ‘build something together,’ we’re thrilled he chose WAI’s network over home improvement.

Q: What is something almost no one knows about you? A: I don’t like chocolate. Q: What is your favorite Interwire or Wire Expo memory? A: Learning the tricks of the networking trade through late-night hospitality suite jumping at Wire Expo 2006.

Hard Work | Clean Fun | Dream Big | Build Character | Get Involved | Carry On | Network | Shine He’s Mr. Clean. He works hard. And he can achieve anything. Abrasive? No. He’s sweet. But he doesn’t like chocolate. So how can this city-flitting, golfclub-swinging, single know so much about diamonds and networking and still dodge Cupid? Could it be that an industrial strength diamond, like honorable character, is forever and ever?

Q: What is your best wire industry related travel story? A: It involved missing my flight in Philadelphia only to fly to New York, Pittsburgh, and D.C. to finally catch a plane back home to Columbus.

Q: What do you like about the wire industry? A: I like being in the wire industry because of the great people who care about the industry. Good golf outings, too!

We found him on WAI’s Facebook page. You can too.

MNEMONIC TIP: AARON NOLAN. ICE BREAKER. DEAL MAKER.

Q: What is your greatest accomplishment? A: Graduating college. No marriage or kids, yet...

Meet your peers. Achieve your goals. Join WAI’s community at www.wirenet.org. The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

AUGUST 2011 | 35

WIRE LINK REPORT

ferrous sulphate production to a “Scanocon” system, which arrived at Adcom Wire and were met by Plant Manager uses a high density resin bead media. The media attracts the Steve Riley, who showed us around the wiredrawing facility. iron and removes it from the acid. Iron rich slurry is formed The majority of the production is high-carbon spring wire and pressed and sold for water treatment for the removal of drawn from 5.5 mm and 6.5 mm rod, most of which is acidalgae. The system allows them to pickle the required coils descaled. Adcom has a facility where the company can for production in 40% less time than before. reclaim the acid by removing the iron out and creating an We then left for Chattanooga, where we stayed at the iron sulphate solution. The pH of the reclaimed acid is Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel, a nearly century-old former checked once per shift and topped up accordingly. terminal station that has been renovated into a hotel comWe departed for Tennessee, but to break up the 200-mile plex. Staying in one of the beautiful restored Victorian train drive we stopped at the Corvette Museum to see America’s cars was like stepping back in history favorite sports car. There was a huge to the early 1900s, except these train selection of past and current cars, cars had all mod cons such as WiFi most of whose owners have allowed and flat screen television! From here, the museum to display them. The all we left for Atlanta, Georgia, the host time classics and rare collectible to Interwire 2011. This was the largest models included a 1963 “split-wintrade show I have ever been to, and I dow” coupe, and gleaming “Sting was impressed with the number of Rays” in show room condition. exhibits. Most of them were not The first wiredrawing facility we directly involved with rod production, visited in Tennessee was the Dickson my niche, but it reminded me again plant of Sumiden Wire Products just how vast is the scope of the wire Corporation (SWPC), where we and cable industry. One stop I made were greeted by General Manager was to the Foerster Instruments booth, Brian Burr. The plant has a stainless as our testing department is looking steel and PC strand facility. The for off-line surface inspection equipmajority of production from the ment. The staff there explained the difstainless facility goes into spring Chris Barker with Sumiden Wire ferent systems available and made applications, some of which go into Products Corp. General Manager several suggestions that I planned to the automotive industry. The stainBrian Burr and WAI’s John Drummond. present back at work. I also attended less is either soap coated or nickel the WAI’s Fundamentals of Wire & coated. The nickel coating, which Cable Manufacturing Course, which was quite helpful to was patented by Sumiden’s parent company Sumitomo someone like myself who is in the industry, but has little Electric Industries (SEI), has a number of advantages over wiredrawing knowledge, to better understand process basics soap coated as the wire does not need additional lubrication such as wiredrawing equipment, dies, testing and properties, prior to coiling and because the lubrication is uniform it and heat treatment. I also attended WAI’s awards ceremony, helps to produce springs of tight tolerance. In-line eddy curwhere I received a plaque to commemorate the 2011 rent systems inspect the wire surface during the drawing Travelling Scholarship. Another highlight was the WAI’s process, and any coils showing excessive defects are quaranreception at the Omni Hotel Atrium, which was packed with tined and re-worked or scrapped if necessary. The PC strand people from all aspects of the industry, both manufacturers facility produces drawn stranded wire for bridge and buildand suppliers. The crowd included company owners, sales ing applications that can either be coated in an epoxy resin people and a wide range of plant staffers, and everyone or supplied uncoated. The coated stranded wire is not susseemed to be having a very good time. ceptible to contamination, and the resin is put on in such a During my time in Atlanta, I made one more plant visit, way that each strand is individually coated, so if one strand and that was to the Kia Motoring facility at West Point, gets damaged the other strands within the cable are not Georgia. This facility has a capacity of nearly 300,000 units affected. per year, and as I expected, it embodied the concept of Lean My next visit, to Mid-South Wire, was quite a memorable Manufacturing, with everything planned “just in time.” occasion, but even more so for the employees and their famiDuring the assembly stage, the main body of the car travels lies. The day we visited the plant, employees were celebratalong what seems to be hundreds of different assembly ing the reopening of the plant, which had been flooded last points, the three-hour process epitomizing automation and year when the banks of the Cumberland River burst and planning at its best! destroyed much of the plant. The company draws low- to My final trip in America took me to the Bekaert plant in medium-carbon rod down to less than 2 mm and offers it Rome, Georgia. I was particularly looking forward to this with a galvanized coating in a range of wire sizes for end use tour as they are a regular customer of our rod mill. I met applications such as fan guards, oven racks and bucket hanPlant Manager Gary Downey, and we discussed different dles. Our host, General Manager Andy Talbot explained all issues. It was encouraging to hear that they regarded our aspects of their facility and went into detail regarding the product very highly and that it was as good if not better than acid management system, which changed from the familiar

WIRE LINK REPORT

other suppliers of similar material. I went on a short tour around the facility and got to see some of our material being processed, with no problems I might add! When I look back at my trip, I now have a better feel for just how expansive the wire and cable industry is. Wire rod production, my niche, is vital, yet it is but a small slice of the industry as a whole, I never appreciated how many other pieces of the “jig saw” exist, and that includes in terms of the types of challenges that companies elsewhere face, the way they respond, the decisions they have to make about their future and how vital the employees are in making positive change happen. For me, the twoweek experience was a multi-source education that no other opportunity could have provided. I can hardly believe that the trip was only two weeks in length. I believe it gave me a A more formal photo of Chris perspective of the Barker, here at the U.K. award industry that other- ceremony. wise would have taken many, many years. My travels, some 800 miles worth, took me to a cross section of a dozen wire and cable companies in four states. During those visits, I was able to pick up new concepts, such as visual management in and around equipment, routine checks, current safety issues as well as production/maintenance matters that I hope to apply to Tata Steel. I found the people I met to be very friendly and helpful, and it made me proud to be part of the “industry fold.” I would like to thank the two groups that created the program, The Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers (Wire Workers) and the WAI; the Wire Foundation and Metskill Academy, both sponsors; and Darryl Lomas from Metskill Academy and Bev Page from the Wire Workers for their invaluable support. Also, the following people for their time and Want to be a hospitality at the Wire Link Scholar? facilities I toured: The WAI is accepting applications David Gillespie at for the 2012 WireLink Scholar. Krueger & Co., Candidates must be under 35 years of Dane Armendariz age, have been employed in the industry for more than three years, be able to and David Price travel to Europe for the two weeks in at ArcelorMittal, March 2012, and at the time of appliJohn Dabbelt at cation be a member of WAI. For more Fort Wayne Wire details, send an e-mail to WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll Die, Patrick at sfetteroll@wirenet.org. Sheean at Fort 36 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Wayne Metals, Kurt Breischaft at Cerro Wire, Michael Beneke and Ken Downs at Beneke Wire, Steve Reilly at Adcom Wire, Brian Burr and Jon Cornelius at Sumiden Wire, Andy Talbot at Mid-South Wire, Patrick Sands at Kia Motors and Gary Downey at Bekaert’s Rome plant. I’d also like to commend John Drummond and WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll for the flawless logistics, in arranging 12 facility tours, Interwire 2011 and a few tourist attractions in only 14 days. A special thanks must go to Drummond, who was my host for much of the trip and was superb at explaining some of what I had seen. And finally, I want to thank my employer, Tata Steel, for allowing me to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I fully believe this experience will both assist me in my career and in how much I can contribute to the company. Thoughts from a past Wire Link Scholar Below are observations from Peter Funk, process engineer, Talley Metals Technology, the 2010 Wire Link Scholar. My experience as a Wire Link Scholar last year provided me with a mixture of education and adventure. The knowledge that I acquired through my experience manifests itself daily, both in my professional and personal Peter Funk at wire Düsseldorf with life. Most of the WAI Executive Director Steve experiences during Fetteroll. my trip to Europe presented me with the occasion to gain boundless knowledge through observation and discussion. However, the trip also bestowed upon me some less obvious benefits that will prove to be invaluable in the course of my career. Through my experiences at wire Düsseldorf and during my several plant tours in England, I was able to observe solutions to common industrial challenges. The two examples being battery-operated wire cutters, which are reducing the need for bolt cutters on the shop floor without the headaches of cords and hoses of other powered cutters, and the roll-out of an advanced operator training course that was inspired by my observations at Chorus ACP. The hidden value of receiving this award is in the networking potential that it generates. For someone who is relatively new to the industry, the exchange of knowledge and information shared between colleagues can often be very onesided. My experience as a Wire Link Scholar has given me something to share with my fellow WAI members. This past year also put me in close contact with a several very active and motivated WAI members. Their work demonstrated to me the value of involvement within the association, and inspired me to volunteer for committees and become more involved with my local chapter. ■

CABWIRE PREVIEW

C ABWIRE PREVIEW

Following successful technical conferences put on in Stresa, Prague, Bologna and Istanbul, the organizers, four industry associations, are being joined for the first time by a fifth association, to stage CabWire World Conference 2011 at the Congress Center Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany. The international technical conference will be held Monday, Nov. 7, with plant tours offered on Tuesday, Nov. 8, made possible by four industry associations: Italy’s ACIMAF (Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine per Filo), France’s CET (Comité Européen de

la Tréfilerie), the U.K.’s IWMA (International Wire & Machinery Association) and U.S.’s WAI (Wire Association International). Joining the organizers for the first time is IWCEA (the International Wire & Cable Exhibitors Association), which is composed of members of IWCEA France, VÖDKM (Austria) and VDKM (Germany), and furthers the interests of exhibitors at industry exhibitions. See p. 40. “There is every indication that CabWire is going to be an outstanding event. There were even delegate bookings being made before publication of the official brochure!

Congress Center The above view, which shows the host location, the Congress Center Düsseldorf, should be a familiar sight to visitors to the biennial wire Düsseldorf trade show at the Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds. 38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

CABWIRE PREVIEW

The unique feature of CabWire that stands it apart from other conferences is the level of very active cooperation between the joint organisers, all of whom have made considerable contributions to the planning, content and structure of the event,â&#x20AC;? said IWMA Executive Secretary Phillip Knight. The conference will feature a panel of both ferrous and nonferrous expert speakers on Monday, Nov. 7. Tabletop exhibits will be open throughout the conference session times, including the reception at the end of the day, and a limited number of tabletop positions were still available as of press time. The event, which is being put on concurrently with a tube event, will also offer two plant tours (Leoni Kerpen GmbH in Stolberg and Drahtwerk KĂśln in Cologne) on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The Leoni plant manufactures highly sophisticated copper and fiber optic cables and cabling systems for information technology. The Drahtwerke plant produces prestressing steel wires and strands; spring steel wires; steel wire rope; wires and strands for rope bridges; and wire for the cable industry. The program promises to be of much value to attendees, focusing on issues that affect producers in many countries. The collective technical presentations, as well as the market overviews and projections, respond to the vital needs that exist today to either improve or replace out-dated processes with new, greener technology. In addition to the organizers, the sponsors for CabWire include: the IWMA Educational Trust Fund (main sponsor); Niehoff Maschinenfabrik GmbH; Spring Tooling Ltd.; Messe DĂźsseldorf; Locton Ltd.; Rosendahl Maschinen; and XL Technologies Ltd. The IWMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Educational Trust Fund, it should be noted, is providing up to 12 free registrations to students engaged in study or research in the wire and cable sectors. At press time, rooms that had been secured for the conference were still available at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, 1.5 km away. To get the special attendee rate at the Radisson, delegates must book using the designated form downloadable from the conference website. The event promises to offer excellent networking opportunities as well as a return to a location that the wire and cable industry knows quite well. For the latest information, including prices for lodging and contact information and reserving a tabletop, go to the event website at www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com.

The 2009 ITC conference put on in Istanbul, Turkey, by IWMA, CET, ACIMAF and WAI, offered attendees both ferrous and nonferrous sessions.

CabWire Schedule Events at Congress Center DĂźsseldorf unless noted otherwise Monday, November 7, 2011 8:30 am - 11:00 am Registration open 8:30 am - 6:30 pm Tabletop Exhibition open 9:45 am - 12:15 pm Nonferrous program, R. 17 9:50 am - 12:15 pm Ferrous program, R. 16. 12:15 pm - 1:05 pm Lunch 1:05 pm - 2:45 pm Both programs continue 2:45 pm - 3:05 pm Break 3:05 pm - 5:45 pm Nonferrous program, R. 17 3:05 pm - 5:20 pm Ferrous program, R. 16. 5:45 pm - 6:30 pm Reception, hosted by Locton Ltd. and Spring Tooling Ltd. Tuesday, November 8, 2011 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Plant tours (Leoni Kerpen GmbH and Drahtwerk Koln in Cologne). Attendees leave from Congress Center DĂźsseldorf and return approximately 1 pm. Note: schedule is subject to change.

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AUGUST 2011 | 39

CABWIRE PREVIEW

Technical Papers Monday, Nov. 7 Nonferrous program 9:45 am - 10:10 am Keynote speaker An overview of the global cables market, Philip Radbourne, principal, Integer Research, U.K. This presentation, which will provide an overview of the current global market for cables, will focus on key trends, market drivers and technology demands and provide projections for future market direction. Topics covered will include the impact of renewables on smart grid investment, the recent developments of smart phone bandwidth demand on the cable sector and the impact of

high copper prices on the use of aluminum across the cable sector.

Latest technology for stranding and insulation of standard and special cables 10:10 am - 10:35 am “Double-twist stranding lines,” S. Gorgels, Niehoff, Germany. Abstract not available at press time. 10:35 am - 11:00 am: break 11:00 am - 11:25 am “Foaming of fluorpolymers,” G. Hofer, Rosendahl Maschinen, Austria. For a number of new applications such as mobile phones, LED displays, medical probes, micro-sized wires

IWCEA JOINS LIST OF ORGANIZERS FOR CABWIRE The International Wire and Cable Exhibitors Association (IWCEA), which represents the interests of European exhibitors at trade shows, is a sponsor to CabWire World Conference 2011. IWCEA President Heinz Rockenhauser, who is also president of Germany’s Niehoff GmbH, explained why his organization is taking part in the event. WJI: IWCEA is best known for its role in established trade shows, such as wire Düsseldorf: why is it supporting a technical event that will not draw thousands of attendees and will have only a modest tabletop display? Rockenhauser: There is definitely value to be found for IWCEA members at such conferences as CabWire. A technical conference offers the possibility for a wide range of intensive discussions between participants and experts, whereas at trade shows the discussions are much more focused on individual projects. For example, at a technical conference where attendees are seeking more knowledge about technical aspects, suppliers can give specific answers about the benefits and values for technology for a wide range of areas, such as changes in energy resources and green technologies, to new products and processes to produce and distribute energy from wind farms and solar panels, to what will be needed to manage a future with more electrically powered vehicles. Such discussions can further talks that lead to decisions that may be finalized at the trade shows. No doubt, IWCEA’s main interest will extend to further support the wire Düsseldorf trade show as it is the leading exhibition in our industry, and suppliers use it and other trade events to present their latest developments, collect new enquiries, discuss running projects and hopefully reach successful sales talks.

IWCEA President Heinz Rockenhauser.

WJI: Why should companies send representatives to a technical event? Is it more a matter of supporting such efforts because it’s good for the industry, or because it should provide value or is it a combination of the two? Rockenhauser: The CabWire Conference offers a wide choice of technical topics, and I am sure that nearly everybody in the wire and cable industry will find attractive presentations and answers to specific questions. The event is supported by high-ranking industry representatives of our industry, and includes keynote speeches and market developments. At the end, everybody taking part should get useful answers and gain additional know-how, helping him or her in daily business. There is also the possibility of going on one of the two tours, Drahtwerk’s steel plant in CologneMülheim and the Leoni Kerpen cable plant in Stolberg. I am sure this combination gives good value for money to attract management staff and experts from a lot of wire and cable companies. Beyond the above reasons, there are the intangibles that come with attending an industry event. It is good to be able to able to exchange experiences with your peers in the wire and cable industry, but you may also be able to make a new contact that leads to a new customer or partner. 40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

11:25 am - 11:50 am “Advanced technology in wire and cable manufacturing,” R. Tarantino, SAMP S.p.A./SAMPSISTEMI Division, Italy. Several processes are involved in wire and cable manufacturing. Among them, drawing, bunching, insulation and sheathing are most common. In all these processes, SAMPSISTEMI has improved the existing technology with the help of continuous research and innovative solutions. Some of them, to name just a few, include: rod breakdown machines with multi-motor gearless lines and with dedicated motors; multi-wire drawing lines in which transmission configuration optimises energy consumption and slipment; compact

bunching machines with a self-suporting frame; and a new generation of gearboxes for high-efficiency and reliable extruder drives. 11:50 am - 12:15 pm “Extended quality control of cable insulation by colour measurement during extrusion,” Dr. H. Scheid, Siebe Engineering, Germany. In order to get better quality information during extrusion of color coded cable insulation, Siebe has developed a new system that can detect color faults, even with small geometry and fast-running lines. The accuracy has been tested and found to be the same or better than the human eye and reproduceable results have been measured with single color and with stripe-coded cable types for automotive applications. 12:15 om - 1:05 pm: lunch 1:05 pm - 1:30 pm Keynote speaker New developments and trends in automotive wires, Dr. K. Probst, Leoni, Germany. Increased environmental and safety requirements combined with the customer preference for full comfort

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CABWIRE PREVIEW

with special insulation are required. To meet size requirements and electrical performance this insulation needs to be foamed. For mechanical, thermal and electrical purposes, fluorpolymers such as FEP or PFA are mainly used in this area. This paper describes the state-of-the-art process equipment and the required auxiliaries and process conditions for manufacturing highly expanded fluorpolymer insulated LAN-, miniand micro-coaxial-cable with special consideration of equipment design, tool design and material properties.

