Packaging

WIREE JOU JOURNAL FEBRUARY 2017

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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

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WIREE JOU JOURNAL 5 FEBRUARY 2017

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CONTENTS

7

Volume 50 | Number 2 | February 2017

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

FEATURE

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Industry Profile . . . . . . . . . . 20 Patent Report . . . . . . . . . . . 22

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . 33 WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 This feature presents a range of packaging products and observations from industry suppliers as well as a look at some few post-industry applications you may find inspiring.

Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . 45 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Technical Papers . . . . . . . 70-87 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

TECHNICAL PAPERS WAI Mexico ITC paper: Novel halogen-free flame retardant crosslinked systems for low-voltage building wire and solar cables Lines Karlsson and William Fajardo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Career Opportunities . . . . . . 93 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . 95

Next issue previews: March 2017 • Interwire 2017 • Global Ferrous Rod & Wire Symposium

IWCS Paper: Analysis of LAN Cable Manufacturing Processes when submitted to new projects using statistical tools - ANOVA Mateus Teixweira de Souza, Thaisi C. Fukui, Julian A. Martins, Paulo M. Ito, Sidney A. Joly, Helio Durigan . .78 2016 International Electrical Engineering Congress Paper (Thailand)/Science Direct Comparison of Voltage-Time to Surface Failure of Various Insulation Material for Space Aerial Cables Sathit Krirapeea, Siriwat Potivejkula, Norasage Pattanadecha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Cover: Without packaging equipment, nothing moves, which is why the wire and cable industry continues to depend on reels, spools and the like for processing and shipping.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 14

CONTENTS

It takes more than technology

Advances in technology may be stunning in terms of scope and projected returns, but at the end of the proverbial day, the wire and cable industry still relies on good employees. Hiring that elusive rising star is important for smaller companies but also for the industry giants. Which is why the Prysmian Group, a wire and cable world leader, is undertaking a global search for future key staffers, its second such effort, the first of which drew some 6,000 applicants.

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

No limit on this reel application The feature in this issue includes some of the latest reels and spools offered to the industry, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no life left in older reels.

What’s new in what’s old may surprise you.

46

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REELEX

P A C K A G I N G

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I N C.

Patterson, NY USA

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL

Manufacturing can bring U.S. together As I write this editorial, the U.S. inauguration ceremonies are underway in Washington DC. Not by coincidence, I was in the DC area earlier in the week for a meeting of the Council of Manufacturing Associations. This subgroup of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) was meeting to anticipate the short and long-term implications of the new administration.

This proudly pro-manufacturing group, like most of DC and the world, was anticipating a different outcome in November’s election, one that would signal a continuation of policies that are not cast with the intention of supporting industry. To be clear, there was no evidence of disappointment or relishing in the outcome at this meeting. It was all business: this is the new reality, now let’s make it work. Not unlike a wire and cable manufacturing operation dealing with significant change.

However, a period of change brings optimism, and with some key positions of the cabinet clearly pro-business, the level of optimism is high among the manufacturing community that manufacturing will be a priority. NAM President Jay Simmons, appropriately, tweeted President Trump his wishes for good luck in his new position at hashtag “yourehired.” The organization also sent a letter from more than 1,100 manufacturing leaders who want the new president to “be the solution, starting by addressing onerous regulations, high taxes, the rising cost of health care and our crumbling infrastructure.”

No one would argue that manufacturing has been passionately discussed more over the past two months than at any recent post-election period. However, the recent public demonizing of companies such as Carrier or Boeing is a pointed reminder that we are operating in an unknown period.

As the dust from this historic election settles, time will tell how much of the pro-business rhetoric results in action. In the meantime, U.S. manufacturers are clear in positions on balanced trade, tax restructuring, intellectual property enforcement and smart regulation. There is no arguing the benefits of a strong manufacturing economy and its favorable influence on innovation, education, health and welfare.

Steve Fetteroll WAI Executive Director

6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WIRE JOURNAL

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CALENDAR

CALENDAR May 8-10, 2017: Global Ferrous Rod & Wire Symposium Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, to be co-located with Interwire 2017, focuses on ferrous rod and wire processes, www.wirenet.org.

Oct. 3-5, 2017: Wire South America São Paulo, Brazil. To be held at the Imigrantes Exhibition & Convention Center. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

May 9-11, 2017: Interwire 2017 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, includes its trade show, technical programs and 87th Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org.

Oct. 8-11, 2017: 66th IWCS International Cable & Connectivity Symposium Orlando, Florida, USA. Contact: Pat Hudak, IWCS, tel. 717-993-9500, phudak@iwcs.org, www.iwcs.org.

June 5-8, 2017: wire Russia Moscow, Russia. To be held at the EXPOCENTRE in Krasnaya Presnya, this event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Nov. 7, 2017: CabWire World Conference 2017 Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Congress Center, this event is organized by U.K.-based International Wire & Machinery Association.

Contact: IWMA, tel. 44-121-781-7367, info@iwma.org, www.iwma.org.

June 9-11, 2017: Wire & Cable Guangzhou 2017 Guangzhou, China. To be held at the China Import Export Fair Complex. Contact: Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co., tel. 86-20-38251558, wire@china. messefrankfurt.com, www.wire-cable-china.com.

Sept. 19-21, 2017: wire Southeast Asia 2017 Bangkok, Thailand. To be held at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), this event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-7815180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

May 15-16, 2018: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This WAI event, to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, includes the Association’s trade show, technical programs and 88th Annual Convention.

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL EVENTS March 2-4, 2017: 7th International Conference on Drawing Zakopane, Poland. See p. 45.

event, to be co-located with Interwire 2017, focuses on ferrous rod and wire processes. www.wirenet.org.

May 8-10, 2017: Global Ferrous Rod & Wire Symposium Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI

May 9-11, 2017: Interwire 2017 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center,

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

includes its trade show, technical programs and 87th Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org.

May 15-16, 2018: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, USA. See main entry.

Kris Lawrence

Reel Planner and Estimator The George Evans Corporation

The George Evans Corporation

The George Evans Corporation

121 37th Street - Moline, IL 61265 Phone: 309-757-8300 ext 109 Fax: 309-757-8333 Email: kris.lawrence@george-evans.com

It is our pleasure to announce the promotion of Kris Lawrence to Reel Planner and Estimator. Kris’ 30 years of welding and reel manufacturing experience, hard work and dedication with The George Evans Corporation proved Dave W. Evans right. It was he who interviewed Kris in April 1987 and sent him to the President, his Father, with a firm recommendation of hiring. Kris learned from Dave and started his career as a laborer; working in the different departments to understand the integrities of building reels and rising through the positions. His background and knowledge of welding and reel production has proven an asset for GEC and has helped us be who we are today.

Going strong for over 100 years, George Evans Corporation has made reels since 1939. For 78 years George Evans Corporation has provided the wire and cable industry with durable, cost-effective, and fully recyclable Toroidal® steel fluted reels.

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Contact Kris Lawrence or Helenna Freeman for your Reel needs. Helenna Freeman, President • Phone: 309-757-8300 ext 103

INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS Southwire to close 1 plant and move a service center due to a realignment Southwire Company LLC announced that it will close operations at its manufacturing facility in Flora, Illinois in the first quarter of 2017, and move a customer service center as part of a realignment.

“Upon the recent acquisition of United Copper, we took the time to assess how we could best maximize our resources across the Southwire footprint. With the close proximity of these two locations, we believe that consolidating these two operations under one roof is the best decision,” said Norman Adkins, president of Southwire’s Construction Systems & Solutions group.

A press release said that the facility will continue to operate at a limited capacity until the fourth quarter. “The Southwire Flora plant has been in existence since 1974 and has provided foundational support for the company’s success in the bare overhead transmission market for many years. This decision is not a reflection on the people, the quality or the performance of the facility, nor is it one we take lightly,” said Charlie Murrah, president of Southwire’s Power Systems & Solutions Group. “As our market conditions change, we must ensure we are properly aligned to make the best use of our facilities. Bare overhead transmission is a core product for our utility business, and these changes ensure we are able to meet the needs of our customers for the long term.”

The company also announced that it will move its operations at the Southwire Dallas Customer Service Center in Arlington, Texas to the company’s newly acquired facility in Denton, Texas. This transition will begin in the first quarter of 2017 with all operations to be relocated by the end of the second quarter.

“The Denton facility is comprised of both manufacturing and distribution, allowing us to serve our customers more quickly and more efficiently, specifically those in the Southwest and Central United States.” Adkins said.

Eligible employees at facilities in both Flora—which has about 40 employees—and Arlington will have the opportunity to bid on open positions at other Southwire locations. Those who do not wish to transfer to another Southwire facility will be offered severance packages, the release said.

“As we transition, we want to make sure that those affected by these decisions are treated with dignity and respect,” said Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson.

“Though decisions like these are tough, I believe great things are in store for Southwire. We will continue to work together as we find new ways to better serve our customers, our markets, our employees and our communities.”

nkt cables wins offshore order for some 50 km of submarine cable Denmark’s nkt cables has been awarded a contract valued at some €32 million from Energinet.dk and 50Hertz for the manufacturing, shipping and laying of the submarine cables for the Kriegers Flak Combined Grid Solution (Kriegers Flak CGS).

A press release said that the project will connect the future Danish offshore wind farm, Kriegers Flak, and the German offshore wind farm, Baltic 2, both of which are located in the Baltic Sea. The project calls for approximately 50 km of 150 kV AC high-voltage submarine cables. The cables will be manufactured in Cologne, Germany, and be put into operation by the end of 2018.

This order, it noted, is the third offshore wind farm contract that nkt cables won in 2016, the other two being the Hornsea and Borssele Alpha projects.

“The award of another contract for an offshore wind farm project from some of our most experienced offshore customers...underlines our position as a key player in this industry and as a strong and reliable partner,” said nkt cables CEO Michael Hedegaard Lyng.

“This order gives us full visibility of our AC offshore production in Cologne until 2018.”

The two wind farms, which are located less than 25 km apart, will be connected via the two AC submarine cables delivered by nkt cables.

A map showing the area for the This project will Kriegers project. secure transfer of

Got news? E-mail it to the WJI at editor@wirenet.org.

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Danieli to supply Pittini Group member with a 2-strand wire rod mill in Verona Italy’s Danieli announced that it will supply Acciaierie di Verona, part of the Pittini Group, a new two-strand wire rod mill along with a new six-strand billet caster.

A press release said that the Pittini Group investment in the Verona plant in Italy will increase wire rod production to 700,000 tons per year. It noted the following.

The mill, which will have an H-V rougher feeding two independent rolling lines made of cantilever roll stands, will feature quick roll change and temperature control along the mill and downstream. High-speed shears installed downstream of the high-speed twin-module sizing blocks will perform wire rod head and tail cropping.

The fourth-generation loop layers will provide extended pipe life, quick rotor changes and no vibration during rolling to produce perfect loops, including front and tails.

The variable pitch cooling conveyor has modular slow-to-ultrafast cooling.

The new plant will also deploy Officials at the contract signing for automation that the new wire rod mill for Acciaierie di ensures conVerona. sistent quality, high utilization factor and yield, workshop coordination and links to big data and plant digitalization, the release said. “The new plant will be a benchmark in OpEx and quality consistency.” Startup is expected by mid 2018.”

Acciaierie di Verona was purchased by a holding company of the Pittini Group in 2015 from FIN.FER SpA.

Once again, AEI Cables looks likely to end operations, ending 175-year legacy U.K.’s AEI Cables Limited (AEI), which has been described as the world’s oldest operating cable maker, may have seen the final manufacturing chapter in the company’s storied history.

Per multiple media reports, the company—whose “roots” can be traced back to William Thomas Henley (1814-1882), who converted an old lathe into a wire covering machine—has sent letters to employees informing them that attempts to find a buyer had failed, and that their contracts had been terminated. A firm spokesman

Wire & cable in the news $73K cable move story: irked customer, a surprise ‘savior’ and a happy ending This is not a wire and cable industry article per se, as it is about the cost of relocating a Verizon telephone line, but this one comes with a hefty estiChincoteague locals believe that Verizon mated cost: made a bad call in not offering a better $73,000. You price to their non-profit organization. might expect that there’s more to the story...and there is, per the below edited media reports.

The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department—located on an island, seven miles long and three miles wide, off the state of Virginia—is home to some 3,000 residents.

The fire department is moving from its current site, built in the 1930s, and the Verizon estimate for moving the line stunned locals who had hoped for a non-profit break.

A Verizon spokesman insisted the cost was reasonable.

“We’re not talking about moving a phone line or two.

This is about relocating some 1,100 feet of 1200-pair copper cable along with fiber optic lines serving a large (island) portion. To meet the ... specs, we proposed burying those cables—an expensive process—but there are other ways to accomplish this. We’ll consider any design changes they are willing to make to reduce costs or lessen the impact to the island’s telecom equipment.”

At some point, the standoff expanded with the addition of a third party: a Verizon competitor. T-Mobile CEO John Legere took to social media to chastise Verizon and vowed to pick up the $73,000 tab if it wouldn’t. That pledge, in turn, led to a flood of comments from locals.

That included one who declared, “It’s taken me 12 years to even consider switching my five lines with AT&T, and it’s because of you. Researching (that) change now.”

At press time, the fire department posted at its Facebook page that an agreement had been reached with Verizon “that was satisfactory to both sides.” One might surmise that taking the issue public was “the right call.” was cited as saying that 40 workers would finish in March, but that 13 people would carry on working for the firm in a “sales only” status, at a location to be decided.

“In September, the company began a 45-day consultation with its then-240 staff. Some subsequently left, and of the 198 remaining, most have had their contracts

FEBRUARY 2017 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

energy of around 400 MW between the Danish island Zealand and the German federal state Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

INDUSTRY NEWS

terminated and will leave by Friday,” said one report that provided the text of the letter. “Despite significant investment in the plant over the last two and a half years, the required profitable production levels have not been achieved to make the operation financially viable. Sadly, neither of the two offers to buy the company were viable options and the company was not able to take either of them further. Without a buyer, we deeply regret the manufacturing operations in Birtley will have to cease.”

The firm has made cables for many uses, including for the Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier Programme, Manchester Airport and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Managers had been hoping to sell the factory or run it as a sales and distribution center.

The Ducab Group—jointly owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Dubai Government, and Senaat, an Abu Dhabi stateowned holding company—acquired AEI in 2014. It was unable to make the business profitable.

Prysmian to be cable supplier for record North Sea cable project The Prysmian Group announced that it has been chosen as the offshore supplier for a subsea connector that, when completed, will extend over 730 km, a distance that would make it the world’s longest such infrastructure.

A press release said that the North Sea Link, which has a total value of €2 billion, calls for the construction of a subsea interconnector with a capacity of 1,400 MW between the U.K. and Norway. A joint project of transmission system operators Statnett and National Grid plc, it is due to be completed in 2021.

Per Wikipedia, the subsea HV cable will be manufactured at Prysmian’s Arco Felice factory in Naples, Italy, and be installed by the cable-laying vessel Giulio Verne.

Cable for the fjord, tunnel and lake sections for the onshore connection in Norway will be manufactured in that country at the Nexans plant in Halden. It will be laid by using Capjet trenching system and the cable-laying vessel Skagerrak. The HVDC converter stations will be built and installed by the ABB Group.

Leoni sells cable assembly/harness business to BizLink for €50 million Leoni AG announced that the company has agreed to sell its business activities with cable assemblies and harnesses for household appliances and power tools to BizLink, a U.S. provider of interconnect solutions based in Fremont, California, for approximately €50 million.

“Our Wire & Cable Solutions Division is transforming to become a more solution-oriented provider for its cus12 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tomers and to profit from the trend towards digitization,” a press release said. By divesting Leoni’s electrical appliance assemblies business, the company will be better able to focus on core activities with profitable growth potential, said Bruno Fankhauser, a member of the Leoni AG’s Board of Directors, and the person who is in charge of the Wire & Cable Solutions Division.

The release said that the business to be sold had revenues of €130 million in fiscal 2015. It has some 2,000 employees at production facilities in Slovakia, Serbia, Products made by Leoni’s cable and China, and assembly/harness business. administrative and sales centers in Germany and Belgium, respectively. The business is one of five such units that comprise the Wire & Cable Solutions Division.

“With this transaction, BizLink will gain a lasting foothold in European markets with localized production, an experienced sales team, and established relationships with premier European brands,” a press release said. “By the same token, BizLink’s strong presence in North American and Asian markets will undoubtedly offer untapped potential for the acquired business.”

The proposed transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The closing of the divestment process is expected to happen in the first half of 2017. Until the deal closes, each company will continue to operate independently.

Nexans reports cable contracts from Qatar and Huawei Marine Networks Nexans announced that the company has won two contracts, one for projects in Qatar and the other for use in a submarine cable system.

The Qatar project, a press release said, was a contract from Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) contract to supply cable for infrastructure projects in Qatar through its QICC joint venture with Al Mirqab Capital.