CABWIRE PREVIEW

configuration and additional features will be a technnical challenge for OEMs as well as suppliers. The next generation of EU specifications, which are still under discussioon, will move the automotive industry into a new generation of extraordinary “clean” cars. The technological effort to fulfil these requirements is enormous. Both electromobility as well as engine improvement will be a key factor. Engine management will require strictly controlled exhaust gas emissions. The cable industry will support these technologies with special sensor cables for a wide range of exhaust gas sensors and onboard controls. Additionally, the minituarization of cables by conductor size reduction and cable downsizing will support the overall efficiency thanks to the weight reduction of wiring system components. The cable industry has significantly increased its efforts to develop weight reduction designs and electromobility solutions. Features such as top view/area view, parking assist and driver-assist systems are aimed at satisfying the customers’ growing desire for a higher level of comfort and safety. Leoni data cables define new standards for digital data transfers. 1:30 pm - 1:55 pm “Production of PV ribbon for photovoltaic panels: overview of product specifications and comparison of production processes,” I. Rogelj, Plasmait, Austria. The market of renewable energy has been a subject of considerable investment and fast growth in recent years. The solor or photovoltaic market has been no exception. Annual growth rates of 30+% are likely to continue. This means exciting years to come for PV ribbon production. This paper provides an overview and outlook for the PV ribbon market and its drivers. 1:55 pm - 2:20 pm “Latest measuring and control technology for high-voltage cable production,” H. Prunk, Sikora, Germany. Abstract not available at press time. 2:20 pm - 2:25 pm “Latest developments in cable design technology,” A. Shehab, Cimteq, U.K. Innovation in cable design technology has been driven recently by several factors, but the main influence is demands from the customers of cable manufacturers. The key factor is the ability of the manufacturer to deliver consistent product and service quality at a low price. The different types of cable design technologies in use and the choices facing the cable manufacturer will be discussed. It will be shown how technology used in combination with modernizing the cable design process can yield massive transformation and provide a solid platform for dramatic improvement through automation. 2:45 pm - 3:05 pm: break

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Advances in optical fibre coating and cable construction equipment 3:05 pm - 3:30 pm “Energy saving,” B. Lohmueller, Niehoff, Germany. Abstract not available at press time. 3:30 pm - 3:55 pm “Latest technology for optical fibre coating and identification,” K. Descovich, Medek & Schörner, Austria. Optical fibres are usually colour coded with UV curable inks. Special high intensity UV irradiators today allow processing speeds of 3000 m/min. For additional identification in multi-fibre applications the fibres can also be marked with colour rings by a special high-speed adapted ink-jet printer which allows processing speeds up to 1000 m/min. The ringmarks are usually applied on the uncoloured fibre and then covered by the colour layer which is transparent enough to allow the ringmarks to be easily distinguished, making them completely resistant to abrasion. A wide field of applications can be covered today by the UV resin coating technology which turned out to offer a number of advantages against extrusion or lamination due to its low pressure and temperature level and high processing speed: Multifibre ribbons or tight buffered compact fibre units (CFU) as well as extremely finely structured flexible cables (Micro Flat Flexible Cables, μFFC) with conductors down to a diameter of 50μm, where the high pressure in extruder heads would not allow the geometry of the structure to be maintained at the usually high precision level. 3:55 pm - 4:20 pm “Integrated solution for PV ribbon application which comprises cold rolling mill, cleaning unit and induction annealer,” S. Nixdorf, Buhler Würz Kaltwalztechnik GmbH, Germany. Due to the steady increase of green energy, and especially solar energy, efficient and reliable manufacturing process of solar panels and its components is of utmost importance. Hence, the conductor ribbon has to fulfill several requirements, like preciseness and softness and the manufacturing process has to be as efficient as possible. Buhler Würz Kaltwalztechnik and Niehoff GmbH have established a solution which provides a sophisticated technology combined with an achievable production volume which is unrivaled worldwide. The application covers the whole range of required dimensions, keeps strongest tolerances in the micron range, meets a yield strength of max. 80 Mpa and reaches a production quantity which is five times higher than other processes which are in use. 4:20 pm - 4:30 pm: break

CABWIRE PREVIEW

4:30 pm - 4:55 pm “Metal tape forming and welding line for MV, HV and EHV power cables,” E. Altmann, Rosendahl Maschinen, Austria. It has long been popular to cover MV, HV and EHV cables with extruded lead or aluminum or with longitudinally applied glued AI/PE tapes. Based on the growing market demand for alternative solutions to those technologies, Rosendahl Austria decided to enter this segment of power cable manufacturing. Its RN-W system makes it possible to produce cables with better properties, like increased mechanical stability, water and/or gas tightness, high pressure resistance, lower weights, smaller dimensions and short current resistance. This technology is also more environmentally friendly and flexible. 4:55 pm - 5:20 pm “Achieving optimal economy in the production of wire and cables by perfectly produced and reconditioned drawing die tools,” Dr. K. Eder, Eder Engineering GmbH, Austria. Quality always has a certain price. This is not without truth for the wire and cable industry, particularly in times of globalization. This paper will underline the importance of using first-class new and/or perfectly repaired wiredrawing dies and choosing the right die materials for the specific drawing applications. End of nonferrous sessions 5:45 pm - 6:30 pm: reception

Monday, Nov. 7 Ferrous program Rod, wire and spring technology – latest developments and research 9:50 am - 10:15 am Keynote speaker Improvements in steel industry, Stuart Bullas, technical manger of long products for Tata Steel Europe. This talk will cover improvements that the steel industry is seeking to provide its customers over the short term (two to three years) and the long term (five to 10 years). These areas include cost control; defect reduction; general product improvements, such as drawability (without acid cleaning), higher tensiles, shorter lead times and innovation, among others. 10:15 am - 10:40 am “Effect of boron alloying on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of high carbon wire,” Prof. E. De Moor, Colorado School of Mines, USA. Boron alloying is frequently applied in low carbon steel

AUGUST 2011 | 43

CABWIRE PREVIEW

to tie up the free nitrogen and prevent strain aging resulting in improved (torsional) ductility of wire products. The present contribution investigates boron alloying effects in high carbon (0.80 wt pct) steels. Laboratory heats were prepared with boron to nitrogen ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 in addition to a reference heat. The material was hot rolled, drawn, patented and further drawn to 1 mm. Mechanical properties were assessed along with microstructural characterization at each intermediate stage. 10:40 am- 11:00 am: break 11:00 am - 11:25 am “Manufacturing highly loadable helical springs through optimization of tempering processes in both spring steel wire and spring production,” R. Lux, Ilmenau University, Germany. In a new developed laboratory heat treatment device, wire samples were hardened and tempered with a large quantity of tempering and time parameters (wire production). All samples were tempered afterwards in a second tempering process (spring production). To find optimal parameters for both tempering proceses, tensile and torsion tests on the wire samples and further tests on springs were determined. The paper presents an overview of the improved values of wire and spring parameters (e.g., torsional yield stress, tensile strength, presetting behavior) and necessary changes in wire and spring production (process temperatures and time periods). 11:25 am -11:50 am “Optimization of spring designs,” M. Hayes, Institute of Spring Technology, U.K., and Cedric Chauvin, Schneider Electric, France. Users of springs increasingly require that designs be optimized. They take for granted that springs will be reliable but are interested in knowing the scope for reducing weight, minimizing or maximizing rate, and using cheaper raw maerials without compromising reliability. This paper will illustrate software, newly developed by a team comprising IST and Schneider Electric, for compression, conical, extension and torsion spring design, which accomplishes each of the above options and much more. 11:50 am - 12:15 pm “Determining of parameters characterizing the functional behaviour of spring steel wire in helical springs,” V. Geinitz, Ilmenau University, Germany. The elastic behavior of spring steel wire is influenced by the spring production steps: tempering, shot peening and prestressing. Torsion and tensile wire parameters were measured on rods with different diameters tempered with six different temperatures and tempering periods. The lecture will review wire parameter modifications caused by tempering, shot peening, presetting of spring function modifications (relaxation, set loss). Also, effects of the

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

spring production process; an important wire parameter (torsional yield stress); and for measuring torsional parameters of spring wire, a special torsion testing machine was developed. 12:15 pm - 1:05 pm: lunch

Process and manufacture update 1:05 pm - 1:30 pm “The individual development of shaving technology by Kieselstein,” J. Kieselstein, Kieselstein GmbH, Germany. This presentation introduces the general developments of draw-peeling as a process for surface improvement in various fields of application in the wire industry. It goes into details regarding the variety of applications in the area of steel wire as well as in the production of nonferrous wire. Due to consequent R&D, considerable basics of draw peeling could be achieved. With substantial test series this led to the improvement of the technology and opens further fields of applicaiton especially against the background of increasing quality demands at limited resources. High demand needs improvements in the processing of the products. Draw-peeling is one of these. 1:30 pm - 1:55 pm “Quality of spring wire,” T. Voss, Koch, Germany. Abstract not available at press time. 1:55 pm - 2:20 pm “Strand compaction in steel wire ropes,” Dr. A.G. Stacey, Stonepark Consultancy, U.K. Strand compaction has been widely used by the wire rope industry over many years, but at times it has been applied as an indiscriminate response to service life problems, rather than through selective targeting of particular rope performance requirements, according to the rope application and in service condition. This paper aims to provide an insight into the benefits that can come from strand compaction as well as recognizing some downsides, and thereby provides an opportunity for a more focused approach to applying strand compaction to help make the most effective use of the techhnology. 2:20 pm - 2:45 pm “Major improvements in galvanizing heating systems,” R. Branders, FIB, Belgium. Abstract not available at press time.

Equipment and manufacturing developments 3:05 pm - 3:30 pm “High speed and quality in wire forming processes,” Dr. U.P. Weigmann, Wafios, Germany. Abstract not available at press time. 3:30 pm - 3:55 pm. “Fatigue test methods of high value wire products beyond basic static validation,” P. Van Bogaert, Bogimac Engineering nv-sa, Belgium. Material fatigue testing typically happens in the mechanical labs of material manufacturers and their customers to validate new products first and then assure the quality. More manufacturers are concerned about testing close to real-usage conditions to lower the cost on final product validation, shorten the time to market while increasing the level of confidence because of higher product liability issues and more stringent product standards. Bogimac will review a range of equipment that can meet these needs for the cable, rope and wire industry including its BRH bend rotation (Hunter) reverse bending, for fine wires, cable and cords; TBR torsion testers for cable, rod, rope and spring wire; BSC Bend over Sheave (Shoeshine), for belt, cord and rope; and CTC Traverse contact clamp multiaxial loading of rope wire on the tensile test. Special attention is given to high sensitive monitoring, with “early warning” functions.

4:55 pm - 5:20 pm “A new generation of lubricants and accessory products for wire drawing, free from substances that are potentially harmful or dangerous to persons and the environment,” S. Piccolo, Tecnovo, Italy. Products such as borax and boric acid are considered toxic for reproduction and unborn children, and titanium dioxide is currently being investigated for carcinogenic effects. These compounds are normally used in the production of wire drawing preparation salts and powdered lubricants. Borax and boric compounds adhere to wire, forming a film with antioxidant and lubricating properties and stabilize lubricants at high temperatures. Titanium dioxide is often used in soap- and calcium-based lubricants. It forms an adherent film with a high coating powder. Tecnovo has studied alternative formulas free of substances that are either dangerous or potentially dangerous to persons and the environment to provide products that are safe while providing performance in wire drawing speed and die wear that is equal to or higher than those of products now on the market. Work has been done on both the chemical formulas and the physical properties. End of ferrous sessions 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: reception ■

3:55 pm - 4:20 pm “Butt and cross wire welding as exemplified by industrial mesh and fences,” J. Gerlitzki, IDEAL Werk, Germany. The world of mesh is huge and we see it every day in the form of fencing mesh, supermarket trolleys, animal cages, dishwasher baskets, containers and reinforcing mesh in the building industry. The technology in use for this type of resistance welding is the so-called butt and cross wire welding (depending on the application). The use of welding is directly linked to the use of energy. Therefore, it makes sense to clarify the process and discuss the possibilities and new technologies for using our resources in the most economical way. Reducing cost at the production of wire mesh products will increase the local benefits as well as save global resources. 4:20 pm - 4:30 pm: break 4:30 pm - 4:55 pm “New coldforming technologies for the fastener industries,” J. Eisele, Wafios, Germany. Abstract not available at press time.

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2:45 pm - 3:05 pm: break

FEATURE

Brazil Outlook

ne of the four “BRIC” nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), Brazil has long

been seen as a growth market with great potential. In this feature, CRU International

provides its view of the country and its wire and cable market. The feature also includes a profile of a Brazilian cable company and news of a new wire and cable event.

CRU Report: Brazil overview by the numbers and by the challenges Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by population, the world’s tenth largest economy at market rates and the ninth largest by purchasing power parity. Since the last crisis in the wake of the Asian Financial crisis it had seen more stable growth until the recent global economic shock. After GDP growth of 3.2% in 2005 the rate of growth had been rising, reaching 6.1% in 2007. In the first three quarters of 2008 there was further healthy growth, but the global crisis that struck in Q4 had an inevitable impact on the Brazilian economy. GDP growth in 2008 was still 5.2%, but in 2009 the economy shrank slightly with GDP falling by 0.4%. This was still a good performance when compared to most of the world’s other major economies. Most indicators show that after a sharp slump in activity at the start of 2009, there had been a strong rebound through last year. By the end of 2010 the Brazilian economy had fully recovered its pre-crisis highs and by early 2011 it had exceeded them. Brazilian GDP per capita has been growing at more than 4% per annum recently, much stronger than historically. Almost all sectors of the economy have rebounded and are now at or above pre-crisis levels. End use sector growth is widespread, from utilities, construction, automotive, consumer goods, oil and gas, agricultural goods and mining. However, the strength of this recovery has started to cause some problems with inflation and the central bank has had to start increasing interest rates to cool this problem. This is not surprising as it is well documented that productivity and efficiency in the Brazilian economy is below that of other 46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

major industrializing economies and so constraints are quickly encountered which force up prices prematurely. Increasing the amount of schooling and raising the quality of education are key policy issues that the government has to overcome if it is to raise the underlying level of achievable growth. Productivity is slowly increasing in Brazil, but at a rate much inferior to that of say Chile, within Latin America, South Korea or especially China. There are reported to be several main reasons why the Brazilian economy is less efficient than it could be. Trade barriers designed to protect Brazilian industry have had an adverse effect on their competitiveness. There are also a number of tax distortions which harm national productivity at the expense of promoting internal competition within regions. Red tape and institutional bureaucracy can also be problematic. However, one of the major obstacles is Brazil’s backward and underdeveloped infrastructure (roads, rail, airports, ports, electricity networks and telecom networks) that impacts every aspect of daily life. Investment levels have been insufficient relative to obvious needs and a large and rising tax burden (now at 35% of GDP) has created a business environment that has discouraged investment. In an attempt to overcome some of these constraints the government launched a “Growth Acceleration Program” that invested US$279B between 2007 and 2010. Of this total, 11% was dedicated to improving infrastructural logistics (roads, railways, ports, airports and hydroways), 55% to electrical energy projects (power generation and transmission, oil exploitation and transport of natural gas and renewable fuels) and the remaining 34% to social and urban projects (sanitation, housing, subway, urban trains, the “light for all” program and hybrid resources). In the second stage of the Growth Acceleration Program a massive US$816B will

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FEATURE

be invested. US$497B will be spent by 2014 on a mix of sanitation (US$32B), health, daycare and pre-school centers (US$13B) social housing (US$154B), water and light for all (US$17B), transportation (US$58B) and energy (US$223B). US$319B is to be invested beyond 2014, though 99% is allocated to energy projects. The exploitation of oil reserves, which were discovered and proven in 2008, is another end use industry that will require significant investment to make it to reality. It is estimated that the reserves of oil lying in the so called “pre-salt” layer is between five to eight billion barrels. Almost US$36B of investments will be needed to begin to tap this by 2014, and a further US$34B after 2014 will also be required. Not only does Brazil have to cope with the development of its offshore Overview of cable production in Brazil. Chart courtesy of CRU oil and gas industry, it also has to prepare the International. infrastructure to host two international sporting events in the next five years. In 2007 cable industry has followed this pattern, with cycles of relaBrazil was awarded the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while in tively high activity followed by downturns. Brazil has long 2009 it won the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games. A been seen as a market about to realize its potential, only for minimum total of US$33B will be required over the next some crisis to intervene. As a result the periods of high six years to build the stadia, accommodation and transport activity in Brazilian cable markets have never been susfacilities to host these events, and there are already worries tained for very long. After the difficulties in the early years that these may be starting to fall behind schedule, particuof the new century the Brazilian market produced a period larly with regard to the awarding of the airport and stadia of steady growth up until 2008, which was only halted by investment contracts. the economic crisis that swept the whole world. The speed with which the market seems to have shaken off this slump CRU Report: Brazil’s wire & cable industry is in contrast to other recessions. This gives good cause to In this article we have made use of the statistics published believe that Brazil is on the path to break its boom-and-bust by SINDICEL (Sindicato da Indústria de Condutores cycle and finally realize its potential, with good growth Elétricos; Trefilação et Laminação de Metais Não Ferrosos forecast in wire and cable and brass mill products for the do Estado de São Paulo)/ABC (Associação Brasileira do next few years. Cobre), which collates national information on copper conBrazilian copper wire and cable production (as reported by sumption in cable-making and other applications; and SINDICEL) has risen steadily, if unspectacularly, over the ABAL (Associação Brasileira do Aluminio), which collates past decade. Output rose from 188.9 kt in 2000 to 234.9 kt national information on aluminum consumption in cablein 2010, an expansion of only 24.4% over the 11-year perimaking, including bare overhead conductors and other od. Production fell sharply in 2002 as a result of the teleapplications. Their data are considered to be fairly represencoms collapse from the bursting of the “dot.com” bubble tative of overall industry trends, however, it is likely that it and again in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis. In broadly understates the true level of industrial activity. It is both instances, however, the industry recovered within one known that some wire and cable manufacturers who make year from the external shock. This is because the industry is product solely for their own internal consumption (such as overwhelmingly centered on supplying the domestic winding wire for electric motor production, or appliance Brazilian market, with exports typically accounting for no wire or automotive wire for harnesses) do not report their more than 10% of total production. In part, this reflects the production to the association. Equally, there are certain to obvious attraction of serving a large and steadily growing be some backstreet, low-quality manufacturers that operate local market, but it is also indicative of Brazilian cablemakin the unorganized sector and will not report their output to ers not being particularly competitive in the international SINDICEL. market. Even so, this situation does demonstrate the The cable market in Brazil has historically followed a simresilience of Brazil’s domestic wire and cable market to ilar trend to the overall economy, but with swings of even quickly recover from significant setbacks. Within the copper greater amplitude due to the start-stop behavior of infrawire and cable segment, standard wire and cables, such as structure investment, in particular the telecoms boom in building wire, have consistently accounted for the largest 2000 and 2001. Over many years, the Brazilian wire and share of the total; however, such growth at 12.4%, has been

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very low. Enamelled wires and strips for motor and transformer windings, the second largest product line, have seen fairly sizeable growth of 53.8% since 2000. Other cables and special cables are the third largest segment by volume. They have grown by 78.6% up to 2010, benefitting from the growth in the automotive industry and oil and gas sectors, for example. Power cable production has shown the largest growth over the period, at 169%, but the volumes of copper cable are low as aluminum overhead conductors are preferred for electricity transmission and distribution. The production of copper telecom cable has been in long-term decline due to substitution by higher capability fiber optic cables, which also have the added advantage of having no scrap value (as a deterrent to theft). One revealing trend has been the rapid but erratic rise in Brazilian aluminum wire and cable production between 2000-2010. This segment is dominated by the output of aluminum overhead conductors, the uninsulated wires strung overhead on electricity pylons. This is a market where aluminum is overwhelmingly preferred to copper due to its much lighter weight. The year-to-year market trend is variable due to the timing and execution of large-scale transmission grid projects that require large volumes of conductors when they are completed. Total aluminum wire and cable output rose by 135.5% between 2000-2010 to 105.5 kt. In doing so, this sector’s share of total Brazilian wire and cable output increased from 19% in 2000 to 31% by 2010. Aluminum wire and cable use is projected to surge by 58% alone in 2011 according to a recent forecast by ABAL, bolstered by the 2,375-km Madeira River Power Interconnection project that will cross five states and link the Rondonia hydroelectric plant with São Paulo. This effort alone consume 21,120 metric tons of aluminum conductor in the first phase of the project. There are 56 member companies of SINDICEL who manufacture and market different types of wire and cable products and conductors to Brazilian customers. Despite some recent consolidation the industry is still relatively fragment-

Activity for related industry sectors/factors. Chart courtesy of CRU International.