The release said that the contract, worth approximately €300 million, includes low- and medium-voltage cables to be used in civil infrastructure projects in Qatar. The project “will help in meeting the growing demands for energy and facilitating infrastructure development while supplying the cables in Qatar,” it said. The cable will connect substations to various infrastructures-oriented projects across Doha and its suburbs, such as Doha New Port, Qatar Rail and Metro projects, as well as needed for

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INDUSTRY NEWS Prysmian is employing a proactive approach to ensure that its workforce will have the expertise it needs.

Prysmian to hold 2nd ‘talent search’ to ensure its future engineering smarts A company may be one of the largest in its field, but it cannot take its technical capabilities for granted. That mindset is the driver behind a recruiting program by Italy’s Prysmian, which is actively seeking “new talents” for its worldwide production plants.

The four-year professional pathway, deemed “Make It” offers a training scheme involving the Prysmian Group Academy that focuses on further developing the skills essential for the career of the selected candidates. The first such “call for engineers” saw 6,000 applicants that led to the recruitment of 50 professionals. Applicants need a degree in engineering, three to seven years of work experience in similar positions in a previous professional context, a good command of English and leadership skills.

“In Prysmian we believe strongly in young people because they represent the future, and our goal is to enhance them so that they can achieve their full potential,” said Fabrizio Rutschmann, HR & Organisation SVP. “It is within this framework that ‘Make It,’ combined with our ‘Build the Future’ graduate program, is just one of the many schemes that allow us to tap into the talent that can really make a difference for us.”

The program will include a one-week induction in the Group’s new Milan headquarters and two weeks of training in the Group’s Manufacturing Academy—a specialist center recently inaugurated in one of Prysmian’s major plants—that will allow training from highly specialized personnel.

preparations for the 2022 FIFA World cup.

“Our track record with Kahramaa over the past years has been outstanding, with a zero failure rate,” said Charles-Edouard Mellagui, Nexans country manager and CEO of QICC, a Nexans Company.

In other news, Nexans reported that it will supply 6,000 km of its submarine repeatered optical cables (ROC) to Huawei Marine Networks for the Cameroon-Brazil

cable project, currently underway to link Kribi (Cameroon) and Fortaleza (Brazil).

The cables will be made and tested at Nexans’ Rognan factory in Norway, with delivery done by the end of 2017. The two companies had previously worked together in 2015 in the NigeriaCameroon submarine cable system (NCSCS) project, which constituted Phase I of Cameroon’s National Broadband Network strategy.

The project represents the first-ever such intercontinental project for Nexans, the release said.

“This contract cements the new era of Submarine Fibre Solutions (SFS) for Nexans, and reinforces our long relationship with Huawei Marine Networks,” said Krister Granlie, executive vice president, hybrid underwater cables, at Nexans.

14 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

General Cable Corporation has agreed to pay $82.3 million to settle federal violations related to bribery of officials in some countries as well as for shortcomings in accounting. Ironically, the company, which is one of the world’s largest cable manufacturers, to a degree has been plagued by its sheer size and scope, as some of its operations outside of North America led to the matters that have made for uncomfortable headlines and a distraction from its ongoing reorganization.

Per the agreement, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that General Cable will pay approximately $75.8 million to resolve parallel SEC and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations regarding its violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). There is also a $6.5 million penalty to the SEC to settle separate accounting-related violations stemming from its operations in Brazil. Those violations stemmed from inventory accounting that resulted in understating the cost of sales and overstating inventory balances from 2008 to the second quarter of 2012.

The cited countries where the bribery took place included Angola, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia and Thailand. Per Transparency International’s 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, out of 168 countries and territories, Angola was ranked 163, Bangladesh was 139,

China was 83, Egypt and Indonesia were tied at 88 and Thailand was 76. The organization reports that 68% of countries worldwide have a serious corruption problem.

“General Cable paid bribes to officials in multiple countries in a scheme that involved a high-level executive of the company and resulted in profits of more than $50 million worldwide,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell.

A DOJ press release said that between 2002 and 2013, “General Cable subsidiaries paid approximately $13 million to third-party agents and distributors, a portion of which was used to make unlawful payments to obtain business, ultimately netting the company approximately $51 million in profits.” It noted that General Cable cooperated in the investigation, and that it also took extensive remedial measures, “including taking employment action against 13 employees who participated in the misconduct, resulting in their departure from the company, and terminating its relationships with 47 third-party agents and distributors who participated in the misconduct. Based on these actions and other considerations, the company received a non-prosecution agreement and an aggregate discount of 50% off of the bottom of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines fine range.”

General Cable President and CEO Michael McDonnell said in a statement that the company has focused the last two years on implementing a world-class compliance program. “We are a different and better company today as

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INDUSTRY NEWS

General Cable to pay hefty government fines as it seeks to focus on its future

INDUSTRY NEWS

a result of these actions,” he said.” As part of that focus, the company created a new position, Chief Compliance Officer, and adopted “heightened controls on the selection and use of third parties.”

The investigation found no personal misconduct by General Cable’s former CEO Gregory B. Kenny and former CFO Brian J. Robinson, who returned $3.7 million and $2.1 million, respectively, in compensation received from the company during the period when the accounting violations occurred.

SECO/WARWICK has moved its business to a new facility in India SECO/WARWICK Allied Pvt., Ltd., a supplier of furnace technology, has relocated to a new operating facility in Mahape, Navi Mumbai, India.

A press release said that the company has relocated to a new production, assembly and test equipment facility that will improve its production capability, capacity and efficiency. The site, in the TTC Industrial Area, offers advantages in terms of logistics and supply chain due to the close proximity of local vendors and subcontractors.

SECO/WARWICK has relocated to a new site in India.

SECO/WARWICK India Managing Director Sławomir Woźniak said that the move allows all elements to be in one place. “In doing so, we optimize our processes in project management, vendor development and quality control. We see a significant growth of opportunities in the long term and continuously develop our operational capabilities to ensure our competitive advantage.”

As an integral member of the SECO/WARWICK Group, which has facilities in the U.S., Europe, India and China, SECO/WARWICK Allied Pvt. Ltd. shares engineering expertise and provides local manufacturing services for SECO/WARWICK Group equipment in India. For more information, go to www.secowarwick.com.

Oxford Instruments sells business for superconducting wire for $17.5 million

Citing weakness in its market niche, U.K.-based Oxford Instruments Plc announced that has sold its superconducting wire unit, Oxford Instruments Superconducting 16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Wire LLC (OISW), to Bruker Energy and Supercon Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Bruker Corporation, for $17.5 million.

A press release from Oxford Instruments said that a review concluded that (OISW) was “no longer core to the group’s long-term strategic vision.” It noted that Oxford Instruments “had previously warned that group revenues and profits were being hit due to weakness in the superconducting wire markets, which has been primarily due to pricing pressures from makers of MRI machines and reduced demand for wire from OEM customers.”

AMSC wins $4.5 million federal grant for R&D into superconductor wire AMSC, a global energy solutions provider serving wind and power grid industry leaders, announced that it has been selected for a $4.5 million award for applied R&D of superconductor wire.

A press release said that the contract, to be finalized soon, is from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) as part of the agency’s Next Generation Electric Machines program.

“We expect that this funding will enable us to continue advancing wire technology specifically for rotating machines for the fleet,” said AMSC President and CEO Daniel McGahn. “This work with the DOE is complementary to our efforts to enable the U.S. Navy’s ‘Electric Ship’ objective, and will allow our team to continue to develop wire technology focusing on specific system level applications like motors and generators for naval ships.”

Industry report: modest growth seen for global aluminum conductor market

A report from Research and Markets, Global Aluminum Conductors Market 2017-2021, projects the sector will see a compound annual growth rate of 2.63% during the period 2017-2021.

The report covers both the current activity and the growth prospects of the global aluminum conductors market. It considers the revenue generated from the sales of aluminum for various types of aluminum conductors, including aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR), all aluminum alloy conductor (AAAC), all aluminum conductor (AAC), and others, to calculate the market size by considering 2016 as the base year. It also includes key vendors operating in the market.

The report covers market size, key trends, market drivers and challenges, key vendors, an executive summary and more. For more details, contact Research and Markets, www.researchandmarkets.com.

Albemarle Corporation has completed the sale of its Chemetall™ Surface Treatment business and related assets to BASF for approximately $3.2 billion.

A press release said that Chemetall, which develops and manufactures customized technology and system solutions for surface treatment for sectors that include the wire and cable industry, will become part of BASF’s Coating Division. Chemetall’s sales for the full calendar year of 2015 were US$845 million.