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Overview of aluminum capacity and usage in Brazil. Chart courtesy of CRU International. ed. Historically, the market leader was Pirelli (now Prysmian) but the sale of its winding wire business and the acquisition of FICAP by Nexans now mean that Nexans is the market leader. Nexans’s acquisition of FICAP also means that other than specialist winding wire manufacturer PPE Fios Esmaltados and Wirex, all the leading cable manufacturers are now owned by large international cable making groups based outside of South America. The major players in the Brazilian market are Nexans, Prysmian, PPE Fios Esmaltados, General Cable and Furukawa Electric. However, the country is now attracting the interest of other groups. According to press reports in February 2011, Japanese cabling group Fujikura plans to invest around US$12 million to open a factory in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The facility will focus on production of special cables for power transmission and telecommunications. Meanwhile, Belden announced in April that it has completed the acquisition of Poliron Cabos Elétricos Especiais Ltda, a leading Brazilian cable company, in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $30 million. And recently, Furukawa reached an agreement with the local shareholders to acquire Metrocable, a local manufacturer of the full range of fiber optic cables. The company is based in Salto, São Paulo. These types of investments prove that Brazil is now being viewed by the industry as the market of today, and no longer as the market of tomorrow. About CRU International Based in the U.K., CRU International provides consulting services to sectors that include metals, mining and cable sectors, among others. For wire and cable, it issues monthly and quarterly reports and multi-client studies, engages in on-going news monitoring, business analysis and forecasting, and undertakes single-client consulting assignments., as well as pricing and market data, forecasts and market analysis and up-to-the-minute news and costs. For more details, contact Jon Barnes at jbarnes@crugroup.com or Robert Daniels at robert.daniels@crugroup.com.

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Belden: building on a Brazilian footprint Earlier this year, U.S.-based Belden Inc. acquired Poliron Cabos Elétricos Especiais Ltda, a Brazilian cable company that has about 160 employees at its plant in São Paulo, for $30 million. Poliron, founded in the 1930s, evolved into one of the main manufacturers of cables and multi-cables in Brazil, offering one of the most complete lines of instrumentation cables, control, industrial networking cables and thermocouple extension cables. Below, Mauricio Zavatti, who is Belden’s managing director for Latin America, discusses Poliron’s operations in Brazil. WJI: How did the Poliron acquisition come about? How long had Belden actively been looking for a manufacturing presence in Brazil? Zavatti: Poliron was identified and targeted for acquisition because of their brand recognition and reputation for quality in the industrial market in Brazil. Poliron’s mix of products fit very well within the Belden family of products and targeted market. Belden has been actively looking for a manufacturing presence in Brazil since 2009. WJI: What in particular led to the interest in Poliron? Zavatti: The Poliron brand is well known in the overall Brazilian market. Poliron’s electric cables and frequency driver cables were ranked third in a “top-of-mind” brand survey by NEI Magazine. Poliron’s “share of mind” for instrumentation and control cables is 74%, and Poliron’s brand has 43% preference against 16 other competitors according to NEI Magazine’s April 2009 edition. Most of its sales remain in Brazilian territory. The company’s products are known for their quality and are certified by Brazilian bodies and UL. WJI: Brazil has long been considered a very good market, but it has also been one that can be difficult: what are the pluses and minuses of doing business there? Zavatti: Brazil is the largest growth market in Latin America and affords Belden the opportunity to compete on a broader product basis, making it the biggest plus of doing business there. Some other pluses of doing business there include: • Brazil’s real GDP growth averages 4.6% per year through 2014, allowing Belden to do business in an attractive and growing market. • Civil construction and infrastructure real growth (average of 7.2% and 7.1% per year respectively through 2014) is projected to outpace Brazil’s GDP real growth for the next four years as significant investments are being made into transportation and energy to support the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. • 2014 World Cup. In January 2010, the federal, state and municipal governments from the 2014 World Cup host cities signed a cooperation agreement to jointly invest US$11.3B in preparation for the tournament. The federal government will invest US$7.4B and will concentrate

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Cable production from the Poliron plant in São Paulo serves markets that include the petrochemical and chemical industries, oil platforms, pulp mills, industrial automation systems and machinery industries. efforts on upgrading ports and airports. The US$3.9B pledged by the state and municipal governments will go towards sporting facilities. • 2016 Olympics: In October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was chosen as the host city for the 2016 Olympics and it will be the first time that the games will be held in South America. According to Business Week, US$14.4B has been budgeted for the preparations, with the majority of this anticipated to go toward infrastructure. Transporationt infrastructure in the city is poor, with few new roads or tunnels having being built in the past few decades. According to the director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Centre, Adriano Pires, the city’s infrastructure needs to dramatically improve, including construction of public transportation, subway systems, infrastructure and electricity supply. • The Brazilian government has established a protectionist tax system to protect the Brazilian industrial base from foreign competition (import taxation ranges from 0% to 34% depending on the product – wire and cable experiencing 16%). Import duties, cost of freight, and shipping lead times prevented Belden from competing effectively within Brazil. With the acquisition we will be able to penetrate the market and gain market share. Some minuses would be related to the bureaucracy and lack of structure in the industry, making the entire process of doing business more complex than in the U.S. Also, the country has grown so fast that the infrastructure to support this level of business is relatively weak. Another issue is the mismatch between talent supply and demand. Every major multinational company has an aggressive investment plan for Brazil, and is looking for similar talent. WJI: Per your website, Belden has a sales office in Brazil: how does the Poliron acquisition bolster your position in the country? Are there any plans at this time to expand either the Poliron line of cable products and/or its market range? Can it help you reach the markets in other countries, such as Chile, Argentina, etc.? Zavatti: The Poliron acquisition allows Belden to be a legitimate player in one of the more attractive emerging markets. Belden is now able to compete with local manufacturers throughout Brazil. In addition, Belden intends to

WJI: Is the management of Poliron continuing to serve there? Are any changes expected to be made over the next year or two? Is there anything unique about how Mauricio Zavatti, Poliron operates, such as rules that Belden’s Managing limit its ability to make business Director for Latin changes, hiring requirements, America. code/safety requirements, etc.? Zavatti: Yes, base management is serving Poliron after the acquisition and is composed of very good professionals both on the operational and commercial side of the business that helped grow the Poliron brand to what it is today: a very respected and well-known brand that is preferred over a number of brands in the Brazilian market. This will also serve as the basis to support further growth of Belden in Brazil. In addition, Poliron’s previous top management wasn’t focusing on some aspects of the business that are important to Belden, such as Lean Manufacturing, Product Management, and New Product Development, and we have been implementing a plan that will be carried out the next two years to augment that. Top management was composed of members of the family who owned Poliron and some members have decided to stay as consultants to the business after the acquisition. WJI: With Belden now established in Brazil, does the company have any BRIC plans to establish a manufacturing presence in Russia? Zavatti: An important part of Belden’s strategy is realizing growth in the developing BRIC economies. Russia presents both growth opportunities and market challenges. We will continue to determine the most efficient methods to serve growing customer demand in Russia.

Lesser-known facts about Brazil Brazil gets a lot of attention for being one of the four BRIC nations and its passion for soccer, but below are some lesser known facts about it from www.celebratebrazil.com and other sources. • Brazil has the second highest number of airports in the world. • Brazil is the world leader in bio-ethanol production - more than three-quarters of the automobiles sold in Brazil have flex-fuel engines, capable of running on petrol, ethanol, or a mixture of the two. • Brazil is the world leader in recycling of cans for the ninth consecutive time, achieving a rate topping 96% in 2010. • Brazil has the third largest road network on earth. • Brazil is the longest country in the world, and spans approximately 2800 miles from north to south via land. • Brazil is 100% energy independent. It became energy independent in 2006, making a full turnaround from years past when imported oil was as high as 70% of the country’s needs. • Brazil has the 9th highest number of billionaires in the world. • Brazil is the world’s biggest producer of coffee, employing more than eight million people. • Brazil is the world’s leader in ethanol production and use, providing an estimated 30% of Brazilian road transport fuel. • Brazilian women attained the right to vote in 1931, before women in Switzerland, France, and Italy. • Brazil has the most species of monkeys in the world. • The Brazilian rainforest is 60% of the Amazon Rainforest. It contains 25% of the world’s rainforests. The Amazon basin gets seven feet or more of rain a year. • Brazil is a founding member of the U.N. and the G20. • The largest Japanese city outside of Japan is located in São Paulo, Brazil in the “Liberdade” (Liberty) district. • As of 2007, Brazil had the second highest Christian population in the world. • Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue, located in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

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leverage Poliron’s manufacturing footprint to improve our cost and lead-times for our existing Belden products purchased in Brazil and other countries in the region.

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Brazil: an industry trade show emerges The pulse of an industry can often be determined at trade shows, where OEMs and customers meet and deals are made, but for Brazil, that measure has been lacking as it does not have a significant re-occurring event for wire and cable. That status, however, may be changing. A new wire and cable event, called WiCAB, will be held at the Imigrantes Exposicoes in São Paulo on Oct. 4-6, in conjunction with other industry events. WiCAB 2011 will run concurrently with the events, which are anchored by Tubotech 2011, the largest trade fair for the pipe and tube industry in South America. The other events include: Expobombas (pumps, motor pumps and accessories); Expoválvulas (industrial valves and accessories); Metaltech (drawing and rolling of metals, boiler making, forging and machining); Febraman (tools, accessories and maintenance); Feigás (industrial gas); Petrotech (oil, gas and bio-combustible industry); and Termotech (thermal technology).

The events are being jointly organized by Brazil’s Grupo Cipa and Germany’s Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, which puts on some of the largest wire and cable industry events, including the single largest trade show (wire Düsseldorf) as well as the wire Southeast Asia show that is previewed in this same issue. At its website, Messe Düsseldorf reports that WiCAB will focus on the following: wire manufacturing and finishing machinery; process technology tools; auxiliary process technology materials; materials, special wires and cables; measuring and control technology; test engineering; and specialist areas. Of note is that, other than the wiredrawing subsector at Metaltech, there is no event in Brazil dedicated to wire and cable, it said. “This is the ideal time to start the new wire trade fair in Brazil,” said Jörg Dübelt, head of the department, International Exhibition Management, for Messe Düsseldorf. “The general conditions in São Paulo couldn’t be better.” He cited the boom in Brazil’s construction, automotive and household electronics sectors as well as infrastructure expansion, rising capital goods investments and the upcoming Olympic Games and World Cup soccer events as all bolstering the metal industry which grew by 30% in 2010 and is expected to increase further in 2011. “We are looking forward to welcome international market leaders (official country group participations from Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Korea, Slovakia, Spain and the U.S.) as well many

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South American exhibitors,” Dübelt said. “Together with our local partner Grupo Cipa (Feiras e Congressos) and our international supporter IWMA (International Wire & Machinery Association) this trade show will be very successful in meeting the needs of the Brazilian market.” “There is no question in the view of the IWMA that this is the right event in the right place at the right time,” said IWMA Executive Secretary Phillip Knight. “São Paulo is the commercial and industrial center of Brazil, one of the fastest developing economies in the world. Running concurrently with the well-established Tubotech pipe and tube exhibition, WiCAB will provide an excellent opportunity for our industry to ensure that business opportunities are created.” As noted earlier, WiCAB joins a roster of events anchored by the well-established Tubotech exhibition. Over 16,500 trade visitors attended Tubotech 2009, which Messe Düsseldorf notes featured the latest products and services in pipe, pipe making machines, raw materials, measurement and control technology as well as process technology tools, second hand machines and test equipment. Some 420 companies from 15 different countries participated in the 2009 exhibition. Messe Düsseldorf began working with the Tubotech event in 2007, recommended by the International Tube Association (the sister organization to IWMA), and the result was a rapid development of international exhibitor space at the show, the IWMA website report says. “And the IWMA fully expects that WiCAB will do the same. These joint pipe and tube and wire and cable fairs now mirror the successful concurrent exhibitions established by Messe Düsseldorf in Southeast Asia, China, Russia and India.” “The wire and cable industry in Brazil has a large turnover, measured in billions of dollars, generating thousands of jobs and is a vital element in the development of the country. Nor should the rate of development in other South American countries, notably Argentina and Chile, be ignored,” the IWMA website report says. For more details about WiCAB 2011, Tubotech or Metaltech, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com; or Phillip Knight, International Wire & Machinery Association, tel. 44-1926-834680, fax 44-1926-14755, info@iwma.org, www.iwma.org. ■

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wire Southeast Asia preview Organizers of wire Southeast Asia are very optimistic about the outlook for the 2011 staging of the biennial event at the BITEC Exhibition Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 13-15, when it will be joined by related tube and pipe trade shows. More than 300 exhibitors from 20 plus countries have confirmed that they will take part in The 3rd Wire & Cable Trade Fair for Southeast Asia and Tube Southeast Asia 2011, the 3rd International Tube & Pipe Trade Fair for Southeast Asia, reports the organizers, Messe Düsseldorf, which noted that there will be country groups from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Taiwan and the U.S. “This exhibition continues to play a great part with its outstanding quality and quantity of visitors,” said Ferruccio Opening ceremonies at wire Southeast Asia in 2009. Bellina, president of the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association (ACIMAF). “Moreover, Thailand is one and cable industry has been experiencing an upturn since of the most important industrial countries in Asia, with a autumn 2010: “Southeast Asia benefits especially also from wide range of companies actively dealing in the wire and its neighbors, growth engine China and highly industrialized cable industries.” Japan. All participants in the Bangkok exhibition, i.e., the Another key supporter of the event is the International wire and cable industry together with their suppliers showWire & Machinery Association (IWMA), whose spokesman casing in the trade fair, will explore the latest commented on the organization’s long-time developments, beyond their own growing support and partnership of the event, which demands. The disaster in Japan will result in the started with wire Singapore before it was reaccelerated development of renewable energies located to Bangkok in 2007 and re-named worldwide with new business prospects for the wire Southeast Asia. “The new location and wire and cable industry following from that.” title received the full support of the IWMA As noted by key supporting organizations in a and its members for very good reasons,” said press releases, wire and Tube Southeast ASIA’s IWMA Chairman Colin Dawson. “There is host country, Thailand, and neighbor Vietnam, no doubt that despite encountering difficulties are major users of wire and tube solutions. It from time to time, be it unexpected natural noted the following: Thailand has a well-develevents, political situations or health-related oped industrial infrastructure with large autoconcerns, a number of the economies of the motive, electrical/electronic, petroleum and Southeast Asia region are firmly on course to develop petrochemical industries boosting demand. As income strongly through the decade, especially Thailand, Vietnam levels rise in the country, high levels of infrastructure and Malaysia. These economies are predicted to grow from spending will also be essential. The need to develop infrabetween 5 to 7% this year, driven to a large extent by major structure in Vietnam, meanwhile, is becoming increasinginfrastructure projects and strong domestic demand.” He ly pressing as the country emerges as a production base predicted that the event “will provide the wire and cable integrated with the global economy. Vietnam’s Ministry industry with an excellent forum to benefit from the opporof Planning and Investment estimates that between now tunities in the economies of this region.” and 2020, Vietnam will require some US$150-160 billion Heinz Rockenhäuser, president of the International Wire for infrastructure development. and Cable Exhibitors Association (IWCEA), noted that in With their strong economic fundamentals and widecontrast to the economic situation in October 2009, the wire ranging investment plans, Thailand’s fellow ASEAN 54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

For booth locations see the Show Program at the event.

Some 5,000 people attended the 2009 event in Bangkok. nations Indonesia and Malaysia further reinforce the significance of the wire and tube events, the release said, citing the following: • Indonesia has experienced an extended period of political stability and the outlook remains positive for continued investment in infrastructure, petroleum, petrochemicals and mining. GDP growth is also forecast to remain strong in coming years, exceeding 6% annually. • The Indonesian automotive industry has recovered strongly and double-digit growth is forecast for the next four years, with industry estimates pointing to a doubling of production between 2010 and 2015. • Indonesia will require an estimated US$150 billion of infrastructure investment over the next five years. • Malaysia and other ASEAN economies are benefiting from a renewed emphasis on FDI in the Southeast Asian region, partly to counter higher labor costs and reduced incentives in China. • To consolidate its position as an investment destination, Malaysia is promoting several logistics infrastructure projects that will increase demand for wire and tube solutions. With these high levels of investment in ASEAN economies and the strong industry support, the Bangkok wire and tube events “will again be a must attend event for all industry professionals in the region,” the release said. Sponsors include: IWMA, ACIMAF, IWCEA, VÖDKMAWCMA, IWCEA-France; VDKM, WCISA and ITA. Other supporters include: Tube Düsseldorf; wire Düsseldorf; Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau; Hong Kong Fastener and Screw Council (HKFSC); Japan Spring Manufacturers Association (JSMA); Malaysian Iron & Steel Industry Federation (MISIF); Steel Wire Association Malaysia (SWAM); Philippine Metalcasting Association, Inc. (PMAI); Iron And Steel Association of Thailand (ISIT); and the Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan). Show hours are: Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 10:30 am to 6 pm and Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 10:30 am to 5 pm. For more details, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Anbao China We offer high-quality galvanized steel wire, ACSR wire and strand, cable armoring wire, Galfan wire, aluminum- clad steel wire, wire for scourers, hook and eye wire, stitching wire, cloth pin wire, baling wire, spring wire, garage gate spring wire, flexible duct wire, vineyard wire, wire for muselets, stainless-steel wire, woven wire mesh, welded wire mesh, architecture mesh, gabion box, conveyor wire belt, wire containers, knitted mesh and demister, nails, barbed wire, shaped metal wire and bars, etc. www.anbao.com. AWCMA Austria The Austrian Wire and Cable Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (AWCMA), founded in 1988, has 20 member companies that are continuously involved in R&D, making them superb partners for introducing the latest production methods throughout the world of producing wires and cables. A dozen of its member companies will actively take part in the exhibition. www.awcma.com. Balloffet France Balloffet’s products range includes: natural diamond dies from 6μ to 3 mm; synthetic mono-crystalline dies from 6μ to 1 mm; polycrystalline dies from 50μ mm to 30 mm; compacting, stranding and special shaped dies; enameling guides; extrusion tooling (guides and dies); special tooling with diamond insert; and repolishing machines and equipment. It also offers repolishing and recutting services; operator/technician training and control and reports of customer dies. www.balloffetdie.com.