In other company news, Chemetall reports that it plans to take a technical presentation it has made at the Interwire trade show “on the road.” The session, “Cleaning and Coating A NEW of Rod and Wire,” presents the fundamentals of cleaning, pickling, and coating of ferrous wire and rod in preparation for drawing and processing.

This course, the company reported, would benefit ferrous manufacturers with a cleaning house on site. To reach a larger audience, this course will be presented at a manufacturer’s location. Companies interested in learning more should contact Dane Armendariz at dane.armendariz@chemetall.com.

WCMA award winners to be honored on April 8th in Hartford, Connecticut The Wire & Cable Manufacturers’ Alliance is pleased to announced that the recipients of its 2017 Distinguished Career Award will be honored at the 33rd annual Awards Dinner and Investiture Ceremony, which will take place on April 8th, 2017, in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Downtown Marriott Hotel.

A press release said that the 2017 recipients include: Paul Kish, Director - Systems and Standards (retired), Belden Inc.; Donna LeClerc, Vice President Manufacturing, Harbour Industries, LLC; Brian Parsons, President, Dekoron Wire & Cable LLC; Robert Rozanski, Senior Account Manager, Freeport McMoRan, Inc.; Mark Spencer, President, W. Gillies Technologies, LLC; Paul Trunk, President, Berk-Tek/Nexans, Co.; Greg Ulewicz, President, Prestolite Wire, LLC; and Tom Walker, President, Pittsfield Plastics Inc. WCMA notes that it continues a tradition of recognizing wire and cable industry leaders and professionals, started over 30 years ago, by the late Dick and Harriet Callahan, found-

ers of the Wire & Cable Clubs of America. WCMA is a corporate membership organization for manufacturers of low- to high-voltage electrical, electronic and fiber optic wire and cable with an established manufacturing base in North America, as well as industry suppliers, service providers, affiliated companies and organizations serving the cable manufacturing and processing industry. The non-profit organization also stages an annual golf event., last held at the Wethersfield Country Club.

For more information, contact WCMA Executive Director Ed Fenton at tel. 860-331-7074, ed@wcmainc.org, www.wcmainc.org.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Chemetall™ unit sale to BASF is completed by Albemarle

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This tensionincontrol becomes a critical component when using today’sat lowthe density films in resulting a spool becoming narrower without softening Because This tension control becomes a critical component whensides. using today’s low density films in high performance coaxial cables, even where unsintered a slight amount of stretching cause problems tension does not fluctuate, PTFE resistswill stretching.

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Solid Pack is for with PTFE filmloss. from ⁄32”traverse to 3⁄4”, and in 1⁄32 ” increments.

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Custom packages frommuch 3/8" (9.525mm) 8" (203.2mm) wide sideboards. Film lengths can be as as 20,000tofrom ft.

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This tension control becomes a criticaldepending componentonwhen low density films in with diameters, depending on traverse width, up toand 14" pyra(355.6mm).

Besides new Solid Packs, DeWAL offers traditional flat pad, high performance coaxial cables, where a slight amount of stretching will cause problems mid packages in standard and custom configurations. with signal loss.

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For skived, unsintered and low density PTFE film in widths from For(19.05mm) skived, unsintered and low density PTFE film in widths from 5/32" (4.123mm) 3/4" in 1/32" (0.794mm) increments.

Appropriate for alltoDeWAL slit film and laminated products.

5/32" (4.123mm) to 3/4" (19.05mm) in 1/32" (0.794mm) increments.

Film canpackages be as thinfrom as 0.0005" (0.013mm).

Custom 3/8"can (9.525mm) toas8"0.0005" (203.2mm) wide Film be as thin (0.013mm).

Custom packages up to 6" (152.4mm) wide and up to 6" (152.4mm) with diameters, depending on packages width, up to 14" (355.6mm).

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For5/32" skived(3.060mm) PTFE fromto0.0005" (0.013mm) to 0.010" (0.26mm) thick, and inunsintered widths from 3/4" (19.05mm) For skived, and low PTFE film in widths from to 3/4" (19.05mm) Ray Trainor Drive thick, anddensity in15 widths from 5/32" (3.060mm) in 1/32" (0.794mm) increments.

5/32" (4.123mm) to 3/4" (19.05mm) in 1/32" (0.794mm) increments.

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Narrow traverse or pyramid wound.

Film canfilm be isasusually thin asNarrow 0.0005" (0.013mm). www.dewal.com | usa1@dewal.com film is usually traverse or pyramid wound.

Custom to wide and up to Custom packages packages up up Custom to 6" 6" (152.4mm) (152.4mm) wide and up to 6" 6" (152.4mm) (152.4mm) packages up to 6" (152.4mm) wide and up to 6" (152.4mm) 800-366-8356 in sideboards. in diameter, diameter, with with or or without without sideboards. in diameter, with or without sideboards.

(International: 001-401-789-9736) Solid Pack® For skived PTFE from 0.0005" (0.013mm) to 0.010" (0.26mm) FEBRUARY thick, and in widths from 5/32" (3.060mm) to 3/4" (19.05mm) 2017 | 17 in 1/32" (0.794mm) increments.

Narrow film is usually traverse or pyramid wound.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Completion of SEA-ME-WE 5 marks major subsea cable accomplishment The SEA-ME-WE 5 Consortium announced the completion of the 20,000-km subsea cable infrastructure developed by a 16-nation consortium.

The award-winning subsea cable system, which spans more than 16 countries from Southeast Asia to Western Europe, was described as a technological breakthrough, “a milestone for global communications.” It is designed

with a capacity of 24 Terabits per second on 3-fiber pairs, with advanced 100 Gbps technology. Alcatel-Lucent and NEC were the cable suppliers for the project.

Huawei to build 100 G cable network/do upgrade Huawei Marine announced that it has won a contract from Tele-Post Greenland to deploy a 100 G network along the Greenlandic west coast and to upgrade the capacity of the existing Greenland Connect, which links Greenland with Iceland, Europe and North America.

A press release said that Huawei Marine will supply the submarine line terminal equipment, and install it in collaboration with Tele Greenland, for Greenland Connect North, which will connect Nuuk, Maniitsoq, Sisimiut and Aasiaat. The new system will initially bring capacity of 100 G to each town.

The supply for the new Greenland Connect North system will have a design capacity of 4.8 terabytes.

Bartell makes investment at its plant in New York Bartell Machinery Systems announced that it recently made a substantial capital investment at its plant in Rome, New York, that will expand the company’s capabilities.

A press release said that the company has created an advanced vertical CNC machining production cell that features two new Mazak 500C Vertical Machining Centers. The three-axis systems offer state-of-the-art machine tool capabilities, industry-leading performance of +/.0002 in. for repeatability and accuracy, and modern enhancements, such as part-probing capabilities, 12,000 RPM spindles, thru-spindle coolant and a 30-tool magazine with high-speed automatic tool changeover.

The cell includes multiple station vices and specially designed dedicated fixtures for concurrent runs, a Parlec 18 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Bartell is deploying two new Mazak 500C Vertical Machining Centers. tool pre-setter for off-line tool set-up, and point-of-use tools and gages for in process verification. Bartell is also using a wireless computer system that allows the entire work-cell to be paperless. Prints and process sheets can be accessed from the network, while part tracking and prioritization can happen in real time.

Bartell Director of Operations Andrew Longway said that the new equipment’s capability “can be transformational.” It will enable Bartell to be efficient and competitive not only in what it already does, but allow it to develop more advanced and complex designs, have a GIWC17_KV-172.09mm X 116.51mm(3mm出血) EN.pdf 1 2017/1/9 15:19:12 direct influence on the quality and lead-times and provide customers world-class products, he said.

Due to an editing error, the list of tabletop exhibitors that took part last October at WAI’s International Technical Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, was not correct.

The correct list is as follows: AA Enterprise, AESE SA, Altor Company, ANTAAC, AW Machinery, Bernal Industrial, Black Sea Technology, Calmec Precision Limited, Carris Reels, Cincinnati Thermal Spray (CTS-East), Clinton Instrument Company, Esteves Group, Fil-Tec Inc, Fort Wayne Wire Die, Gem Gravure Company, INTEREQUIP, Lubrimetal SpA, MFL Group, Micro Products Company, The MGS Group, NDC Technologies/Beta LaserMike Products, Neue Gesellschaft SA, Niehoff Endex North America, Pan Chemicals SpA, Paramount Die Company, Parkway Kew Corporation, Pioneer Machinery/Simpacks, PolyOne de México SA de CV, Quimica Iberoamericana, Rainbow Rubber & Plastics, RichardsApex, Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH, Roteq Machinery, R.T.P. Paganoni Srl, SAMP/ USA, Sark USA, Sikora International, Sjogren Industries, Traxit Int’l/Solinti S. de R.L. de C.V., Vision Engineering, Wire Lab Company, Woodburn Diamond Die, Zumbach Electronics Corp and Wire Association Int’l/Wire Journal Int’l.