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Booth listings

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Exhibitor expectations Our goal is to have meetings with our agents and most important customers in the region concerning their die requirements for the balance of the year. We expect this event to be much better than the last show. In 2009 we were at the depths of the “Great Recession,” so many customers cut back on their travel budgets and did not attend. I expect many more visitors this time and hope for more productive meetings with them. The wire die industry is much busier now than in 2009 and there is a shortage of single crystal diamond due to very high demand and limited supply of high quality die stones used in manufacturing diamond wire drawing dies. Just as with other commodities, the price of natural diamonds is also surging. We have been able to keep up with our customers demand requirements so far, but we are watching the diamond supply situation very closely. Now it is even more important than ever that we have close communication with our customers and Wire SE Asia 2011 will give us a great opportunity for face-to-face contact with them. Brad Scherer, vice president, international operations, FWWD. This will be our first time officially exhibiting at wire Southeast Asia. As Paramount Die Company continues to grow globally as a high quality, high volume producer of carbide drawing dies, it becomes very important for Paramount Die Company to participate in regional venues. Paramount serves the worldwide wire industry with more than 60% of products being exported to over 50 countries, with a distributor network located in all major wire markets. This event allows for a relaxing atmosphere where you can meet with your current customers and potential new customers face-toface. Our main goal is to show our customers that this is a very important market for Paramount Die Company, and that we are fully committed to support this region. We are looking forward to a very exciting and successful wire show. Albert Kozlowski, international sales manager, Paraomunt Die Company. “Our expectations are very high for wire Southeast Asia. Bongard Machines has had much success in 2011 at the Atlanta and Moscow shows, and we anticipate the same at the Bangkok exhibition. We are optimistic that, as the economy is improving, we will make many good new contacts as well as strengthen our existing business partnerships.

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Beta LaserMike USA Beta LaserMike will showcase its new non-contact CenterScan 2010 system that provides on-line, high-speed eccentricity measurement of wire and cable insulation over a solid or stranded core. Also, LaserSpeed, a non-contact laser encoder that directly measures length and speed to +0.05% accuracy, a direct replacement for error-prone, high-maintenance contact tachometers; AccuScan, an advanced laser gauge that delivers non-contact measurement of diameter and ovality; UltraScan, an ultrasonic gauge that provides non-contact precision measurement of tube wall thickness, eccentricity, diameter and ovality; LN Detector, a sophisticated infrared gauge that instantly detects changes in cable diameter (lumps or neckdowns); and a high-frequency spark tester that checks cable insulation. www.betalasermike.com. Bongard Machines Germany/USA Bongard Machines offers a wide variety of second-hand and new machinery for all aspects of the wire industry. With nearly 40 years of experience and always more than 1200 used/reconditioned machines in stock in one of our warehouses in Germany or the USA, Bongard can meet any manufacturing need and offer unlimited expertise as well. We also custom-make new machinery to precise specifications. Coilers, spoolers, traversing take-ups, and drawing lines are just a few examples of what Bongard can manufacture. Trolley wire drawing machines are our specialty. www.bongard.de, www.bongard.us. C.M. Caballé Spain C.M. Caballé, which provides a wide array of stranding, twinning, bunching and cabling machinery, is constantly developing new, high-quality equipment to meet the ever-changing needs of the wire and cable industry. At wire Southeast Asia, it will highlight the following products: rigid stranders and drum twisters for HV and EHV energy cables (Milliken conductors, overhead conductors with trapezoidal wires, etc.); double twist stranders for conductors of Cu and Al for reels up to 2500 mm; complete range of stranders and closers for steel ropes; and its latest improvements in existing stranders for all type of cables. www.cmcaballe.es.

Centran Industrial China Centran Industrial is a leading global supplier of excellent raw materials for cable and wire industry. It is one of the biggest manufacturers in China of water-blocking tapes, water-swellable yarns and polyester yarns, marking tapes, PET tapes, and more. www.china-centran.com. CONDAT France Condat will present its latest developments in surface technologies for metal forming and particularly for wire draw-

ing and rolling operations: the VICAFIL速 range of surface coatings and lubricants for wire drawing, STEELSKIN速 high-tech lubricant specialities for advanced drawing applications, GALVASMOOTH速 charcoals for hot-dip galvanizing and CONDACLEAN cleaners for metal surfaces. It offers lubricants that meet the most recent environmental and health and safety legislations. It will launch a new range of high-performance borax free surface coatings for lowand high-carbon steel (VICAFIL TS 7101 and VICAFIL TS 7133) and a new wet-drawing emulsion (VICAFIL SL 3400) for the growing saw wire market. www.condat.fr. Daloo China Daloo, a member of the Gauder Group, is dedicated to design and manufacture for the international market lowcost wire and cable machinery, with European experience. This new autonomous company was launched in China in 2008 in response to the growing market demand for proven equipment at affordable price. Daloo offers complete lines for the production of power and communication cables: rigid cage stranders, taping lines, rewinding lines, payoffs an take-ups as well as pulling caterpillars. www.daloo-machines.com.

AUGUST 2011 | 57

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Candor Sweden AB Sweden A unique partner for surface treatment of wire, Candor will highlight: its technology for plating brass, copper, chromium, nickel, silver, tin and zinc on ferrous and nonferrous wire; its single and multi-strand cleaning systems with bipolar electrolytic degreasing and ultrasonic cleaning or combination of both technologies; the Candojet HW patented high-speed, hot water cleaning system for high wire speeds in line with drawing process; its Copperjet high-speed copper coating unit for CO2 welding wire; and its single and multi strand acid pickling lines using hydrochloric or sulphuric acid in line with hot-dip galvanizing, phosphating and electroplating. www.candorsweden.com.

FEATURE

Bongard Machines is confident that the wire Southeast Asia show will be exciting and well attended. John Hall, vice president sales & marketing, Bongard Machines USA. The cable market in Southeast Asia is showing a healthy growth, particularly in the fields of power cable and fiber optic cables, and the Nextrom and Rosendahl team is looking forward to discuss their latest developments and new technologies at the wire Southeast Asia exhibition in Bangkok, to further strengthen its position on this market and to keep its costumers satisfied. Nextrom/Rosendahl. We’re expecting a strong showing at this year’s wire Southeast Asia exhibition,” comments Ken Wright, President of Beta LaserMike. “All signs indicate continued growth in the wire and cable sectors of Southeast Asia. This venue gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our precision measurement and control solutions to key wire and cable producers in this region. We’re working closely with our partners to deliver this message and plan to expand into this emerging market. Exhibiting at the wire Southeast Asia show fits our long-term strategy to grow this business and meet the increasing demands of our customers. Attendees that stop by our booth will quickly realize they made the right decision to attend this world-class show. Ken Wright, president, Beta LaserMike. Wire Southeast Asia is highly expected to attract many potential customers from around the world. Paul Chung, Overseas Department, Unience. Wire & Plastic Machinery is a regular exhibitor at Messe sponsored international trade shows. We look forward to welcoming Southeast Asian customers and our agent/brokers in the region, to our booth. Also, during the past couple of shows we have had visitors to our booth from the middle east and India. We have added quite a lot of late model machinery to our inventory and we are looking forward to having meaningful discussions during the show. We are optimistic about future business potential for the region as many companies have expansion plans are looking into newer markets for which they will require machinery and equipment. Overall we have positive expectations for the show in Bangkok. Rahul Sachdev, Wire & Plastic Machinery.

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Eder Engineering GmbH Austria For more than 60 years, Eder Engineering GmbH has offered efficient standard, semiautomatic and fully automatic machines for both the reconditioning and production of ultrahard precision tools made from tungsten carbide, natural diamond and synthetic PCD, drawing dies, as well as technical assistance for all Eder die-tool working equipment. At the show, it will display: information for machines to work precision diamond-/PCD dies and equipment to work tungsten carbide dies; ultrahard precision wiredrawing die-tools (with round + profiled bores); die workshop ancillary equipment; and diamond powders/pastes/suspensions/grinding pins, etc., and a multi-media show and catalogs. www.eder-eng.com. Enkotec AS Denmark Enkotec AS will focus on its newest nail machine model, the MI01, intended for small and midsize capacity needs and producing 1,000 nails per minute at sizes 2.3-3.8 mm and 50-90 mm lengths. The MI01 is based on the well-known Enkotec rotary forming principle that allows the production of high-quality nails at high speed. Like the other Enkotec machine models, the MI01 nail machine is synonymous with high-efficiency and user-friendliness, featuring simple adjustments, quick tooling changeovers, easy access for cleaning and service, long tooling life, high stability and low-noise production. www.enkotec.com. FIB SA Belgium FIB SA designs complete solutions for thermal treatment of metallic wires. Its processes are optimized for energy and environmental concerns for wire production, and they comply with the most demanding international standards, in particular regarding the quality of products and security of the operators. FIB also masters direct-heating gas solutions that are specific to the control of the atmosphere. Its representatives will be pleased to meet you at wire Southeast Asia. www.fib.be.

FMS Force Measuring Systems AG Germany/USA FMS is known worldwide for quality and innovation in web tension control and web guiding systems. From our start in

1993, market-leading developments and implementation of the latest technologies allows for the continuous updating and expansion of the product line. In 2011, FMS expanded its wire product range with high-revolution force sensors and the new “Radio Transmitted Tension Monitoring” System, RTM X2, for monitoring and controlling tension in individual wires and strands on rotating machines. The fundamental characteristics of FMS technology remains its operating simplicity and reliability under even the most challenging operating conditions for: force sensors, force sensors for vacuum, amplifiers with Bus and Ethernet interfaces, tension controllers and web guides and material sensors. www.fms-technology.com. Fort Wayne Wire Die USA Fort Wayne Wire Die will highlight its product lines, which includes single crystal diamond, Poly-Di™ polycrystalline and Dual-Draw™ wire drawing dies, shaped profile dies, extrusion tips and dies with certified .0002 in. I.D. to O.D. concentricity, tungsten carbide round hole and shaped profile dies, Poly-Strand™ compacting, bunching and stranding dies, enameling dies, Di-Pro™ diamond powder and compound, and miscellaneous wear parts for the wire, cable and tube industries. www.fwwd.com.

AUGUST 2011 | 59

FEATURE

Flymca Spain Flymca supplies rotating machinery manufacturer building top class equipment for the wire and cable industry, including rotating machinery such as tubular, skip, rigid and planetary stranders; bow cablers, drum-twisting lines, double-and simple-twist bunchers; and ancillary equipment for lines to produce electrical, submarine and off-shore cables and steel ropes as well as CTC transposed cables. Flymca makes its machinery at its plants to meet the highest quality requirements. Our sister company FLYRO, offers used machinery for all fields of cable production: drawing, extrusion, cabling, jacketing, etc. www.flymca.com

FEATURE

FUHR GmbH & Co. KG Germany An insatiable global demand for energy has created strong demand for wire and cable for systems to access more fossil fuel as well as renewables. That has resulted in the need for high-quality, flat copper wire for products such as PV bus bar and interconnect ribbon, rectangular copper wire for magnet wire and Continuously Transposed Conductor (CTC) high-carbon steel wire for flexible pipe armoring and interlocking applications. Fuhr’s world-class wire rolling machines can produce these pillars of future energy supply, operating to speeds of 800 m/min, tolerances of +/- 1 μm. Our technology enables customers to stay ahead of their competition. www.fuhr-wire.com. Gauder S.A. Belgium Gauder S.A. has in stock more than 1,000 secondhand machines stored on 25,000 sq m in Belgium. This member of the Gauder Group earned a leadership position by providing fast and cost-effective solutions ready to manufacture wires, conductors, cables, ropes or steel products. Short delivery and services are the cornerstones of the company activity. New heavy-duty Mapre extruders 38 to 150 mm /25 D, are also available. www.gaudergroup.com. Jiangsu Qunye Electrical Co., Ltd. China Jiangsu Qunye Electrical Co., established in 1989 and located in Yangzhou City, is a specialized spools manufacturer. We have high-standard workshops/office, a first-class equipment line and complete inspection facilities, advanced management and quality control to fulfil all customers’ requirements. We can make spools to either standards or to customer specifications. We make all kinds of steel and plastic spools and our spools sell well in domestic and overseas market. We have a good team, rigorous management and quality control. You can trust Qunye spools and we appreciate any feedback from our old and new friends. www.qunyeglobe.com, www.qunye.com.cn. Lämneå Bruk AB Sweden Lämneå Bruk AB specializes in the design and manufacture of machines for the ferrous and stainless steel wire industry and is a reliable supplier of payoffs, mechanical de-scaling equipment , drawing machines and take-up units. Our journey in the wiredrawing industry started more than

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100 years ago, which has given us a tremendous amount of experience which we incorporate in the design of our machines and equipment. www.lamnea.se. Lukas Analgenbau GmbH Germany Lukas Analgenbau GmbH is a global supplier of machinery for the wire and cable industry known for its high-quality and high-precision products. Both standard machinery and customized solutions are provided. It will exhibit a vertical taping line suitable for nearly all available kinds of tapes (PTFE, Kapton, mica, polyester, fleece, laminated tapes, metal tapes, etc.). The high-speed and high-precision taping is enabled by a closed-loop tape tension control and very precise speed synchronization between the capstan and the taping heads. Depending on the application, the line can be equipped with a cooling unit for the taping area, an in-line sintering oven or equipment for quality control. www.lukas-anlagenbau.de. Madem Gulf Industries Bahrain Madem Gulf Industries is a subsidiary of Madem SA Brazil, a leading supplier of nailed wooden reels. The Madem Group has forests, sawmills and manufacturing plants in Brazil, Spain and Bahrain, with more than 500 employees and produces more than 400 containers/trucks of knock down reels per month. Today, the Madem name represents over 60 years of industry experience. The Madem team constantly strives to build trust and confidence by offering customers a superior quality product. www.mademreels.com. Maillefer SA Switzerland Maillefer SA will exhibit manufacturing solutions for wire and cable, such as its optimum CV line curing components for high energy cables, the talc-free solution for building wire, and the Supersteam system for rubber cables. From the fiber optic team, there are lines for tight buffering, secondary coating, SZ stranding and jacketing. Maillefer’s product line also includes telecom cable equipment for multi-layer striped LAN constructions and micro coax cable with insulated wires as thin as hair. www.mailleferextrusion.com.

Niehoff GmbH Germany Niehoff GmbH, a leading manufacturer of machinery for the wire and cable industry, will present a double-twist bunching line for stranding of bare and insulated conductors. The line consists of two payoffs with NPS spools and a D 631 type double-twist bunching machine and emphasizes the versatile applications of the demountable NPS multiway spools. Its booth will also represent BĂźhler-WĂźrz Kaltwalztechnik, a cold-rolling mill manufacturer, and HFSAB, a manufacturer of lead extruder and cable repair and recovery systems. www.niehoff.de.

Paramount Die USA Paramount Die will exhibit a full line of wiredrawing dies and related equipment. Featured products include the com panyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TR series of carbide drawing inserts, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tâ&#x20AC;? series inserts for PC wire, ParaLoc pressure and non-pressure holders, PCD dies, and ParaLoc accessories. www.parawire.com. Pourtier/Gauder Group France Pourtier, a member of the Gauder Group, develops comprehensive solutions to produce all kinds of high voltage and extra-high voltage power cable, from overhead cable (including ACCCâ&#x201E;˘, ACSS-TW and ACSR-TW) to insulated cable; AC type (using high quality Milliken conductor) or DC type (using large round compacted conductor or trapezoidal wires). Pourtier provides high-quality stranders and cablers that are made in Europe with the highest standards in design and manufacturing, leading the innovation for optimized wire and cable production. After-sales and spare parts services are available. www.gaudergroup.com.

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FEATURE

Nextrom SA Switzerland Nextrom SA is a premium supplier of optical fiber glass preform manufacturing equipment, fiber draw towers and associated machinery for the global fiber market using MCVD, OVD and VAD technologies as well as fiber optic cable production lines. Together with Rosendahl, it offers first-class products and turnkey solutions in the fields of extrusion, SZ-stranding, fiber optics, forming, welding and corrugation, combining leading edge know-how and state-of-the-art technology in close cooperation with its customers and product suppliers. www.nextrom.com.