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FEBRUARY 2017 | 19

INDUSTRY NEWS

Correction

INDUSTRY PROFILE PROFILE

$168 and sales smarts = success SANTA FE SPRINGS CALIFORNIA

Phillip M. Ramos, Jr. Philatron Wire & Cable CEO & Founder

COMPANY

Philatron Wire & Cable

FOCUS

Founded in 1974, Philatron makes electrical cable products for aerospace/ airports, auto/trucking, medical, military, mining, OEM, oil & gas, transportation, & utility/power. Specialists in extra flexible large size cables and coiled cords/ cables. Capacity: 28 AWG -4,000 MCM / 12V -35Kv.

OF NOTE

Phil Ramos, Jr. ,has served on many nonprofit boards and won many awards over the years in recognition of his contributions. In 2008 Philatron won the Medium Family Owned Business of Year Award from the Orange County Family Business Council. He received a standing ovation for a speech on Innovative Leadership at the USC Galen Center (on website). He was the 2007 winner of United States Tennis Association – Southern California 7.0 Division – Men’s Doubles – Super Senior League. philatron.com

WJI: How did you get into the wire and cable industry?

Ramos: Back as far as high school, I always wanted to own a business. I was (and still am in a nice and friendly way) competitive. After graduating from high school I joined the U.S. Navy and advanced from a Seaman Recruit to a Petty Officer 3rd Class in less than a year. Two years later, I went to college and went to work in a wire and cable company as a floor sweeper. I soon advanced to operations manager, and by age 28 I was executive vice president and general manager for a start-up wire and cable manufacturer. I was doing well but I wanted to head out on my own.

In 1974, at age 30, I started Philatron. Since then, I have been blessed to grow it into the largest wire and cable manufacturer in Southern California.

WJI: What were the keys to your success?

Ramos: I have always considered time, not money, as the most valuable asset, and that was the key to my start. I did not have a lot of money, but I knew that if I could sell a large quantity of products on a COD basis and have 30 days to pay my vendors, cash and funding would be moot points.

And that is what I did. I started out not as a manufacturer but as a broker, hustling to get contracts where I could make money. I did that for a few years until I accumulated enough cash to start purchasing manufacturing equipment. My first extruder line (I now have nine) was purchased at an auction.

It was new, kept in storage by the Army Signal Corps, and was worth $150,000. I

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

got it for $10,000 and started manufacturing. Since then, I have either custom built or purchased 97% of our equipment from auctions or the used equipment market.

And each time we consider a new purchase, there is a single question I ask myself: will it contribute to profit? That single question has always determined whether we will buy equipment.

WJI: Is the skill set needed to be successful any different today than it was in past eras?

Ramos: The skill set of a successful entrepreneur will be the same, regardless of era: innovation is a must, and it has to be a continuous process, a function of leadership. You have to think outside of the box, navigate uncharted territories, display self-discipline, and have the courage and inner strength to never give up, even when facing overwhelming adversity. You see that in great entrepreneurs in any era, in people such as Steve Jobs of Apple and Elon Musk of PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors.

WJI: You grew a company from the proverbial shoestring: could that still happen?

Ramos: I believe that when there is a will, there is a way, although it would be far more difficult today. Back in 1974, when I founded my company with $168, I did not face off-shore competition. Nor was I burdened with heavy regulations that are detrimental to business in time and money, especially ones that are small or medium-size.

I feel another challenge was the U.S. decision to open China as a fair-trading partner.

US MAGAZINES HALF PAGE 2015.indd 1

11/09/2015 15:34

TUBULAR to come

FEBRUARY 2017 | 21

PROFILE

ultimat

molding. Our competitors outsource components and Before this change, our company sold 100,000 of our their assembly. innovative Tiny Tiger compact jumper cables to a large retailer. After the change, my product was copied and the WJI: In what ways has the wire and cable industry most next order went to a competitor importing from China. In changed…and least changed? that period, wire and cable products that were sold in volRamos: The industry ume became extremely competitive. Many has mostly changed & WELDING MACHINES U.S. WIRE wire and FORMING cable due to globalization. It manufacturers, like is far more competitive • • • • • Philatron, • • AUTOMATIC • STRAIGHTENING • FORMING • WELDING • • that refused and many of the small to import, and tried to players have been • 2D Wire Forming & Welding Machines, suitable for POP compete against China, acquired by mega conDisplays, Shelving, Household goods and many more either went out of busiglomerates. Where it • Automatic Lines for the production of shelving and air ness orfilter wereframes acquired has changed the least is direct from coil by mega corporations. in the method of manu• Automatic Ring Forming & Welding machines We survived because we re-engineered into a custom facturing basics, including copper drawing, copper bunch• High Quality Burr-Free welds in mild and stainless steel ing, copper roping, cabling, thermo-plastic and thermoset manufacturer and a niche marketer.

• Medium frequency and TIG welding options available extrusion, injection molding, assembly, etc.

• Suited for company prototypes low or high volumeby WJI: Has your evertoconsidered expansion production runs WJI: Have you had offers for your company, and if so, acquisitions, or do you just prefer organic growth?

• Versions available for strip orare profiled wire did you ever give it serious consideration?

Ramos: Expansion by acquisitions deep financial • Automatic Unloading of finished parts In the Ramos: I probably average a notice of interest once a decisions which require thorough due diligence.

• Square Clean-cut wire ends month from someone who is interested in purchasing my future we may explore this type of growth. I have relied • Unrivalled company. Due to my desire to keep on innovating and on organic growthservice becausesupport our innovation has made us • 2 year warranty grow new markets, I have not given this serious considersuccessful in parts new niche markets, such as aerospace. We ation, but if a firm is willing to pay a premium based on are very optimistic for good continued growth in this my future growth, I am willing to talk. I happen to love aerospace market because we are the only U.S. manufacAutomation 23 Star Road Partridge Green, Westnever Sussex, RH13 8RA,ifU.K. working and will probably retire.

So even I did turerUltimate that completely makesLtd, all components of Industrial aircraft Estate, Tel:electrical +44 (0) 1403 710043 Fax: +44 copper (0) 1403 588084 Email: sales@ultimat.com sell my company, I would become www.ultimat.com busy in other areas. I ground cable assemblies, including love manufacturing. fabrication, insulating, CNC machining and compression

PATENTS

Patent REPORT Technical advances are a necessity for any industry, and to that end, companies invest considerable resources in R&D. This monthly section will list the abstracts of recently approved U.S. patents. Most are direct to wire and cable while a few may be more indirect/downstream.

Retractable cable and cable rewind spool configuration U.S. Patent No.: 9,553,413 Patent date: Jan. 24, 2017 Filed: July 20, 2016 Assignee: AMX LLC, USA Inventors: Douglas Laube, Michael Freitas A spool apparatus is described to include in one particular example a cable spool with a first cylindrical lip and a second cylindrical lip on an opposite side of the cable spool. A center of the spool includes a clutch bearing in the center of both the first cylindrical lip and the second cylindrical lip that provides a rotational axis for the cable spool to rotate around. The apparatus may also include a feed slot near the first cylindrical lip that provides a passage for cable to pass from the second cylindrical lip to the first cylindrical lip.

Optical-electric composite cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,551,143 Patent date: Jan. 24, 2017 Filed: April 11, 2014 Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Hiroki Yasuda, Osamu Seya An optical-electric composite cable includes an optical fiber, an inner tubular cover enclosing the optical fiber, a plurality of electric wires arranged outside the inner tubular cover, a binding member collectively bundling the plurality of electric wires, and an outer tubular cover covering an outer periphery of the binding member. A gap exists between the binding member and the outer tubular cover. ...

It is an object of the invention to provide an optical-electric composite cable that is adapted to reduce an optical loss caused by the microbending of optical fiber while suppressing a decrease in flexibility.

Twin-axial wire antenna U.S. Patent No.: 9,553,366 Patent date: Jan. 24, 2017 Filed: May 19, 2014 Assignee: The U.S.A. as represented by the ` Secretary of the Navy Inventor: David Tonn An antenna includes a polymer coating having a VLF/ LF element and an HF/VHF element embedded therein.