FEATURE

PWM U.K. Pressure Welding Machinery (PWM) will showcase its handy cold welders. The company, which has been at the forefront of cold-welding technology for over 25 years, will present its extensive range of high performance manual machines. Precision engineered in PWM’s U.K. workshops, these hand-held, bench-mounted and trolley-mounted models are robust, low maintenance and easy to operate. They produce strong permanent welds on nonferrous wire and strip from 0.10 mm to 5 mm diameter. www.pwmltd.co.uk. Queins & Co. Germany Queins has upgraded its Fast Loading Rigid (FLR) strander for producing copper and aluminum as well as aluminum alloy conductors. It can be equipped with compacting heads to manufacture round conductors, straight and pre-twisted sector conductors. It has a new bobbin brake system that provides constant tension from full to empty bobbins. With the practical semi-automatic, side-loading system (alternatively “top-loading”), the loading procedure guarantees minimum down time. The strander can handle reels with a weight of up to 20 tons, heavier designs available on request. Preformers can be installed behind the cages for easier operation with aluminum alloy wires. The strander can also process armor with steel in one step for up to 61 armoring wires, working in tandem and with a preformer. www.queins.com. Rautomead Ltd. U.K. Rautomead will be exhibiting its range of RS upwards vertical casting machines for the production of oxygen-free copper rod 3,000-30,000 TPA. This graphite furnace technology produces highest quality CuOF 8 mm diameter wire rod benefiting manufacturers of enamelled wire, LAN cables and fine wires. Larger diameter CuOF rods may be produced for processing to flat strips or water tube fittings; 8.0 to 12.5 mm CuAg rod for processing to commutator sections; 18 to 30 mm CuCd or CuMg for trolley wire cables & 8.0 mm copper alloy wires for special applications such as EDM machining wires. Rautomead will also introduce a new division: Rautomead – Advancing Metals Technology, whose strategic aim is to advance the exploration and development of more efficient

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nonferrous metals production, including their processes and end-user applications. www.rautomead.com. Roblon s.a.s. Denmark Roblon will present its range of industrial fiber and cable machines. Roblon representatives will be available to discuss the latest developments in the cable industry and introduce new glass strength members, polyester binder yarns as well as machine developments. www.roblon.com. Rosendahl Maschinen GmbH Austria Rosendahl Maschinen GmbH is a technology leader and global supplier of high-tech wire and cable manufacturing solutions for power cables, automotive wires, LAN cables, coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, crossheads and optical fibers. Since the mid-eighties, Rosendahl has actively been supplying its solutions to the majority of Asian cable manufacturers, ranging from fluoro-polymer insulated cables, building wires, copper telephone insulated cores, optical fiber cable and RF cable systems. www.rosendahlaustria.com. Setic s.a.s. France Setic, a member of the Gauder Group, offers double-twist bunchers/stranders for PC and the automotive industry as well as complete solutions to produce high quality LAN cables with enhanced performances in one step or two steps according to product mix. The company provides high quality machines made in France to the highest standards in design and manufacturing, a leader in innovation for optimized wire and cable production. After-sales and spare parts services, including high technology bows and accessories for all brands of rotating machines, are available. www.gaudergroup.com. Shanghai Yessjet Precise Machinery Co., Ltd. China Yessjet offers “Taiwan Innovation, Shanghai Manufacture.” We supply coiling/winding and wrapping/packing systems. Our belief in reliability, efficiency and flexibility and continuing to grow with customers has helped many international wire and cable manufacturers. www.yessjet.com Shanghai YinGong Products Equipment Co. China Shanghai YinGong Products is a top manufacturer of cold welders and cold welding dies (diameters from 0.05 mm to

August Strecker GmbH & Co. KG Germany August Strecker GmbH, represented in Thailand by Rhetoric Co. Ltd. (Thailand), is an acknowledged leader in manufacturing buttwelding machines for the most varied needs of the wire and cable industry. Founded in 1933 and known for its reliable machinery and excellent service, Strecker has more than 68 skilled employees at its premises in Limburg. Most of Strecker’s production is exported to customers who are located in more than 110 countries, and it has more than 40 representative offices worldwide to assist customers. See the company’s production program at its website. www.strecker-linburg.de. Teknor Apex Asia Pacific Singapore Teknor Apex Asia Pacific, a business of U.S.-based Teknor Apex Company, offers a full range of RoHS-compliant, UL-recognized vinyl compounds, including Apex® PVC, Fireguard® plenum compounds, Flexalloy® UHMW-PVC elastomers, Halguard® halogen-free flame retardant compounds, Vidux® and Polydux® conductive compounds, and specialty blends with polyurethane, nitrile rubber, and polyolefins. Identical formulations can be manufactured at Teknor Apex plants in Singapore, Suzhou, China, and the U.S. Two new products are high-performance jacketing

compounds for wind turbine applications. www.teknorapex.com. Unience South Korea Unience, which has developed FTTH or LSZH compound with accumulated technology and experience, operates under ISO 9001-14001 Quality Management System to maintain customer satisfaction. Its Extigen line of compounds, a global brand, is low-toxic and low-fume, providing excellent flame-retardant performance by adding inorganic flame retardant material. Extigen is classified into five sub-categories according to base resin and application (Extigen Olefin, Extigen TPU, Extigen TPE, Hitigen and XL-tigen). These products have helped the company continue to expand its global business. www.unienceco.kr.

e-mail Dave.Evans@george-evans.com

AUGUST 2011 | 63

FEATURE

25 mm). It holds ISO 9001-2000 Quality Management Control Certification and is CE approved. Its goal is to achieve the highest standard of professionalism, be sincere in its business practice and provide value to its customers. This philosophy of being the most trustworthy business partner has earned the company more than 5,000 customers. www.silver-work.com.

FEATURE

Windak Inc./Windak AB USA/Sweden Windak, which specializes in automatic packaging solutions for the wire and cable industry, will present the latest information about its products such as the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Automatic Coiler FC-5 and rewind lines. The coiler is a versatile and user-friendly fully automatic coiler that can handle a wide range of cables, from 3 to 25 mm in diameter and coil sizes up to 480 mm. Windakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rewind lines have been specifically designed for fast reel changes, very accurate tension control, high line speed and superior winding www.quality.windakusa.com, www.windak.se. Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. USA Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp., a leading dealer of second-hand wire, cable and optical fiber equipment, will be showcasing pictures, video and an interactive presentation of its extensive inventory offering. Booth visitors will have access to a web-enabled station to search instock machines and receive detailed specifications and pictures. Founded in 1981, WPMC has eight warehouse facilities and two reconditioning centers in the U.S. It offers thousands of machines for immediate delivery and purchases single machines, complete lines, and entire manufacturing facilities. www.wireandplastic.com. Woywod GmbH Germany Woywod GmbH, manufacturer of Plasticolor single dosing units, volumetric and gravimetric mixing stations will again participate at wire Southeast Asia. One of its newer systems, the Plasticolor 2500 auger feeder, features improved output capacity as well as completely new designed material flow and latest sealing technology. See our range of technology at our website. www.plasticolor.de.

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Alpha list of exhibitors A.L.M.T. Corp. Adtech (Shenzhen) CNC Technology Co., Ltd. AESA S.A.(AESA Cortaillod) Aksh Technologies Limited An Chen Fa Machinery Co., Ltd. Anbao (Qinhuangdao) Wire & Mesh Co., Ltd. Anhui Changjiang Jinggong Wire & Cable Machinery Co. Anhui Herrman Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. Asmag UK Ltd. BALLOFFET Bekaert Singapore Pte Ltd BETA Lasermike, Inc. Bongard Trading GmbH & Co. KG Borouge Pte Ltd. Britx Wire Rope Ind. Corp. Cairnhill Metrology Pte Ltd. CANDOR Sweden AB CCPIT Machinery Sub-Council Ceeco Bartell Products, Bartell Machinery System Chains Power & Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. Changzhou Jubilant Economic & Trading Co. Ltd. ChanHong Bobbin (Thailand) Co., Ltd. c/o Changzhou Hongguang Optical Cable Accessory Manufacturing Co, Cheng I Machinery Co. Ltd. Chengdu Centran Industrial Co. Ltd. Chengdu Shuhong Machinery Corp. Ltd. Chhaperia International Company Chia Ta World Co., Ltd. China Electronics Technology Group Corporation No.8 Research Institute China Fastener Info China United Cable Engineering Co. Cogebi Asia Sdn Bhd Comsuc Technology Development Ltd. CONDAT Conoptica AS Construcciones Mecanicas Caballe, S.A. Coolmar-Ta Coatings & System, Pte Ltd. Deyang Dongfang Zhuoyue Electrotechnical Equipment Co., Ltd. Dongguan Guanbiao Electrical Machinery Co., Ltd. Dongguan Zhangli Machine Fitting Co., Ltd. Dow Chemical (China) Company Limited Drachs Technology (S) Pte LtD. DSR Wire Corp. Enkotec A/S Esteves Group (Shanghai) Diamond Dies Co., Ltd. Eurolls S.p.A (Eurolls Group) Fastener World Inc. FIB Belgium s.a. FLYMCA FMS Force Measuring Systems AG Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc.

Shandong Liangshan Quanxing Plastics Co., Ltd. Shanghai Hold Machinery Market Co., Ltd. Shanghai Lanpo High Voltage Technology & Equipment Co., Ltd. Shanghai Resources Industrial & Trading Co., Ltd. Shanghai Shenchen Wire & Cable Equipment Co., Ltd. Shanghai Silin Special Equipment Co., Ltd. Shanghai Yessjet Precise Machinery Co., Ltd. Shanghai Yinggon Cold Wender Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Shanxi Tianxiang Machinery Co., Ltd. Shaoxing Kaichen Mica Material Co., Ltd. Sheng Chyean Enterprise Co., Ltd. Shenyang Jinggong Cable Material Co., Ltd. Shenyang Tianrong Cable Materials Co., Ltd. Shin Tung Huei Metal Factory Co. Ltd. Sinoleader Industries Group Co., Ltd. Smart Trade Publications Co., Ltd. Sneham International Solvay Padanaplast SpA Spring Tooling Ltd. SPX Precision Components, FENN Division Suzhou Zhihong Cable Material Co., Ltd. Taiwan Linkigi Metal Co., Ltd. Taymax Wire Rope Industry Corp. Co., Ltd. Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan) Teknor Apex Company Tenglong Stainless Steel Group Co., Ltd. Thai Trade & Industry Media Co., Ltd. Tien Dat Company Limited Tonglu Xingguan Cable Equipment Factory TS Metal Co., Ltd. Tung Yi Steel Wire Co., Ltd. Unience Co. Ltd. Unitrading (Lianyungang) Ltd. Upcast Oy Walson Woodburn Wire Die Pvt. Ltd Well Gain Cable Systems Ltd. Windak AP Wire & Cable Asia magazine Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. Wire Association International Wuxi Quantong Cable Material Co. Ltd. Zhangjiagang Sanfeng Machinery & Electric Dev. Co., Ltd. Zhangjiagang Victor Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. Zhejiang Rongtai Electric Material Co., Ltd. Zhongshan City Tian Hua Metals Machinning Co., Ltd. Zumbach Electronic AG

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: for the most up-to-date information, including lodging, go to the show website, which can be found at www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com

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Foshan Shunde Hikingsim Machinery Equipments Co., Ltd. Fushi Copperweld Gauder & Co. s.a. Golden Spot Industry Inc. Golden Technologies Wire & Cable Equipment Co., Ltd. Gongyi Hengxing Hardware Co., Ltd. Gwo Lian Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. Gwo Merg Co., Ltd. Handuk Ultrasonic Co. Ltd. Hangzhou Harbor Technology Co., Ltd. Hefei Smarter Technology Co., Ltd. International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA) ISA Technology Pte LtD. Itaya Engineering Ltd. ITCO Industries Limited ITEC Co., Ltd. ITO-SIN (Deyang) Wire & Cable Equipment Co. Ltd. IWCEA France c/o Conductix Jiangsu Handing Machinery Co., Ltd. Jiangsu Qunye Electrical Co. Ltd. Jiangyin Kangrui Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd. JuAn Corporation Ltd. Jun Rong Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd. Lamnea Bruk AB Langfang Xinming Cable Machinery Industrial Co., Ltd. Lin'an Zhongyi Dongfang Aluminum Foil Co., Ltd. Lion Hower Industrial Co., Ltd. Liwei Electrical Machines Co. Ltd. Lizhou Cemented Carbide Co.,Ltd Locton Ltd. Madem Gulf Industries W.L.L. Maillefer S.A. Matherson Chemie Sdn Bhd Menam Stainless Wire Public Co., Ltd. NDT Instruments Pte Ltd. Ningbo Kaite Machinery Co., Ltd. No. 23 Research Institute, CETC Orange Media Group Panchmahal Steel Limited Pioneer Machinery Co., Ltd. Plextech (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Pourtier s.a.s. Pressure Welding Machines Ltd. Proton Products International Ltd. PT Business Network (Pte) Ltd QED Wire Lines Inc. Quintain Steel Co., Ltd. R.I.K. (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Rautomead Limited RichardsApex AustralAsia Ringier Trade Media Ltd. Roblon A/S Sampat Heavy Engineering Ltd. San Shing Fastech Corp. Schlatter Industries AG Setic s.a.s.

An in-process SRL predictor system for data cable manufacturing

LV E R TE A C I F I CERT AWA R

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER

Inspection technology has evolved to where it can not only detect Structural Return Loss (SRL) failures in cables, but also provide the information that is needed to determine the source of the problem for quick trouble-shooting. By Ethem Erdas

Cable manufacturers must meet ever-increasing performance requirements demanding that they pay careful attention to each step in the production process. Manufacturers must continuously incorporate new methods and tools and remain on the cutting edge of technology to stay ahead of the competition. Fortunately, there are plenty of equipment suppliers to help them develop necessary technological solutions and tools to overcome these challenges. Recent advances in data transfer technologies have led to an increasing demand for such capacities. Increased utilization of optical fiber and wireless technology for transferring data at very high rates has placed tremendous pressure on conductor-based cable manufacturers to develop cables with data transfer rates that were once deemed impossible just a few years ago. These advancements were a result of new materials, processes, and instrumentation. Cable manufacturers must carefully balance improvements in cable performance and lower manufacturing cost requirements. It is essential to use the right tools for the job at hand. Modern process control and inspection instruments provide the necessary tools to achieve this balance. Structural Return Loss (SRL)1 is one of the critical parameters of a high-speed communication cable. Until recently, the only method of testing the cable for SRL performance was to sweep-test the finished cable. With an intelligent predictive system, such as the one described in this paper, it is now possible to predict the quality of finished cable by monitoring process variations during the manufacturing of cable sub components.

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What is SRL? SRL occurs when a portion of the energy sent from one end of a transmission cable is reflected back to the source due to periodic impedance variations caused by variations in physical characteristics of the cable. Simply put, SRL is a loss in transmitted energy. Variations causing SRL problems are not necessarily of large magnitude, but traditional measurement methods are generally not capable of detecting these variations. The magnitude of equally spaced reflections caused by seemingly insignificant variations add up at certain frequencies, resulting in significant signal losses and “dropout.” The first destructive SRL dropout will occur where the period (the distance between variations) is equal to one half the wavelength of the signal (λ/2) and integral multiples of one half the wavelength. SRL magnitude is measured in decibels (dB) and defined as: |SRL| = 20 log 10 (Vreturned/Vinput)

Eq. (1)

As the strength of the reflected wave increases, so does SRL. Therefore, at the drop-out frequency, the magnitude of the signal through the cable can be so small that it may appear non-existent. These reflections will occur at frequencies determined by the cable’s propagation characteristics and the magnitude of it will be determined by variations in cable impedance. Impedance varies due to the presence of periodic physical imperfections. For example,

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 1. One sine wave generates only one spike.

Fig. 2. Two sine waves generate two spikes.

for a coaxial cable in the Very High Frequency (VHF) spectrum, impedance is given as:

where Z is the characteristic impedance of the cable, d is the diameter of the inner conductor, D is the outside diameter of the extruded core, and ε is the dielectricity of the insulation material. SRL Prediction. According to Eqs. 2 and 3, any changes in D, d, or ε will cause changes in the characteristic impedance of the cable. These changes can be detected

with measurement equipment, such as diameter and capacitance gauges. To detect very small variations at high frequencies, the measurement equipment must have a sufficient resolution, accuracy, and measurement rate. The on-line SRL Prediction system (SRL Pro)2 mentioned in this paper was designed to accept analog signals from up to eight gauges. These signals are first fed into a filter module to remove high-frequency components of the signal and to eliminate the possibility of aliasing. Aliasing occurs when high-frequency components of a signal appear as low frequency due to inaccurate sampling rates. These signals are then sent to a data acquisition card in the host computer. The acquisition card converts the analog signal into digital data. FFT Analysis. SRL Pro utilizes an algorithm called the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)3 to identify very small but

Fig. 3. FT of a square wave.

Fig. 4. Same sine wave buried in the noise.

Z = [138.06 log (D/d) / √ε]

Eq. (2)

and the capacitance as: C = [ 2 π 8.85 ε / ln (D/d) ]

Eq. (3)

AUGUST 2011 | 67

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 5. SRL vs. Frequency, SRL results from the first four channels.

periodic variations within the digitized input signal. This is done by performing a transformation from the time domain to the frequency domain. Any real signal can be expressed as a sum of sinusoidal signals of varying frequencies. The Fourier Transform (FT) calculates the amplitude and frequency of periodic signals for all frequencies by dissecting the signal into its sine components. Figs. 1 - 4 illustrates the power of the Fourier Transform. Fig. 1 illustrates that the FT of a sine wave with period t and amplitude A is a value A at frequency F; Fig. 2 shows the sum of two sine waves generates two spikes; Fig. 3 illustrates that the FT of a square wave generates spikes that represent the sine wave components comprising the square wave; and Fig. 4 shows the same sine wave as in Fig. 1 with additional random noise signal. The amplitude of the noise signal was intentionally adjusted to ten times the amplitude of the sine wave. Even when the sine wave is completely buried in the noise, FT is capable of identifying the primary sine wave. This principle allows the identification of very small cyclical variations which otherwise appear to be merely noise. To use FT in a practical application, one needs to use the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm, which uses a sampled signal with 2N samples (2, 4, 8, 16…). The number of samples must be at least double the maximum frequency being analyzed (Nyquist-Shannon)4. The Nyquist theorem states that “the sampling rate must be at least twice the frequency of the highest frequency component in the waveform being sampled.” Early Systems. Cable manufacturers have utilized devices with FFT capabilities for several decades. Use of these devices was limited to troubleshooting limited mechanical components in production lines. This was performed after it was determined that the finished cable failed to meet the required specifications. Finding a failed finished cable too late in the process generally resulted in scrapped cable and lost production time. Some manufacturers realized the importance of on-line

68 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

testing and developed their own FFT analyzers. Although these early systems may have met the desired requirements, they provided limited performance and often required an engineer to operate. Other limitations were due to the inadequate processing power of available computers and the limited capability of gauging systems. Even with known limitations, these early tools provided a significant advantage for the large cable manufacturers over manufacturers that did not have the necessary engineering resources. In the 90s, various process control and gauge manufacturers realized the opportunity and developed the early online FFT-SRL Predictor systems. These systems were designed to interface with specific gauges (capacitance and/or diameter gauges). They had limited functionality and required an engineer to operate them. The first multi-channel SRL Predictor System was designed to offer flexibility in selecting different gauge types. This allowed the user to monitor various cable parameters with additional inputs for process parameters, such as tension, acceleration (vibration), temperature, line speed, and extruder screw speed. This multi-channel system offered a user-friendly interface for line operators, freeing up valuable engineering resources. It was also capable of calculating and saving the required set-up parameters for different types of product runs. Modern SRL Predictor Systems. As result of the continuing efforts to improve the on-line SRL Prediction technology, it is now possible to utilize an intelligent, multi-channel and extremely flexible and versatile SRL Prediction system. These advancements are intended to provide the cable manufacturers with the proper tools, enabling them to improve cable quality and increase yields while freeing up valuable engineer time. Some of the features and benefits of this new system include: Eight inputs for data collection and FFT analysis. The

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 6. Trending of FFT analysis using the special graph.

multiple input capabilities enables manufacturers to understand the dynamics of the process, since most if not all of the process variables are interrelated. So why only monitor one or two process variables? Monitoring multiple process variables simultaneously helps to pinpoint the cause and effect of variations, allowing quick detection of the problem, as well as saving valuable production time and reducing scrap. Many data variables can be configured, including capacitance, conductor diameter and ovality, hot diameter, cold diameter, eccentricity, line tension, vibration from key components, line speed, and extruder screw speed, to name a few. Simultaneous displays of multiple channels on a single graph. As illustrated in Fig. 5, multiple channels that are color coded can easily be displayed in a single graph, making it possible to examine the behavior of multiple channels at the same time. Using the process of elimination, the operator can reduce the unlikely sources of the problem and focus on the right component immediately. Speed. The data is updated up to twice per second allowing intermittent variations to be detected quickly. Ease of set up and operation. Flexible operator interface is configured via “objects,” enabling one to mix and match any combination of graphs on the same display. Notice: Out-of-spec conditions produce real-time alarms. Accuracy: Superior analog and digital anti-aliasing filters prevent false spikes. Also, a line speed input offers improved accuracy of frequency data. Alerts. Digital inputs and outputs provide a real-time alarm if a process variable changes. Response. The expert functionality of the system enables quick troubleshooting of process problems. In on-line SRL prediction, it is necessary to monitor the input signals that demonstrate periodic or cyclical variations. In most cases, the periodicity is caused by a rotating component on the line. When a variation is detected, the challenge is finding which component in the line best fits the variation. With

SRL Pro, it is possible to create a table of components that are in the production line. When a spike is detected, the predictor system refers to this customer-configured “look up table” and recommends possible areas to investigate. Data. FFT and SRL trend information is available for the entire reel. It is important to verify that the wire is free of SRL problems throughout the entire reel. The only way to ensure this is to have an operator monitor the SRL predictor system continuously or to provide tools to do this automatically. The SRLPro system uses specialized graphs to trend the FFT and SRL information for the entire reel. It stores data in a three-dimensional spectrograph, so manufacturers can determine exactly where the cable is experiencing the SRL problems. Fig. 6 illustrates the presence of continuous FFT spikes at 10Hz and 35Hz with an intermittent spike at 20Hz (circled). It is clear that the 20Hz-spike is present in three different sections. Fig. 7 illustrates correlating SRL dropouts. The intermittent nature of dropout caused by the 20Hz FFT spike is visible around 500MHz. Ethernet capability allows the user to connect the system to a network and monitor the status of alarms. Recipes allow the user to save configurations for each product in a specific recipe and recall it as needed.

Case study examples The following examples illustrate real-world cases where utilizing the SRL Pro system has helped wire and cable manufacturers to effectively identify and troubleshoot line problems, and in return improve product quality and realize significant time, material, and cost savings. Case 1. This case involves a coaxial cable manufacturer with two plants. Plant A produces the core for coaxial cable and ships it to Plant B. Plant A extrudes the core on 10,000 meter reels. To confirm the core quality meets the finished cable specifications, Plant A takes a sample of a few hundred meters from each reel and braids the outer conductor AUGUST 2011 | 69

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 7. Trending of SRL prediction using the special graph.

on the core. Upon conducting an off-line sweep test for SRL performance, it is determined that the core meets the requirements of Plant B. This practice is repeated for each reel prior to shipping to Plant B. Plant B receives the core and braids each reel, then cuts the necessary length of the braided cable and runs a sweep test. The braided cable fails the test. Plant B rejects the entire reel. This process is repeated for each reel, and at some point every reel is rejected. At first, Plant A was under the impression that the problem had to be the way Plant B was braiding the cable, as samples from each reel were being braided and passing the sweep test. Plant B argued that it could not have been the braiding process as it utilized many different braiders and the sweep test results were similarly failing. Eventually, production of this specific cable came to a halt in both plants. Plant A installed an SRL Pro system equipped with AS50005 gauges to monitor the diameter and a KG20086 gauge to monitor the capacitance variations on the core during the extrusion process. Because SRLPro is equipped with trending graphs to record FFT vs. Frequency and SRL vs.Frequency for the entire reel, they were able to record the SRL performance of cable for each reel. After monitoring these trending graphs, it was apparent that after each reel change the process was not stable enough. Normally, after a few minutes the process would stabilize and the line would manage to make good product for the rest of the reel, but the initial production was flawed. Note that the first few hundred meters of the reel would not be exposed during the tests at Plant A. It would only be visible after Plant B braided the core and took a sample of a few hundred meter at the end of the reel, which is the section of core where the process was unstable in Plant A. Consequently, Plant B would reject the reel thinking that the entire reel was bad. Since the cause of the problem proved to be difficult to 70 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

locate and resolve quickly, the manufacturer proceeded with an interim solution. Plant A and Plant B agreed to utilize the in-line SRLPro predictor and mark each reel indicating the meters of the out-of-tolerance portion at the reel, and then cut off that portion during the braiding process. This was easily done by configuring the SRLPro to print out a report for each reel with Spectrographs displaying the out-of-tolerance portion of the reel. Case 2. In another plant (Plant C), it was reported that three types of coaxial cables failed the SRL sweep test in a similar manner. In all three cables, the dropout occurred at approximately the same frequency (1.1 GHz). It was determined that the cause of the failure was the primary extrusion process, because all three cores were braided using a different braider. Since the process commonality ended at the completion of the primary extrusion, it would have been very unlikely that all three different braiders would have caused the same drop-out frequency. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show the off-line sweep test results for each cable. They all indicate the presence of a spike at approximately 1.1 GHz. SRL Pro was used to perform in-line prediction based on diameter. As shown in Fig. 11, there was a spike at approximately 1.1 GHz. The same spike was also present after the SRL prediction based on capacitance. Fig. 12 shows the SRL prediction based on the capacitance variations. These tests confirmed that the spike was introduced during the extrusion process. The next step was to identify the cause of these variations by utilizing the FFT capability of SRL Pro. The graphs in Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are the result of monitoring the various parameters of the cable and extrusion line. They all indicate a spike at 3.75Hz, suggesting the presence of cyclical variations in those parameters. Fig. 13 is the graph for FFT vs. Hz, based on capacitance. It indicates a 0.0088 pf/meter (0.0027 pf/ft) spike at 3.75 Hz. Using this information and knowing the line speed, one can calculate the distance between variations. Using

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 8. SRL Sweep test of cable one.

Fig. 9. SRL Sweep test of cable two.

Fig. 10. SRL Sweep test of cable three.

FFT vs. Length graph, it was easily determined that the distance between each variation was every 11.778 cm (0.38667 ft x 12 in = 4.64 in) of cable length. As shown in Fig. 15, the same 3.75 Hz spike was also present in the diameter measurements. This was useful information in determining possible causes. Since both

capacitance and diameter measurements differed, it was apparent that this was a dimensional variation. Some of the possibilities included variations in line speed, line tension and extruder screw speed. Using the third input channel of the SRL Pro, the FFT was performed based on the line tension. As shown in Fig.

AUGUST 2011 | 71

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 11. Predicted SRL of diameter, spike at @1.1GHz.

Fig. 12. SRL of capacitance, spike at @1.1GHz.

16, the presence of a 3.75 Hz spike was discovered. It was now safe to conclude that the cause of the spike was not the extruder. Some reasons for variation in line tension could have been an out-of-round or damaged sheave or pulley, a worn bearing on the pulleys, a bad gear in one of the gear boxes, a misaligned drive mechanism in the capstan(s), an unstable drive-motor due to mechanical or electromechanical imperfection, a cycling motor driver or oscillation in line speed. As one can imagine, the possibilities are numerous. The next step was to utilize the hand-held accelerometer with an analog output, which was connected to channel four of the SRL Pro. The plant conducted vibration tests on various components or group of components. The purpose was to identify vibration pattern at 3.75 Hz or its harmonics. Various tests conducted on the metering capstan

revealed the presence of multiple spikes, including the one at 3.75 Hz. Fig. 17 shows the FFT result of one of these tests. Fig. 18 shows the actual data recorded by the accelerometer. It shows the 3.75 Hz, as well as the other spikes. Once it was determined that there was a vibration pattern in the metering capstan, the capstan was bypassed using some pulleys. After the capstan was removed from the line, the FFT tests on diameter, capacitance and line tension revealed that the spike was no longer present. This confirmed that the source of the spike was within the metering capstan. The capstan was a system made of many components, such as the capstan sheave, sheave drive belt, gear box, gear drive belt, driver motor and motor controller. After a component-level troubleshooting exercise, it was deter-

Fig. 13. FFT of capacitance, spike at 3.75Hz.

72 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fig. 14. FFT vs Length, spike every 0.38 ft.

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 15. FFT of diameter, spike at 3.75 Hz.

Fig. 16. FFT of line tension, spike at 3.75 Hz.

Fig. 17. FFT of Accelerometer, spike at 3.75 Hz.

Fig. 18. Accelerometer measurement on capstan.

Fig. 19. Sweep-test after the belt was replaced.

AUGUST 2011 | 73

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mined that the problem was the drive belt. The belt was replaced and the spike was no longer present (see Fig. 19). As seen above, using the capabilities of the SRL Pro enables manufacturers to detect these spikes. Given the amplitude of the signal, it would have been impossible to identify these spikes by using traditional measurement methods, such as trending measurements. Troubleshooting was performed on a coaxial core line, but similar troubleshooting methods can be applied to other types of cable lines.

Conclusion On-line SRL prediction has evolved to become a necessary part of the data cable manufacturing process. Newly developed systems are not limited to the detection of SRL problems. They can provide the necessary information to identify the source of SRL problems, allowing fast troubleshooting of potentially costly and complex problems.

References 1. H. Hughes, “Telecommunications Cables Design, Manufacture and Installation,” 1997, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2. Equipment supplied by Beta LaserMike. 3. “The FFT Fundamentals and Concepts,” 1985, Tektronix, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 4. H. Hughes “Telecommunications Cables Design, Manufacture and Installation,” 1997, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 5. Equipment supplied by Beta LaserMike. 6. Equipment supplied by Beta LaserMike.

Web references 2, 5, 6. www.betalasermike.com 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fft 4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Nyquist-Shannon_sampling_theorem ■

Author Ethem Erdas, l, displays the award presented to him by Eric Macs at Interwire 2011.

Ethem Erdas is the product marketing manager for Beta LaserMike’s wire and cable division, Dayton, Ohio, USA. After joining the company in 1990, he gained experience in laser-based non-contact measurement instrumentation and its application in the wire and cable field. He has held various technical and managerial positions in the organization. From 1985 to 1990 he worked at JC Laser Corp., in the development and manufacturing of metal vapor lasers. A native of Turkey, he earned his B.S. degree in electronics and computer engineering technologies at the University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA. This paper, which was presented at WAI’s International Technical Conference, Monterrey, Mexico, October 2010, won the Silver Certificate Award in the Electrical Division.

74 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER Improvement of mechanical properties of drawn aluminum wire for wiring harnesses By using an alternative drawing method for aluminum wire, it was found that the breaking strain and the sheer strain properties of the drawn wire are both approximately 20% better than that of wire that is conventionally drawn, improving its use for wiring harnesses. By Kazunari Yoshida and Shunichi Kikuchi

In the automobile industry, there has been more discussion of using aluminum instead of copper for wiring harness to help reduce the weight of cars and improve fuel efficiency because the specific gravity of aluminum is approximately one-third of that of copper1. The material used for wiring harness is required to have the following mechanical properties: high strength, high toughness and good fatigue characteristics. Wiring harnesses must also have high ductility so they can be easily installed in a vehicle body that has limited space and be able to endure repeated bending and torsion stress when the vehicle is in use2. The goal of this research is to focus on the use of aluminum wire as a material for wiring harness, and to verify that highly-ductile wires can be obtained by alternate drawing. In alternate drawing, the drawing direction is changed for each pass. In this way, the additional shear strain applied to wire material can be suppressed. So, alternate drawing can yield more ductile wires than conventional drawing.

This study verifies the effectiveness of alternate drawing by both experiments and simulations by the finite element method (FEM).

Material and experimental method The material and experimental conditions are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. Annealed aluminum wires with a diameter of 10 mm and the purity of 99.7% were used in the experiments. The mother wires were drawn from 10 mm to 0.5 mm in diameter under the condition that the reduction per pass was approximately 20%. Diamond die and WC dies with a die half-angle of 6o were used. Diamond dies were used when the wire diameter were 2.0 mm or less3. The drawing speed was 500 mm/min, and a petroleum-based hydrocarbon lubricant was used. The effectiveness of alternate drawing, in which the drawing direction is reversed for each pass, was verified by evaluating the mechanical properties, metal structure, hardness distribution, and the distribution of equivalent strain calculated by FEM analysis.

Table 1. Tested wire. Table 2. Experimental condition. 76 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 1. Changes in metal structure of mother wire and drawn wires.

Experimental results/discussion of using alternate drawing directions Metal structure of drawn wire. The metal structure of drawn wires was observed under an optical microscope. Figs. 1 and 2 show the observation on metal structures of the drawn wires obtained by single drawing, or single direction drawing (unidirectional drawing), and alternate drawing. The metal structure of the wires is extended in the drawing direction by drawing, and finally a fibrous structure4 appears. As shown in Fig. 1, the fibrous structure of both wires becomes observable with an

Fig. 2. Metal structure of drawn wire at Rt = 99.8%.

Fig. 3. Miller index of drawn wire with Rt=78%, 99.8%. AUGUST 2011 | 77

TECHNICAL PAPERS

increase of total sectional reduction ratio Rt. However, there is a big difference in the process of fibrous structure emergence between the single drawing and the alternate drawing. The amount of fibrous structure of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing is smaller than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. Crystal grains of 30-50Îźm in diameter are always found in the drawn wires formed by alternate drawing. A similar observation can be seen in Fig. 2 (b). The fibrous structure of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing with the condition of Rt = 99.8% was not like that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. Fig. 3 shows the observation on the plane direction of the drawn wire shown in Fig. 2. Those were measured by XRD (X-Ray Diffraction spectroscopy).

Fig. 4. Comparison of stress-strain curve in wires formed by single drawing and alternate drawing.

Fig. 5. Comparison of ductile fracture of single drawing and alternate drawing.

78 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The fibrous structure of both wires was arranged mainly in a (111) plane. However, it was revealed that the fibrous structure of the drawn wire formed by alternate drawing was also arranged strongly in (100) plane. These results presumably indicate that the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing has high ductility owing to its crystals being arranged in (111) and (100) planes. Change in mechanical properties of drawn wire. The mechanical properties of drawn wires of Rt = 99.8% were evaluated by tensile test and Vickers hardness test. Figs. 4 and 5 show the results of tensile test and the ductile fracture, respectively, for the drawn wires obtained by single drawing, or single direction drawing, and alternate drawing. The tensile strength and breaking strain of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing are approximately 15 MPa lower and 20% higher than those of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing, respectively. This result reveals that the ductility of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing is higher than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. Dimples and shear lips5 were observed on the fracture cross section of both wires. See Fig. 5. However, there is a difference in the region of dimples and shear lips between both wires. The dimple area ratio of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing was approximately 20% larger than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. Fig. 6 shows the hardness distribution of both wires. The Vickers hardness of the surface layers of the wire formed by alternate drawing is slightly lower than that of the wire formed by single drawing. This may be because the development of additional shear strain on the wire surface is suppressed during alternate drawing, decreasing the Vickers hardness. See Fig. 7. Distribution of equivalent strain and residual stress of drawn wires calculated by FEM analysis. A comparison of the equivalent strain and residual stress were calculated by FEM analysis to clarify the effects of these methods, or single drawing and alternate drawing, on drawn wires. Fig. 8 shows the change in the shape of elements and the distribution of equivalent strain, and Fig. 9 shows the distribution of residual stress of drawn wires calculated by FEM analysis and the slitting method6. As shown in Fig. 8, the elements subjected to single drawing are elongated along the drawing direction, whereas the elements subjected to alternate drawing show no marked change in their shape. As for the distribution of equivalent strain, there is a difference particularly at the surface layer of the wires; the equivalent strain of the surface layer of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing is about 20% smaller than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. Here, the numerical values of equivalent strain were confirmed. The values of equivalent strain at the surface layer after alternate drawing were approximately 20% smaller than those after single drawing. From Fig. 9, the result of a measurement of slitting method and FEM analysis was corresponding well. As for the residual stress, it is understood that alternate drawing is

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 6. Vickers hardness distributions in single and alternate drawing comparisons of wire. Rt = 99.8%.

lower than single drawing. As for alternate drawing that can obtain the wire of low hardness, the residual stress on the surface is restrained to low. From these results, it reveals that the strain generated on a wire during each pass of drawing is cancelled by reversing the drawing direction of the subsequent pass, thus suppressing the work hardening of the wire. This can explain why the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing has slightly lower strength and higher ductility in the tensile test described in the previous section. And as shown in Fig. 9, the results calculated by the slitting method agree well with the result calculated by FEM analysis, and the residual stress of the drawn wire obtained by alternate drawing is lower than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. In other words, it revealed that residual stress on the surface of wires can be kept low by alternate drawing that makes it possible to form wires of low hardness. Wires obtained by alternate drawing are expected to have improved fatigue and strength properties because it is possible to suppress the tension residual stress of wires. As described above, the alternate drawing method has been verified to be an effective method for drawing of aluminum wire used for wiring harness that requires high ductility.

Fig. 7. Comparison of additional shear strain of single drawing and alternate drawing.

Fig. 8. Change in the shape of elements and distribution of equivalent strain by FEM (R/P=20%, Îą=6, 5Passes).

Conclusions The effectiveness of alternate drawing for yielding highly ductile aluminum wire by both experiment and FEM analysis was researched, with the results presented here as follows: â&#x20AC;˘ The tensile strength and breaking strain of the wire formed by alternate drawing are approximately 15MPa lower and 20% higher than those of the wire formed by single drawing.

Fig. 9. Axial residual stress of drawn wires calculated by FEM analysis and the slitting method. AUGUST 2011 | 79

TECHNICAL PAPERS

• The metal structure of the wire formed by alternate drawing shows fibrous structure tissues in (111) and (100) plane, and fibrous-structured crystal grains are fewer than that of the wire formed by single drawing. • The additional shear strain generated on the surface layer of the wire formed by alternate drawing is approximately 20% lower than that of the drawn wire obtained by single drawing. And alternate drawing makes it possible to suppress the work hardening of wires, so the method is useful for yielding tough wires.

References 1. S. Aratani, Series of materials used in factories— Aluminum, pp. 144-145, 2007. 2. O. Furukawa, “Book to understand all of automobile Teaching of professional,” pp. 9-12, 2000. 3. K. Yoshida, “Current state of diamond dies for drawing,” NEW DIAMOND, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1997. 4. N. Inakazu and Y. Satou, “Drawing—from fundamentals to up-to-date techniques,” pp. 18-21, 1990. 5. M. Murata, Fractgraphy, “Analysis of fracture and breakage,” pp. 22-24, 2009. 6. H. Buhler and E.H. Schulz, Stahl und Eisen, 70, pp. 1147-1152, 1950. ■

Yoshida

Kikuchi

Kazunari Yoshida is a professor of precision mechanics at the school of engineering at Tokai University, Japan. He researches wiredrawing, extrusion, and forging processes and has served as a member of the steering committee for Japanese Wire Drawing. He holds a Ph.D. degree in engineering. He authored a prize-winning paper for the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity in 1984 and won medal awards from the Wire Association International for the best paper in the nonferrous division in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004, and in the general division in 2008 and 2009. Shunichi Kikuchi is a graduate student at Tokai University. This paper was presented at WAI’s 80th Annual Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, May 2010.

80 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Effect of boron alloying on austenite decomposition in 0.80C wire rod grades The effects of the addition of a boron alloy were studied to see if it could minimize nitrogen strain aging in high-carbon wire rod grades processed in electric arc furnaces. By Emmanuel De Moor, David K. Matlock, Walther Van Raemdonck, Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Peter M. Power, and Robert J. Glodowski

Substitution of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steel by continuous cast electric arc furnace (EAF) steel imposes challenges on meeting product quality requirements that include torsional ductility. The inability to meet specific torsional ductility requirements often relates to the inherently higher nitrogen content of EAF steel. If the nitrogen is mobile, it can cause strain aging that results in increased work hardening and reduced ductility in wire products1. The advent of continuous billet casting further enhanced the need to reproduce the properties of ingot-cast â&#x20AC;&#x153;rimmedâ&#x20AC;? EAF steels with continuous cast EAF steels. Low-carbon rimmed steels exhibit lower tensile strengths and lower rates of work hardening during wiredrawing, reportedly due to the C and N reduction from the rimming action. Significant research has been conducted to reduce the free nitrogen content of low-carbon wire rod grades by alloying with micro-additions of, e.g., boron, vanadium or niobium1-4. An interesting aspect of using boron to tie up the nitrogen is that lower as-rolled tensile strengths are often obtained that may be due to reduced solid solution strengthening as nitrogen is removed from the ferrite. It is, however, interesting to note that strength reduction is not observed when Al or Ti is added as a nitride-former, suggesting that the nitrogen strengthening loss is balanced by precipitation strengthening of AlN or TiN1. It has been suggested that the strength reduction in boron steels may relate to an

alloying effect on the austenite to ferrite transformation1. Boron alloying of high carbon grades has received less attention7 and is the subject of the present investigation. This contribution reports the effects of boron on austenite decomposition in 0.80C steels.