A blocking choke is interposed between the VLF/LF element and the antenna feed to block HF/VHF signals. Small chokes are regularly positioned on the VLF/ LF element to eliminate resonances caused by mutual capacitance between the elements. Reactive loads are positioned in said HF/VHF element at regular intervals for optimizing performance of the antenna in the HF/ VHF radio bands. In further embodiments the antenna is provided as a floating antenna with the elements helically arranged therein.

Flat cable wiring structure U.S. Patent No.: 9,550,460 Patent date: Jan. 24 2017 Filed: Nov. 8, 2013 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation, Japan Inventor: Akira Tsubaki Disclosed is a flat cable wiring structure allowed to be mounted to all automobiles and corresponding to various circuits. The flat cable wiring structure is provided with a flat cable winder including a case arranged at an end of the rail, and a rotating body accommodated in the case rotatably about a virtual central axis vertical to the car body floor and configured to wind the flat cable; and a flat cable housing extending in a longitudinal direction of the rail and including a pair of walls arranged along an outside surface of the rail and parallel to a side wall vertical to the rail, and a bottom wall connecting the pair of walls.

Medical guide wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,550,013 Patent date: Jan. 24, 2017 Filed: Feb. 9, 2010 Assignee: Japan Lifeline Co., Ltd., Japan Inventor: Hironori Kawasaki A medical guide wire which has a core wire having a distal end-side small-diameter portion and a proximal

22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Multipair cable U.S. Patent No.: Patent date: Assignee: Inventors:

9,548,143 Jan. 24, 2017 Filed: June 17, 2015 Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Takahiro Sugiyama, Hideki Nonen, Osamu Seya A multipair cable includes an inner layer part including two differential signal transmission cables for an inner layer that are twisted together, a press winding tape wound around a periphery of the inner layer part, and an outer layer part including a plurality of differential signal transmission cables for an outer layer that are wound around an outer periphery of the press winding tape. The inner layer part further includes a buffer tape disposed between the two differential signal transmission cables.

Monotube seismic cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,547,096 Patent date: Jan. 17, 2017 Filed: March 18, 2016 Assignee: Sterlite Technologies Limited, USA Inventors: Sravan Kumar, Roshan Kumar, Kishore Sahoo, Liu Buyong, Shivam Srivastava, Phill Coppin The present disclosure provides an optical fiber cable.

The optical fiber cable includes a buffer tube substantially present along a longitudinal axis. Further, the optical fiber cable includes a first layer. The first layer surrounds the buffer tube. Furthermore, the optical fiber cable includes a second layer. The second layer surrounds the first layer.

Moreover, the optical fiber cable includes one or more strength members embedded inside the second layer.

Further, the buffer tube encloses a plurality of optical fibers. Moreover, each of the plurality of optical fibers is color coded from a set of standard fiber colors and wherein the set of standard fiber colors comprises twelve colors.

The first layer and the second layer provide a kink resis-

Patent Facts Nanowires: these tiniest of materials have a presence in more than 50,000 patents The word “nanowire” conjures up a sense of incredible potential, and while a sceptic might say that this as “future stuff”—something that will take years if not decades to gain critical mass—in terms of patents, nanowire is already a force to rekon with.

To date, stemming back from 2006, more than 50,000 patents have been filed that reference nanowires. Per an October 2016 report presented at patsnap.com, more than 33,000 patent applications have been filed that reference nanowires, and more than 13,000 new patents that reference them have been granted. While the largest number of these patents (nearly 20% of the total) are filed under H01L (Semiconductor devices; electric solid state devices), their potential uses and applications are endless, and these can include the wire and cable industry.

Oct. 2016 chart showing increase of patents that cite nanowire.

From “Conversion of chemical to electrical energy” (H01B) to “Electric digital data processing” (G06F) and “Layered products” (B32B), nanowires are well on their way to becoming part of everyday life, from batteries, to specialist fabrics, and even inside the human body. Physicists at the University of Basel an EPF Lausanne described how their research had shown that nanowires could be used as sensors in a new kind of atomic force microscope (AFM).

One of the mechanical properties of nanowires means that they vibrate along two perpendicular axes at a very similar frequency. By measuring changes in these vibrations, researchers found that they could use the nanowires to measure the direction and force of the forces being acted upon them.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 23

PATENTS

end-side large-diameter portion having a larger outside diameter than the outside diameter of the distal end-side small-diameter portion, and a coil spring installed on an outer periphery of the distal end-side small-diameter portion of the core wire along an axial direction and fixed to the core wire at at least the front end portion and rear end portion thereof. The outside diameter of the proximal endside large-diameter portion of the core wire and the outside diameter of coil of the coil spring are each at most 0.012 inch. The front end portion of the coil spring is fixed to the core wire by gold-containing solder. The length of a distal end portion stiffened by the gold-containing solder is 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The medical guide wire is high in fixing strength of the coil spring to the core wire and can shorten a shaping length compared with a conventional medical guide wire.

PATENTS

tance, a crush resistance and flexibility to the optical fiber cable. Each of the one or more strength members is coated with a layer of ethylene acrylic acid.

Vehicle composite cable and vehicle composite harness U.S. Patent No.: 9,545,888 Patent date: Jan. 17, 2017 Filed: Dec. 16, 2015 Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Inventors: H. Ito, N. Toyoshima, Y. Hayakawa, T. Murayama, H. Eshima, S. Hayashi, M. Oikawa, T. Futatsumori, H. Sakaguchi A vehicle composite cable includes a pair of power wires for supplying a current to an electric parking brake unit that generates a braking force after stopping a vehicle, a first signal line including a twisted pair wire transmitting a first electrical signal during when the vehicle is in motion, a second signal line including a twisted pair wire for transmitting a second electrical signal also during when the vehicle is in motion, and a sheath collectively covering the pair of power wires and the first and second signal lines.

The first and second signal lines are not covered with a shield conductor, and the first signal line is separated from the second signal line by the pair of power wires.

Readily strippable cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,545,743 Patent date: Jan. 17, 2016 Filed: Aug. 14, 2015 Assignee/ Inventor: Joyce Craig, USA A cable having conductors that may be easily exposed in preparation for electrical connection, without requiring the use of tools, is provided. The insulating layer of the cable has at least one relatively weak portion extending along the length of the cable that is configured to allow the insulating layer to split, thereby exposing the wire without the use of tools.

PROTON

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

REELS AND DRUMS

Metal reels for wire and cable. Process and transport.

Wire harness and method of maintaining shape thereof U.S. Patent No.: 9,543,060 Patent date: Jan. 10, 2017 Filed: Nov. 29, 2012 Assignee: Rockbestos Surprenant Cable Corp., USA Inventors: Robert Konnik A high-temperature cable and a method of making the same is provided. The high-temperature cable includes at least one conductor. An inorganic tape is wrapped around at least one conductor. An armor shell is applied exterior of the inorganic tape.

Insulated winding wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,543,058 Patent date: Jan. 10, 2017 Filed: Feb. 25, 2015 Assignee: Essex Group, Inc., USA Inventors: Allan Knerr, Gregory Caudill, Baber Inayat, Jason Stephens, Koji Nishibuchi, Joonhee Lee, Bogdan Gronowski, Won Lee An insulated winding wire may include a conductor and insulation formed around the conductor. The insulation may include a base insulation layer formed around the conductor and having a first dielectric constant (.epsilon.1). The insulation may further include an extruded thermoplastic layer formed around the base insulation layer and having a second dielectric constant (.epsilon.2). The extruded thermoplastic layer may include (i) at least one polymer comprising a ketone group and (ii) at least one fluoropolymer. A ratio of the dielectric constant (.epsilon.2) of the extruded thermoplastic layer to the dielectric constant (.epsilon.1) of the base layer at 250.degree. C. may be less than or equal to approximately 1.0.

Multi-core optical fiber and multi-core optical fiber cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,541,704 Patent date: Jan. 10, 2017 Filed: June 20, 2014 Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan Inventor: Tetsuya Hayashi The present embodiment relates to a multi-core optical fiber and others having an excellent transmission capacity per unit cross-sectional area and spectral efficiency and being easy to manufacture. The multi-core optical fiber has a plurality of cores, a cladding, and a coating and has an appropriately-set neighboring core pitch, cable cutoff wavelength, confinement index of light into each core, cladding outer diameter, and neighboring

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Headquarters & Production plant: GMP Slovakia s.r.o., Pribenik - Slovakia Companies of the group: GMP Reels India Private Ltd, Nashik - India sales@gmp-slovakia.com www.gmp-slovakia.com

FEBRUARY 2017 | 25

PATENTS

intercore power coupling coefficient, and a relationship among a minimum of Formula .LAMBDA./(r.sub.cladOCT.sub.min), a maximum of the Formula, and a core count is present under a predetermined relationship.