Experimental Procedure Two experimental heats with compositions shown in Table 1 were laboratory-cast and hot-rolled. The B alloy was designed to have a boron level at a stoichiometric ratio with the nitrogen level according to the following nitride-forming reaction: B + N = BN

Eq. (1)

Given the atomic weight for B and N of 11 g/mol and 14 g/mol, respectively, a B:N ratio of 11:14 or 0.79 corresponds to stoichiometry. Note that the heat analysis indicates that a higher B:N ratio of 62:43 or 1.44 was obtained. Free boron may hence also be present, in addition to other combined forms. The laboratory heats were prepared as tapered ingots that are 30.5 cm (12 in.) long with a large diameter of 14.6 cm (5.75 in.) and a small diameter of 13.3 cm (5.25 in). After removal of the taper by machining, a 12.7 cm (5 in.) diame-

Table 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chemical compositions in wt% of studied steels.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 1. Schematic of thermal profiles used to construct CCT diagrams.

Fig. 2. Dilation as a function of temperature plots for cooling rates of 7.5°C/s and 50°C/s for the base alloy.

ter billet was obtained. The material was then hot-rolled in a hand-charged, hot-rolling rod mill. The ingots were reheated to 1176°C (2150°F) and hot rolling was carried out in three steps on two hot-rolling mills. The initial reduction was from 12.7 to a 9.5 cm (3.75 in) round-corner square (RCS), followed by air cooling to room temperature, reheating and rolling to 4.76 cm (1.875 in.). The material was then machined to remove oxides and some of the decarburized layer and cut in six-seven blocks. The final reduction was carried out on a second mill to a final size of 7.1 mm (0.28 in.) followed by air cooling. Thermo-Calc® thermodynamic calculations predicted no potential for hot shortness and no breakage or significant surface defects were observed. The rods were straightened and sectioned so that 10.2 cm (4 in.)-long samples were obtained for dilatometry tests. Dilatometry was carried out on a GLEEBLE® 1500 system. Continuous cooling and transformation (CCT) diagrams were constructed by applying thermal profiles schematically represented in Fig. 1. Reheating was done at a constant heating rate of 20°C/s to 950°C where the sample was held isothermally for 5 min. The steel was then cooled in helium gas at programmed constant cooling rates of 50, 30, 25, 12.5, 10, 7.5, 5, 2.5 and 1°C/s respectively. Consecutive tests were conducted on a single specimen per alloy.

rates as the temperatures where dilation deviates from linearity. At temperatures above the pearlite start temperature, a more subtle deviation from linearity is observed in the dilation as a function of temperature plot, as illustrated in Fig. 3, for a cooling rate of 7.5°C/s in the B alloy. This signal is believed to be related to the formation of proeutectoid constituents such as cementite or ferrite. Microstructural analysis will be conducted to further investigate the nature of this signal. CCT diagrams given in Fig. 4 were constructed from the obtained transformation start and finish temperatures for both alloys. Significant scatter in the start and finish transformation temperatures of the proeutectoid constituents exists in the base alloy. A more consistent trend was observed in the

Results and discussion Representative dilation as a function of temperature curves are given for the base alloy in Fig. 2, which shows cooling rates of 7.5°C/s and 50°C/s. Note that the curves were shifted vertically for clarity of presentation. Two distinct transformations are apparent in the curves. Pearlite transformation is observed in the 7.5°C/s cooling curve whereas pearlite transformation was not detected in the 50°C/s cooling curve. Martensite transformation, however, is apparent at the lower temperature in the latter curve. Pearlite and martensite start and finish temperatures were determined from the dilation as a function of temperature plots for all investigated cooling

82 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fig. 3. Dilation as a function of temperature curve for a cooling rate of 7.5°C/s for the B alloy.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

pearlite transformation temperatures. Pearlite formation was not detected at the cooling rates of 50 and 25°C/s. An Ms temperature of 282°C was measured from the martensite transformation signals obtained at these cooling rates. Pearlite transformation was detected for all cooling rates employed here in the B alloy. It is apparent from comparing Figs. 4a and Fig. 4b that the proeutectoid and pearlite noses are shifted to the left, i.e., kinetics are increased in the B alloy. This is counterintuitive as boron is known to be a potent hardenability alloying element8. It should, however, be noted that boron is only effective when present as “free” boron, i.e., not tied up as, e.g., BN. When no free boron is present, similar hardenability as observed in the base alloy is hence expected. The pearlite nose, however, appears shifted to the left in the B alloy compared to the base alloy. The increased pearlite kinetics may result in coarser final microstructures and increased lamellar spacings which would in turn result in lower strength levels as observed in low-carbon, boronalloyed wire grades1. It is interesting to note that Ueda9-10 claims decreased hardenability by boron alloying in highcarbon rail steels9-10 and that the presence of proeutectoid ferrite was reported for 0.82C boron alloyed steels by Choo and Bae11. The authors suggest that the presence of ferrite is related to carbon depletion near austenite grain boundaries due to borocarbide precipitation, although this was not studied in detail. Another potential mechanism may be the nucleation of ferrite on BN similar to the known effect of VN particles serving as potent nucleation sites for ferrite formation12-13. Further work, including detailed microscopy, will be conducted to investigate the effect.

Summary The effect of boron alloying on austenite decomposition in 0.80C wire rod grades was studied by dilatometry. A base alloy and an alloy with boron added to the base composition were laboratory prepared. The boron alloy was designed to minimize the presence of free nitrogen by BN formation. CCT diagrams were constructed and increased proeutectoid and pearlite kinetics were observed in the boron alloy. The effects of boron on the transformation kinetics were interpreted to reflect the enhanced effects of BN on ferrite nucleation and the kinetics of pearlite formation. The potential effects of the differences in transformation response on the resulting properties of processed wire products will be the subject of a subsequent investigation.

Acknowledgements The sponsors of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center, an industry/university cooperative research center at the Colorado School of Mines, are gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks are addressed to Lee Rothleutner for his assistance in the dilatometry experiments, to the Timken Company for providing the experimental heats used in this study, and to Braeburn Alloy Steel for the rod rolling.

Fig. 4. CCT diagram obtained for: a) the base alloy, and b) the B alloy.

References 1. R.J. Glodowski, “Nitrogen Strain Aging in Ferritic Steels,” Wire Journal International, pp. 70-75, Jan. 2005. 2. B. Yalamanchili, J.B. Nelson, P.M. Power and D. Lanham, “North Star Steel Texas’s experience with boron additions to low-carbon steel,” Wire Journal International, pp. 90-94, Nov. 2001. 3. B. Yalamanchili, P.M. Power and D. Lanham, “A technical review of industrial practices for decreasing the strain hardening rate of low carbon steel wire,” Wire Journal International, pp. 108-111, July 2005. 4. I.D. McIvor, “Microalloyed very low carbon steel rod,” Ironmaking and Steelmaking, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 55-63, 1989. 5. A.R. Franks and A. Kirkcaldy, “The effect of boron on the properties of electric arc-sourced plain carbon wiredrawing qualities,” Wire Journal International, pp. 100-113, May 1998. 6. B. Marin, A. Bell, Z. Idoyaga, V. Colla and L.M. Fernandez, “Optimisation of the Influence of Boron on the Properties of Steel,” ECSC Technical Steel Research Contract No. 7210-PR/355, 2007. AUGUST 2011 | 83

TECHNICAL PAPERS

7. P. Hesse and M. Klemm, “Additions of Boron in High Carbon Wire Rods,” Proc. of the Wire Association International Intl. Conference, Zakopane, Poland, 1999. 8. Ph. Maitrepierre, J. Rofes-Vernis and D. Thivellier, “Structure-Properties Relationships in Boron Steels,” Proc. of the Intl. Symposium on Boron in Steel, eds. S.K. Banerji and J.E. Morral, AIME, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, Sept. 18, 1979, pp. 1-18. 9. M. Ueda and K. Uchino, “Steel Rail Having Excellent Wear Resistance and Internal Breakage Resistance, and Method of Producing the same,” U.S. Patent 5 830 286, Nov. 1998. 10. S. Ueda, M. Ishikawa and N. Ohashi, “Enhanced Nucleation of Polygonal Ferrite Grain in the Interior of Austenite Grain in Boron Bearing Steel,” Boron in Steel,

De Moor

Matlock

Van Raemdonck

Emmanuel De Moor is currently involved in steel wire research at the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA. He previously conducted research on the ferrous metallurgy of sheet products. He holds PhD and MS degrees from Ghent University, Belgium. David K. Matlock is currently the Armco Foundation Fogarty Professor in the George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Director of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center at the Colorado School of Mines. He received his B.S. degree in engineering science from the University of Texas at Austin and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. Walther Van Raemdonck has been general manager of technology wire international for NV Bekaert SA, Zwevegem, Belgium, since 2001. He joined the company in 1986 and has since been involved in numerous product and process development projects for steel cord and wire. He earned a PhD degree in metallurgy and applied materials science from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Bhaskar Yalamanchili is director of corporate quality for Gerdau Ameristeel (Gerdau). He is responsible for coordinating process/product quality and quality assurance of Gerdau’s 18 plants. He had previously served as manager product development & technology for its plant in Beaumont, Texas, USA, where he had served in quality

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Metallurgical Society of AIME, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, pp. 181-198, 1979. 11. W.Y. Choo and C.M. Bae, “Drawing Behavior of Pearlitic Steel Wire Rods Controlled by Boron Addition in Medium Carbon Steel,” ISIJ International, Vol. 42, Suppl., pp. S47-S51, 2002. 12. American Bureau of Shipping, NY, “The National Shipbuilding Research Program 1985 Ship Production Symposium Volume II Paper No. 4: Higher Strength Steels Specially Processed for High Heat Input Welding,” pp. 596646, Sep. 1985. 13. S. Zajac, “Precipitation of Microalloy Carbo-nitrides Prior, During and After/Transformation,” Mat. Sci. Forum, Vols. 500-501, pp. 75-86, 2005. ■

Yalamanchili

Power

Glodowski

assurance when it was the North Star Steel Beaumont plant. He holds a Ph.D. degree in engineering from Lamar University in Beaumont; an M.S. degree in process metallurgy from Georgia Institute of Technology; an M.S. degree in physical metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Technology, India; and a B.S. degree in metallurgy from Banaras Hindu University, India. He has published 23 technical papers and holds a patent in producing low-carbon wire rod with boron. He was awarded WAI's 2008 Mordica Memorial Award. Peter M. Power is now retired and advises Gerdau as a metallurgical consultant. He was previously senior metallurgist, process and product improvement at the Beaumont mill, where he had served in various capacities for 32 years. He holds a B.Eng. degree from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, Canada, and a B.Sc. degree from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. Robert J. Glodowski is director, technical services, for East Metals North America LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He previously worked for Armco Inc./GST for 30 years. He has served in a wide range of positions in the wire industry, from principal metallurgist to director of rod production. He has published numerous technical papers and holds two patents. A long-time active member of WAI, and other industry organizations, he won the 2002 Mordica Memorial Award. This paper was presented at WAI’s International Technical Conference, Monterrey, Mexico, October 2010.

PROD DUCTS Fiber optic cables are FAA compliant Draka Communications Americas reports that its series of fiber optic loose tube cables specifically designed for use in airport and similar aviation facilities meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements (FAA-E-2761-Type B). A press release said that the loose tube cables incorporate a highly chemical-resistant, double-jacketing system that is ideally suited for use in pathways exposed to hydrocarbon liquids, de-icing fluids, cleaning solvents, jet fuels and other chemicals and lubricants typically found in aviation environments. The key features and benefits of the cables, which are available in a variety of fiber types, include: a chemical-resistant outer jacket for placement in runways and ducts for communication and lighting; a 20-ft mid-span buffer tube storage capability, allowing for mid cable access; flexible buffer tubes that are craft friendly for easy routing in closures; available with the BendBright® family of bend insensitive fibers, including single-mode and multimode fibers; a Colorlock® fiber coating for long lasting fiber reliability and color vibrancy with singlemode fibers; and available in fiber configurations from from 6 to 60. Contact: Draka Communications Americas, www.draka.com/communications.

Cable now has low-friction PVC jacket for easy installation U.S.-based General Cable Corporation reports that Uniblend® LF MV-105 now features a low-friction PVC jacket for ease of installation of the medium-voltage cable, which is available in voltages ranging from 5 kV to 35 kV and meets or exceeds all electrical and physical requirements of UL 1072 MV-105. A press release said that the cable now has up to a 45% reduction in coefficient of friction, which allows the Uniblend LF product to be pulled longer and faster, “delivering efficient, cost-effective performance for even the most difficult installations.” Uniblend LF is available with both copper compact Class B stranded conductors that provide excellent electrical stability and aluminum compact Class B

STRANDFILL® blocked conductors for longitudinal water penetration resistance, it said, adding that the cables are compatible with all standard splice and termination kits and can be installed in conduit, open tray and underground duct applications. The release said that the ultra-clean EPR insulation provides excellent heat and moisture resistance, flexibility for easy handling, high dielectric strength, low dielectric loss and electrical stability under stress, while its triplelayer extrusion of strand shield, insulation and insulation shield combine to form a virtually perfect cable core. The cable’s 5 mil copper tape shield with 25% overlap “stands up to the rigors of installation and provides superior short-circuit performance,” it said. Contact: General Cable Corporation, www.generalcable.com.

Gel-free loose tube cables are offered for OSP applications U.S.-based Superior Essex now offers Dri-Lite gel-free loose tube cables for a wide variety of Outside Plant (OSP) applications in multimode and single mode fiber designs. A press release said that loose tube cables, the product of choice as the backbone in OSP environments, offer reliable transmission performance over a broad temperature range. It said that the dry Dri-Lite cables fit in spacesaving 2.5 mm buffer tubes that contain highly engineered, super-absorbent yarns that swell on contact and block water ingress.

The multimode and single mode offerings of Dri-Lite gel-free loose tube cables are available in fiber counts ranging from 12 to 288, the release said. The line includes: the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Single Jacket All Dielectric, Series 11D; the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Double Jacket Non-Armor, Series 1GD; the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Single Jacket Single Armor, Series 12D; the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Double Jacket Single Armor, Series 1AD; the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Double Jacket Double Armor, Series 1DD; and the Dri-Lite Loose Tube Triple Jacket Double Armor, Series 1CD. The release noted that the company continues to offer gel-filled loose tubes cables, which contain PFM gel. Contact: Superior Essex, www.superioressex.com.

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Batch blender provides consistent end product for wide throughput range Ireland’s TSM Control Systems has introduced a new system, the Opti-mix 50™ batch blender, that it said is designed to meet demand for a low throughput, flexible blending system. A press release said that the blender has a throughput range from 1 to 200 kg/hr, using four easily removable hoppers with individual integrated slide valves for fast material changes. The blender, it said, incorporates the company’s patented reverse-flight auger mixer and high accuracy material dosing, up to +/- 0.1% of set point, to provide exceptional material blend homogeneity. The result is that the system can provide a consistent, quality end-product with excellent masterbatch savings, it said. The optimix batch blender is compact with a low height profile, and the mixing chamber is completely removable for easy cleaning purposes, the release said. The dosing valves are made from heavy duty stainless steel with a teflon guide and the pneumatic system is driven by a festo valve block, it said, adding that a remote color graphical touch-screen interface simplifies recipe change and selection. Up to 100 pre-programmed job recipes are instantly accessible, enabling rapid “on-the-fly” order changes. The recipe select feature allows a new job to be loaded instantly, including blend percentages or job size, and as the job progresses the operator can view “set” and “actual” blend recipes, material weights and kg/hr throughput values, plus a full reporting facility, it said. Contact: TSM Control Systems, tel: 353-429335560, sales@tsm-controls.com; in N. America, tel. 770-8866630, sales@us.tsm-controls.com.

Ultrasonic metal welders can generate significant savings U.S.-based Sonobond reports that its ultrasonic metal welding equipment continues to offer significant energy cost-saving advantages to manufacturers when compared to other bonding methods. A press release said that the equipment “not only produces superior metal welds, it also generates important savings in comparison to such methods as resistance welding and soldering.” It cited a number of advantages, such as: significantly less energy consumption compared to resistance welders, which it said can require as much as 20 times more energy; half the costs for attaching copper wires compared to old crimp and solder methods; improved welded joints that are stronger, have better electrical conductivity, and weigh less without the mechanical 86 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

crimp; and tips that are easy to replace, good for up to 100,000 welds and do not require replacement of entire horn, just the tip. The company reported that its SpliceRite™ Wire Splicer provides the lowest resistance, most reliable electrical connections; Dual Head SpliceRite™ model features two ultrasonic welding heads, one on each side of the welding area, for increased welding capacity; its SonoWeld® 1600 Spot Welder performs spot welds, as well as wire-to-terminal welding of nonferrous metals, including dissimilar metals such as copper to aluminum; its Dual Head Spot Welder features two ultrasonic welding heads, one on either side of the welding area, for increased welding capacity; and Ultrasonic Single Point Ground Welder—SPG 2600 can weld up to 18 wires to a single terminal with just one pulse before automatically folding the terminal arms to provide stress release on the joint. Contact: Melissa Alleman, Sonobond Ultrasonics, tel. 800-323-1269, malleman@sonobondultrasonics.com, www.sonobondultrasonics.com.

Plasma cleaning excels for tinning Austria’s Plasmait GmbH, represented in North America by Howar Equipment, reports that plasma-based heat and surface treatment machines that provide significant energy savings are environmentally sound replacements for acid or alkaline cleaning and deoxidation or fluxing processes. A press release said that the company’s technology is suitable for a wide range of applications, from solar photovoltaics, aerospace and welding to precision electronics, medical and steel descaling. “Perhaps the greenest of Plasmait solutions is PlasmaPREPLATE Tinning Line that is used for production of PV ribbon – a tinned copper ribbon used in virtually every solar panel in the world,” it said, noting that the PV ribbon must retain a high degree of conductivity throughout the life-time of a solar panel, which typically is 20 to 25 years, and its solder contact with the cell must withstand outdoor weather conditions that often include fluctuating temperatures and humidity. The PlasmaPREPLATE process allows a production of a ribbon with a high degree of softness and tin coat quality with the lowest tolerances in the industry, the

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release said. The computer-controlled process line can run up to five times the speed of a conventional line while performing annealing and cleaning in-line with tinning in a single run, it said. The process requires less manpower while using considerably less energy and space as any other conventional process for production of PV ribbon, it said. Contact: Plasmait GmbH, info@plasmait.com; Howar Equipment Inc., tel. 905-265-8912, sales@howarequipment.com, www.howarequipment.com.