High-strength steel wire material exhibiting excellent cold-drawing properties, and high-strength steel wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,540,718 Patent date: Jan. 10, 2017 Filed: Oct. 2, 2014 Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd., Japan Inventor: Tomonobu Ishida, Nao Yoshihara A technique with which air blast cooling can be used to produce a high-strength steel wire material that achieves uniform high strength and high ductility, even when cold drawn; a high-strength steel wire produced from this highstrength steel wire material; and a zinc-plated high-strength steel wire. This high-strength steel wire material includes 0.80-1.3% of C, 0.1-1.5% of Si, 0.1-1.5% of Mn, more than 0% but not more than 0.03% of P, more than 0% but not more than 0.03% of S, 0.0005-0.01% of B, 0.01-0.10% of Al, and 0.001-0.006% of N, the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities. The area ratio of pearlite in the structure of the high-strength steel wire material is at least 90%. The average grain size number (P.sub.ave) of pearlite nodules and the standard deviation (P.sigma.) thereof respectively satisfy formula (1), namely 7.0.ltoreq.P.sub.ave.ltoreq.10.0, and formula (2), namely P.sigma.. ltoreq.0.6.

Method of manufacturing an automobile high voltage wire harness U.S. Patent No.: 9,536,641 Patent date: Jan. 3, 2017 Filed: Jan. 24, 2013 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation, Japan Inventors: Eiichi Toyama, Takashi Kato A method of manufacturing an automobile high voltage

wire harness includes setting a shrinkable tube which has a color to make the wire harness recognized as a high voltage one outside a metal pipe body which is an exterior member of one or a plurality of high voltage electrical pathway(s) wired in an automobile, making the shrinkable tube shrink to cover part of or all of the outer surface of the metal pipe body, and bending the metal pipe body to a predetermined position to be formed into a three-dimensional shape.

Halogen-free insulated cable material used for 125C irradiation cross-linked EPCV photovoltaics and a preparation method thereof U.S. Patent No.: 9,536,638 Patent date: Jan. 3, 2017 Filed: Jan. 14, 2014 Assignee: Jiangsu Dasheng Polymer Co., Ltd. China Inventors: Luo Chaohua, Weiwei Fan The present invention discloses a halogen-free insulated cable material used for 125.degree. C. irradiation crosslinked EPCV photovoltaics and a preparation method thereof. The material is mainly prepared from the following raw materials based on weight parts: 5-20 parts of ethylene propylene diene monomer; 0-25 parts of polyethylene; 0-10 parts of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; 1-5 parts of compatibilizer; 50-75 parts of aluminum hydroxide; 1-5 parts of stabilizer; 1-5 parts of silicone masterbatch. The halogen-free insulated cable material of the present invention has excellent insulating property and flame retardancy, and can achieve the halogen-free flame retardant VW-1, and releases a very low amount of smoke when burning, making a light transmittance of greater than 90% in the smoke, and also has excellent mechanical properties and electrical properties, and can suffer capacitance change rate test at 90.degree. C. for 14 days in water according to UL44, fully meeting the property requirements of UL47032010 standard. (section cont’d. on p. 89)

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

TM

      

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS ABB to be the key supplier in building India’s longest power transmission link ABB reports that it has teamed up with India’s national electricity grid operator, Power Grid Corp. of India Limited (POWERGRID), for a project valued at more than $640 million. The contract calls for ABB to deliver a transmission link that will have the capacity to bring reliable electricity to more than 80 million people.

as they help to conserve land because they occupy only one third of the space of available alternative means. In this case, that amounts to a saving of about 244 sq km of space, about a third the area of Bangalore or the entire city of Kuala Lumpur, the reports said. The mega project will also feature technologies selected to minimize the footprint of the transmission stations.

Per the reports, the total project value is worth more than $840 million, the balance to be executed by ABB’s consortium partner, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, an Indian public sector company. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2016, and the project is expected to be completed in 2019.

KEI extends its tech capabilities by its agreement with Brugg Kabel AG

ABB will deploy new technology, such as seen above, to supply the new UHVDC link from Raigarh to Pugalur.

Per multiple reports, the Raigarh-Pugalur 800 kV ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) system will connect Raigarh in central India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The 1,137-mile link will be among the longest in the world. With a capacity of 6,000 MW, the equivalent of more than six large power plants, it will be enough to meet the electricity needs of over 80 million people in India.

The two-way link will integrate thermal and wind energy for transmission of power to high consumption centers located thousands of kilometers away. It will support electricity demands in the south when wind strength is low, and transmit clean energy to the north, when there is excess wind power.

“ABB is honored to partner with POWERGRID for this smart long-distance transmission project,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “Delivering reliable electricity to India’s energy demand centers is a top priority for the Indian government to support the country’s impressive growth momentum.”

UHVDC transmission is a development of HVDC, a technology pioneered by ABB more than 60 years ago.

Per the company, it has been awarded about 110 HVDC projects to date, a total installed capacity of more than 120,000 MW that accounts for approximately half the global installed base.

HVDC transmission links were described as essential

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

KEI Industries Ltd., a manufacturer of power cables for retail and institutional segments, reports that it has extended its technical collaboration agreement with Brugg Kabel AG, that will enable it to achieve an industry first in India.

A press release said that the technical collaboration with Brugg Kabel AG—a Swiss manufacturer of high-voltage (HV) and extra-high voltage (EHV) cables that also supplies and installs systems worldwide—has greatly bolstered KEI’s capabilities. “KEI has achieved another milestone in its growth history, as now it will be only the first company in India having such technical capabilities to manufacture cables up to 400 kV.” The technical agreement will provide KEI complete know-how transfer that will include all aspects needed for manufacturing the cables and deploying the jointing techniques as well as the complete EHV system design of EHV cables. “With this full technology back-up, the collaboration will also help KEI in making its presence in the EHV cable segment up to 400 kV by securing contracts from various public utilities (central and state) as also private segments.”

The release noted that with the government’s focus on infrastructure projects, “demand for extra high voltage cables up to 400 kV is likely to grow exponentially in coming years considering transmission and distribution of power through underground cables because of the major problems faced in right of way (especially in large cities).”

“With very restricted capacity presently existing in 220 kV and up to 400 kV segments, this step taken by KEI will definitely ease the burden on imports as also bringing down the project costs,” the release said.

KEI Industries reported that it has also commissioned a new production line of EHV cables at the Chopanki plant and a trial run for EHV cables from 132 kV up to 400 kV is expected to soon start.

A self-taught craftsman in Vietnam has found that wire makes a superb medium for making bonsai trees. An article at vietnamnews.com told the story of Duy Đức, the manager of a Handmade Art page on Facebook, who “discovered” in 2005 that wire worked well in forming the tiny iconic trees. It takes him two or three hours to do a small one, while larger trees can take a week or more.

Initially, Đức grew real bonsai. He went to buy scrap metal to wrap and shape the young branches of the bonsai. “But then I had the idea of making a tree out of the metal wire itself.” He advises using copper wire from 0.5 mm to 1 mm, and starting with an idea.

“We can’t painstakingly make a product without determining the meaning and the shape of the work. ... each tree should fit a specific container,” Đức said.

In addition to the copper wire, he A bonsai tree made by Duy Đức. uses plastic, wood,

ASIAN FOCUS

Bonsai trees made from wire

Duy Đức at work. VNS Photo Trung Hiếu. crystal or stone beads to make the tree’s leaves, and adds decorative items such as small statues, driftwood, or pieces of rocks.

What has changed most about the centuries-old tradition of bonsai trees is social media, Đức said. This allowed him to meet with other fans of the art. “In 2013, I began to converse with people all over the world who share his passion. “I compare their methods with mine to perfect my craft.”

Of note, Đức is willing to share his skills. Every Saturday or Sunday morning, at a café in Hà Nội’s Long Biên District, he still teaches a small group of fellow wire enthusiasts. “Passion is a fire. If we want the fire to burn strongly, we need more people,” he said.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 29

PEOPLE

PEOPLE The Supervisory Board of Leoni AG has chosen Martin Stüttem to head the company’s Wiring Systems Division, effective April 1. He has worked in various senior positions at the international automotive component supplier Faurecia since 2010, and has comprehensive expertise in the fields of manufacturing technology and product development. He will Stüttem also become a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Based in Nuremberg, Germany, Leoni AG is a global manufacturer of cables for the automotive field and other sectors.