Cables can come in larger print sizes U.S.-based Cerro Wire LLC, a Marmon Wire & Cable/Berkshire Hathaway company, reports that its large print Max Print® wire labeling system is now available for all sizes of its True Sequential Footage™ reels of sequentially printed cables. A press release said that Max Print makes it easier for contractors “to identify the wire manufacturer and size and view the sequential footage in large print, making installation and inspection easier and faster.” The Max Print gauge size is printed 300 percent larger than standard labeling to make it easier and quicker to read the gauge size, which in turn reduces errors and aids in the inspection process, it said. The option was described as ideal for use in warehouses and job sites where lighting is an issue.

Max Print is available for 1 AWG – 750 MCM THHN2/THWN-2 products, the release said. “Cerro wire developed True Sequential Footage to address a problem that plagues every electrical distributor: the need to carry more inventory to cover wire cutting inconsistencies,” Rick McDonald, president of Cerro wire Electrical Distribution, said in the release. “Adding Max Print improves the product further, eliminating problems and errors associated with printing wire size and footage in very small print.” Contact: Cerro Wire LLC, www.cerrowire.com.

Cord assemblies are Cat. 6 compatible Siemon’s Interconnect Solutions (SIS), a business of Siemon, a global manufacturer of IT network cabling and infrastructure systems, has introduced Cat. 6-compatible flat patch cords for in-cabinet network equipment connectivity. A Siemon Interconnect Solution’s press release said that the RJ45 copper cable assemblies support Cat. 6 transmission performance in a low-profile construction that provides for tighter bend radius and more easily managed cable routing. It said that as the patch cords use four pairs of 28-gage cable in a rectangular cross section that is only 0.089 in. (2.2 mm) thick, the small profile allows two to three flat cables to 88 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

be neatly bundled in the space of a single round 24-gage cable. It noted that smaller gage conductors used in flat cables can result in unreliable connections, with some commercially available flat cable cords showing a significant 5 dB drop in return loss margins. “Due to an improved contact design and cable construction, the Siemon product showed no return loss degradation after the same testing,” it said. Contact: Siemon Interconnect Solution, www.siemon.com/sis.

Drive/gearmotor package offers manufacturers better performance Process Control Corporation (PCC) is offering a completely new drive/gearmotor package for its line of augerbased, continuous loss-in-weight feeders and blenders. A press release said that the X-Series blenders and AFG/PF feeders previously incorporated a PWM drive and a permanent magnet DC gearmotor to rotate the metering auger. PCC designed a new generation of motor drives that would control both the older permanent magnet motors and the new generation of brushless DC motors, it said, adding that the new gearmotors, which are both brushless and encoderless, offer far superior reliability, performance and a longer life span. “With more torque and a far greater speed range, the new gearmotors only require two power/gear ratio combinations to cover the required RPM range for our line of blenders and feeders, verses eight power/gear ratio combinations for the previous permanent magnet gearmotors,” it said. The new drive/gearmotor package is 100% compatible with PCC blenders and feeders already in service, the release said. Contact: Process Control Corporation, www.process-control.com.

Clad-composite wire costs a tenth of precious metal wire U.S.-based Anomet Products, Inc., reports that its custom manufactured clad-composite wire provides superior or equal performance to pure precious metal wire at onetenth the cost. A press release said that the company’s Precious MetalClad Wire features precious metal that is metallurgically bonded to a core material with 2% or more cladding

Oil-eater handles surface spills The Oil Eater line of produces from U.S.-based Kafko International Ltd., is designed to be the solution for normal and emergency handling of hazardous materials in manufacturing plants. A press release said that the company’s Oil Eater technology is available in a professional grade spill kit designed to contain and clean up hazardous material spills in manufacturing plants as required by OSHA and the EPA. Each kit includes a fivegallon pail of Oil Eater, an original cleaner-degreaser for cleaning surfaces after absorption of a spill. The kits are available in both 65-gallon and 95-gallon overpacks that can handle the corresponding volume of liquid, and each one includes absorbent pads, pillows, universal snakes, booms, protective gloves, oil-resistant high temperature disposal bags and an emergency response instruction guide. The company’s industrial duty kit, meant for medium-sized users, can absorb up to 65 gallons, it said. Contact: Kafko International Ltd., tel. 800-354-9061, www.oileater.com.

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thickness, offered in sizes from 0.002 in. to 0.125 in. These wires provide superior or equal performance to pure precious metal such as: platinum for oxidation-/corrosion-resistance, and biocompatibility; gold for contact resistance; and silver or palladium,which can be clad to a variety of lower cost core materials, it said. The composite wire, which is manufactured to precise OEM specifications and supplied on spools, can be clad to core materials such as copper, Kovar®, nickel-iron, molybdenum, stainless steel, tantalum and titanium, the release said. The wire has a smooth surface finish and is more ductile and formable than filled or plated products, it said, adding that typical applications are microswitches, connectors and components for aerospace, electronic and medical devices. Contact: Anomet Products, Inc., tel. 508842-3069, dlambert@anometproducts.com, www.anometproducts.com.

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MEDIAA Fiber optic series of tutorials can be found at YouTube The Fiber Optic Association (FOA) has added another installment to its series of tutorials on fiber optics that can be found at youtube.com. At www.youtube.com/user/thefoainc, visitors can now view a series of tutorials, each about 10 minutes long, that are intended to help anyone learn about fiber optics and to cover special topics relevant to FOA curriculum for training organizations. The latest addition is FOA Lecture 5: Splices and Connectors, which covers the differences and similarities in splices and connectors and where they are used. Previous lectures included Fiber Optics & Communications, a basic introduction to how fiber optics is used in communications systems, including telephone and the Internet, wireless, CATV, security, Smart Grid and more; and Fiber Optic

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Safety, which explains how to work safely with fiber, and dispels some of the myths of fiber safety. Contact: Fiber Optic Association (FOA), www.thefoa.org.

Website shows how company process goes from bending to coating The website of U.S.-based H.E. Orr Company has been updated to provide information for OEMs that require electro-coating and powder coating of forge parts and products and finished-condition wire forms. A press release said that the company, which is certified ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001 and is a member of the Powder Coating Institute (PCI), saves its customers money by initializing the entire process, from wire forming, to e-coating and powder coating, to sub-assembly and kitting. The company provides powder coating and e-coating to a wide variety of OEM companies including major Japanese auto makers, annually processing more than six million parts, it said. An eight-stage, zinc phosphate pre-treatment process is used to prepare parts for e-coating and powder coating, “resulting in an excellent coating and adhesion of zinc phosphate,” it said, noting that its technology is used by wire formers and wiredrawers, among others. Contact: H.E. Orr Company, www.heorr.com. ■

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PURGING COMPOUNDS

COMMISSION BROKERS, INC. EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS TO THE ELECTRICAL WIRE & CABLE INDUSTRY APPRAISERS • COMMISSION BROKERS • INDIVIDUAL PIECES OR ENTIRE PLANTS

FOR SALE 7 - WARDWELL 12-Carrier Braiders 1 - SPIRKA 24-Carrier Braider, Model 24N4, 1990 1 - SPIRKA 16-Carrier Braider, 500mm Take-up and Payoff 1 - NEB 12-C #2 Braider, Long Legs, Motor 1 - NEB 16-C #2 Braider, Long Legs, Motor 4 - COOK BH30 Bunchers 1 - NEXTROM 18-Wire 760mm Planetary Cabler Line 1 - EDMANDS 18-Wire, 6+12, 16” Planetary Cabler Line 2 - NEB Model C62-2 12-Wire 8” Vertical Planetary Cablers, 1987 1 - MGS 50” Continuous Belt Caterpuller Capstan, Model LC50.4D-LH 1 - RDN 36” Continuous Belt Caterpuller Capstan 1 - Continuous Belt Caterpuller Capstan, 106” Belt Length x 8” Width 1 - SAMP MS/400 Rod Breakdown Drawing Line 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 4.5” 24:1 L/D Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 100mm 24:1 L/D Extruder, Model 100MM35 1 - D/S 2.5” 24:1 L/D Hi-Temp Extrusion Line 1 - D/S 2” 30:1 L/D Hi-Temp Extruder 1 - ENTWISTLE 2” 24:1 L/D Extruder, Model TFII2000-24 1 - SKALTEK 1600mm, Model A16-4K, Motorized 1 - HALL 60” Drag Payoff, 1997

1 - HALL 40” Motorized Payoff w/Dancer 1 - VITECK 36” Motorized Payoff w/Dancer 1 - CLIPPER DF6 Dual Cone Flyer Payoff w/Reel Jacks 1 - ROSENDAHL 630mm Parallel Axis Dual Reel Take-up, never used 1 - NOKIA Model EKP50 Parallel Axis Dual Reel, 1997 1 - SPHEREX 18” Dual Reel Take-up, refurbished 1 - CLIPPER Model SP16 Dual Spooler 1 - REEL-O-MATIC Model PRR1 Rim Drive Powered Reel Roller 1 - REEL-O-MATIC Model RD-5 Rim Drive Take-up w/Coiling Head 1 - TEC Model DTC630 D.T. Twister 1 - ENTWISTLE 4-Wire 24” D.T. Twister, Model 4WDT 1 - FINE Preheater, Model IP4000-180-1, 2007 1 - EUBANKS Model 9800-03 Cut & Strip Machine 1 - SCHLEUNIGER EcoStrip 9300 Cut & Strip Machine 1 - SCHLEUNIGER JS8300 Jacket Stripper 1 - IDEAL 940 Bench Stripper (now ARTOS 45-940) 1 - CARPENTER 3-Head Stripper, Model 74-C 3 - CARPENTER Strippers, Model 70-B 1 - MICRODIA Crosshead, Model M9000/10XFL 1 - BOXY Reel Tilting Unit for 60” Reels, 2003

Contact: Martin Kenner

COMMISSION BROKERS, INC. P.O. Box 8456 • Cranston, RI 02920-0456 • Tel. (401) 943-3777 • Fax: (401) 943-3670 WEB: www.commissionbrokers.com • E-MAIL: marty137@aol.com

AUGUST 2011 | 91

CLASSIFIEDS

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFIED AD INFORMATION NAME _________________________________________________________________________TITLE _________________________________________________ COMPANY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY ________________________________________STATE _______________POSTAL CODE _____________________COUNTRY _______________________ PHONE ______________________________FAX________________________________EMAIL _______________________________________________________ AD CATEGORY____________ ISSUE YOUR AD BEGINS___________E-mail NUMBER OF ISSUES RUN _______LAST ISSUE ________________RUN TILL FURTHER NOTICE? YES____ NO ____ FULL RUN (WJI & ON-LINE) YES____ NO ____

BLIND BOX? YES____ NO ____

WAI MEMBER? YES____ NO ____ WAI MEMBERSHIP # ______________________ (Applies only to “Position Wanted”)

We sell for less because our costs are less. BUY SMART - WE DO. Alan Plastics Co., Inc. PH: (781) 828-0700. FX: (781) 828-2087. Contact: E-mail: alplas@aol.com, www.alplastic.com

DIES APOLLO DIA-CARB COMPANY. Buy & sell new/used Natural and PCD DIAMOND DIES. Fair prices and excellent lead times. Contact Paulette, Owner-Sales, by telephone at 1-508226-1508 or by e-mail at apollodie@ wmconnect.com. AJEX & TURNER WIRE DIES CO. The company offers a wide range of PCD/ND/ Carbide Dies, Extrusion Tools, Die Polishing Machines, Ceramic & Diamond Tools. www.ajexturner.com. Send inquiries to either ajexturner@ gmail. com or to sales@ajexturner.com. A-53, G.T. Karnal Road, Delhi-33 India. Ph: 00919811078882 (Ravi Bansal). MOLONEY DIE COMPANY. Low prices on all sizes of new, used and recut carbide dies. We also recut tapered nibs. Fast turn-around. Quality service since 1985. Tel. 904388-3654. SANCLIFF SHAPED WIRE DIES. All sizes and shapes R2 to R12. Highest Quality, Shortest Lead Times, Lowest Cost and Superior Customer Service. 60+ years of quality products and service to the wire industry. Contact Bill Drumm at 1-800-332-0747, or E-Mail at sales@sancliff.com. 92 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

MEDIA FERROUS WIRE HANDBOOK. This comprehensive hard-cover book is a definitive industry resource for ferrous wire written by WAI members and edited by former WAI President Robert M. Shemenski, this 1,168 page hard-cover book was published in 2008. It is a modern-day reference tool for those working directly in the steel wire or manufacturing, engineering, or operations sectors of the industry. The 36 chapters cover a broad range of topics, including equipment types, processes and specialty applications of steel wire manufacturing. Specific subjects that are discussed include continuous casting; controlled rod cooling; rod defects; pickling and coating; descaling; deformation in cold drawing; wiredrawing theory, machinery, and finishing equipment; lubrication; heat treatment; stress relief; annealing; oil tempering; patenting; corrosion; galvanizing; statistical process control; bridge rope and strand; and nails, barbed wire, mechanical springs. Appendices and a complete index are included in the handbook. List Price is $235, $195 for WAI members. ELECTRICAL WIRE HANDBOOK SET. Focusing on the special needs of the insulated wire and cable industry, these books examine materials, equipment, and products. They include sections on electrical conductors, insulating materials, extrusion equipment, power transmission, building wire, flexible cords and cables, con-

Please e-mail the requested information to: WAI’s Cindy Kirmss at ckirmss@wirenet.org. For more details, you can call her at 203-453-2777, ext. 116.

trol and signal cables, communication cables, magnet wire, heater wire, and other applications. The original version remains available while the revised Electrical Wire Handbook is divided into three separate handbooks: Part 1 Wire and Cable Production Materials, Part 2 - Wire and Cable Production Processes, and Part 3 - Types of Cables. While the updated handbook includes the latest information available, this new format allows for more frequent future updates when necessary. Parts 1 and 2 are now available, but the original handbook will still be available until Part 3 is published separately. The intent of these handbooks is to provide basic but meaningful information to those people working in the wire and cable industry-especially those who are new to the field. Price $99, $59 for WAI members, plus shipping. To purchase, go to wirenet.org and click on The WAI Bookstore. THE BOOK OF WIRE & CABLE TERMS. Learn the A to Zs of wire and cable with this essential reference source. Presented in a clear, practical manner over 350 pages, The Book of Wire & Cable Terms covers both ferrous and nonferrous terminology. More than 5,000 entries are offered. List Price: $75, $50 for WAI members. Ships in one to two business days. ■

WIRE

•

CABLE

•

SUPPLIES|EQUIPMENT

•

BAR|BILLET|ROD

Easy to find wire and cable products.

The thread of every wire and cable product search should end at the eye of the needle. Or—depending on your customer’s application—at one of more than 1,100 other wire and cable product types, supplies, and services included on WAI’s Virtual Trade Show (VTS).

RG V TS TS

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

In fact, more than 16,000 unique visitors each year look to the VTS to find wire and cable products and service providers worldwide.

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Company profiles are revealed as customers identify the products they want to buy; and new prospects pinpoint suppliers to contact.

wire • cable • supplies • equipment

It’s free to list. Free to use. And it’s powered by the Wire Journal International Reference Guide database allowing visitors to sift and sort through product, service, and geographical information using simple customized searches. Be accessible. List your company today at: www.wirenet.org/vts/admin/newlist.cfm

No strings attached.

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

Amacoil Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 3

Esteves Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Anbao Wire & Mesh Co Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Flymca & Flyro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Beta LaserMike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Bongard Trading GmbH & Co KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Fuhr GmbH & Co KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Carris Reels Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Fushi Copperweld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Cemanco LC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Gauder Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Commission Brokers Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

GCR Eurodraw SpA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

CPA Wire Technologies GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

George Evans Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

MIND THE GENERATION GAP

Great minds are developing. Engineers. Metallurgists. Innovators. The future of the industry depends on them. Find them online. Connect with them. Influence them. And meet them halfway through WAI.

94 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

Gimax Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .insert, between 16-17

Parkway Kew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Howar Equipment Inc/Unitek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Power Sonics LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Huestis Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14, 29

Pressure Welding Machines Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Keir Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Queins & Co GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

KP America Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Sheaves Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Lamnea Bruk AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

SIKORA AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Locton Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Sjogren Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Madem SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Talladega Machinery & Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Paramount Die Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Teknor Apex Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

DON’T

OUTSPEND

OUT

THINK

Why waste time and money waiting for new machines when you can get like-new performance for less from Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. We are the world’s largest dealer of second-hand wire, cable, and optical fiber manufacturing equipment and can provide solutions to fit any need, whether it’s a single machine or an entire plant. We also purchase surplus machinery for cash or trade.

Visit our all new website wireandplastic.com to see our inventory and request a quote. Or call +1.860.583.4646

20,000+ Second-Hand Machines In-Stock Equipment Sales Equipment Purchasing Reconditioning Services

AUGUST 2011 | 95

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

October 2011 WJI

Tubular Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

• Lubricants & filtration Unience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2 Vandor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Advertising Deadline: Sept. 1, 2011

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Woodburn Diamond Die Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Zumbach Electronics Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 4

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL AD WAI Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Wire Expo 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 WJI Reference Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

WIRE JOURNAL I N T E R N A T I O N A L

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

Robert J. Xeller Anna Bzowski Wire Journal International 1570 Boston Post Road P.O. Box 578 Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA Tel: 203-453-2777 Fax: 203-453-8384 sales@wirenet.org

U.K., France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark & Scandinavia Jennie Franks David Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew’s Road Cambridge CB4 1DH, England Tel/fax: 44-1223-360472 franksco@btopenworld.com

96 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

SALES OFFICES ASIA/WAI INDIA OFFICE Germany, Austria, & Switzerland Dagmar Melcher Media Service International P.O. Box 103 D-82402 Seeshaupt Germany Tel: 49-8801-914682 Fax: 49-8801-914683 dmelcher@t-online.de

India Wire & Cable Services Pvt. Ltd. (WCS) 501, Rainbow Plaza, S. No. 7 Pimple-Saudeagar Vil. Rahatani, Pune - 411017, India Huned Contractor mobile - +91 988 1084 202 hcontractor@wirenet.org

Wind up with an Amacoil/Uhing assembly for perfect pitch every time Pitch is adjustable (10:1) without requiring gear changes or adjusting motor speed. A single Amacoil/Uhing assembly may be used for winding many different diameter materials. Automatic reversal of the traverse is mechanically controlled – without clutches, cams or gears. No electronics or programming needed. FEATURES • Zero backlash. • Automatically synchronizes pitch with take-up reel rotational speed. • Traverse drives with up to 800 lbs. axial thrust. • Smooth, unthreaded shaft won't clog or jam – no bellows assembly needed. • One inexpensive, unidirectional motor drives both the traverse and take-up reel. • Free movement lever – no need to "jog" system on and off to position linear drive. • Options and accessories for every winding situation. • Light, medium and heavy-duty systems.

For Brochure or CD-ROM Call toll free 800-252-2645

email: amacoil@amacoil.com

www.amacoil.com AMACOIL, INC. PO Box 2228 • Aston, PA 19014 • Phone: 610-485-8300 • Fax: 610-485-2357