Juan Picon has joined General Cable Corporation as senior vice president and president, North America, and as a member of the strategic leadership team. He previously served for 18 years at Honeywell, where he served in a number of executive and senior management capacities within the company’s Automation & Control Solutions (ACS), Aerospace and Transportation Systems businesses. He also held positions of increasing responsibility there in Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing, operations, plant management and general management. He holds an MBA degree from Arizona State University, a master’s degree in European Union

Law from the University of Carlos III of Madrid, a Diploma in Business from the Centro de Estudios de Comercio (CECO) of Madrid, and a Law degree from the University Complutense of Madrid. Based in Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA, General Cable Corporation is a global manufacturer of wire and cable products.

RichardsApex, Inc., a global supplier of specialty metalworking fluids, announced that Ed Cuff has been promoted to key account manager. He has been with the company for six years, and was a regional salesman, Northeast. He holds a bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, RichardsApex, Inc., this year celebrates its 115th anniversary as a supplier of high-performance metalworking fluids.

Victor March is the new CFO of TPC Wire & Cable. He most recently was CFO of EXAL Corp, and prior to that he was CFO at Excel Polymers LLC. He has decades of experience in financial leadership and acquisition integration, and an understanding of private equity-owned businesses. Based in Macedonia, Ohio, USA, TPC Wire & Cable produces wire, cable, connectors and assemblies used in industrial environments.

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WIRE STRAIGHTENERS • STRAIGHTENER ROLLS 30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

•

WIRE PULLERS / WEDGE GRIPS

Eric O. Muetlein, a long-time supplier of lubricants to the wire and cable industry and a WAI Life Member, died Dec. 13, 2016, at age 89, at UW-Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. During his career, he was involved with the development of ferrous wiredrawing lubricants for three major companies.

After World War II, Muetlein emigrated to the U.S., and was married in 1947 to Claudette Farmer. The following year he became a U.S. citizen. A chemist, he was director of research for Standard Industrial, in Frankfort, Illinois. In 1957, he became plant and laboratory manager after the company was sold and became Diamond Shamrock. He remained there until 1968, when he started as a partner and vice president of operations for Bowers-Siemon Chemicals Co., Coal City, Illinois. He worked there until 1986, when he became sales manager of Beaver Metals, from which he retired in 1992.

He is survived by his wife, Claudette; son, Paul Muetlein; a granddaughter, Ava; step-son, Danny Burger; step-grandchildren, Kenny, Sarah and Lisa; his special niece, Helen Kurth; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters.

One man who knew him for many years was former WAI President James Marr, who worked for him in the

early 1960s. “Eric had a very keen mind and many funny stories to relate. He was an extraordinary man.

He taught me a lot that I was able to use throughout my career.”

Franz Fischer, a longtime employee of Niehoff Endex North America Inc. (NENA) died January 4, 2017, in Estero, Florida, at age 77.

In 1969, Fischer, a German native who became a U.S. citizen a few years ago, joined the Niehoff Group, where he initially worked in engineering and on the test bench for new developments. His skills in troubleshooting, overall technical know-how combined with his adventure-seeking personality quickly saw him moved into the company’s service department.

After traveling the world—including Mexico in the 70s and China in the 80s—Fischer was one of three staffers who in 1985 were instrumental in starting the Niehoff Group subsidiary, Niehoff of America, in Rome, New York. For almost two decades, he was responsible for servicing Niehoff machinery in North America as service manager. In 2004, he retired from NENA after 36 years of service, and later moved with his wife to Florida. He is survived by his wife, Hannelore; daughter, Jutta; son, Juergen; and three grandchildren: Carolin, Rafael and Mikael.

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TESTING & HANDLING FEBRUARY 2017 | 31

PEOPLE

OBITUARIES

FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH AT&T: focus on traditional wireless ... and fiber ... and copper ... and AirGig

reach more than 400,000 locations with fixed wireless by the end of 2017 across its CAF II footprint and 1.1 million locations by the end of 2020.

AT&T notes that it currently markets gigabit broadband services to nearly 4 million locations across 46 metro markets in the U.S. via FTTP locations that include more than 650,000 apartments and condominium units. The company plans to pass at least 12.5 million locations with FTTP across 67 metro areas by mid-2019. To serve those customers, AT&T is launching a trial of G.fast technology designed to deliver high-speed broadband to subscribers in multiple dwelling units (MDUs) via already installed twisted-pair copper or coax. The company says it is “encouraged by the results of our G.fast trial.”

AT&T noted that it launched a trial of gigabit broadband delivery to MDUs via fixed millimeter-wave wireless in 2016. “We’re also exploring additional markets for trial locations,” it reported, stating that it plans field trials of its AirGig technology this year. The technology, developed within AT&T Labs, aims to deliver low-cost, multi-gigabit wireless internet via power lines. The company says it could partner with power companies to deploy the technology, which also could apply to smart grid applications.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, AT&T showcased its technology for wireless, but it also noted its commitment to G.fast delivery for wire as well as other venues for wireless.

Per media reports, AT&T continues to advance its 5G wireless networking, noting that it expects that with 1-Gbps service on parts of its 4G network a reality, wireless (including millimeter-wave) will play an increasing role in its plans. Initial lab trials of 5G showed 14 Gbps transmission and latency of less than 3 ms. A series of field trials will be done this year, with the DirecTV Now service in Austin, Texas.

In the second half of this year, the service provider said that it will collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson on further fixed and mobile trials based on the 3GPP group’s 5G New Radio specification. It will seek to accelerate commercial use of the 28-GHz and 39-GHz bands to support multi-gigabit services.

AT&T reports that it plans to expand the use of fixed wireless to delivery internet services in the 18 states where the company has accepted FCC Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF II) support. AT&T predicts it will

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32 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

1/6/16 12:01:59 PM

Report: global aerospace fastener market looks good through 2021 The global aerospace fastener market looks promising for sectors such as commercial aircraft, regional aircraft, general aviation, helicopter and military aircraft segments, reports Lucintel, a global strategic consulting and market research firm.

The report,“Growth Opportunities in the Global Aerospace Fastener Market 2016-2021: Trends, Forecast, and Opportunity Analysis,� projects that the global aerospace fastener market will reach an estimated $6 billion by 2021, growing at an annual rate of 6% from 2016, a press release said. It cites the major drivers as increased aircraft delivery, more demand for wide-body aircraft and introduction of new aircraft programs. The market uses fasteners made with aluminum, steel, titanium and other materials (superalloy), and titanium fasteners and other fasteners (superalloy) are expected to show above average growth during the forecast period.

The commercial aircraft segment should remain the largest market as such aircraft use more fasteners than aircraft for other primary uses, the release said. It noted that North America is expected to remain the largest region due to high demand for newer aircraft and replacement of aging fleet.

The 122-page report suggests that new product development is needed to provide better corrosionresistant properties, higher strength and weight reduction. It observed that fastener manufacturer partnership with customers Titanium bolts for aerospace use. could create win-win situations. Another reason why there should be further use of titanium fasteners stems from the importance of its ability to be compatible with composite parts and high strength. Alcoa, Precision Castparts Corp., Lisi Aerospace, Stanley Engineered Fastening, National Aerospace Fasteners Corp., B&B Specialties, Inc., and Trimas are among the major suppliers of aerospace fasteners.

The Lucintel report, which has 46 figures/charts and 22 tables, provides a comprehensive data and analysis on trends, key drivers, and directions, the release said. For more details, go to www.rnrmarketresearch.com.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 33

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE

Introducing INTERWIRE 2017 -AND-

WAI’s 87th Annual Convention: May 8-11. Exhibits: May 9-11. Atlanta. Georgia. USA

Proof that wire & cable never looked so good after enduring so much.

Everyone wants something specific when it comes to ferrous, nonferrous, and electrical wire. And when it is about wire & cable manufacturing, it is all about ...the process.

So when you’ve been around wire and cable as long as we have, you know that short cuts don’t work. Except one: INTERWIRE. INTERWIRE represents decades of wire & cable making advancement bundled into one efficient package. It is the time-tested way your competitors stay relevant in this business. And the direct link between you and the solution to the process you call your own.

Maybe it’s technical know-how you seek. Or machinery to upgrade your plant.

Training for your team. Or finding contacts far and wide. Interwire delivers. It is an international wire & cable industry fair and the largest marketplace of its kind in the Americas—36+ years in refinement.

We’re in the process of planning Interwire 2017 for our followers who come from 50 countries to participate.

Follow developing details: www.interwire17.com.

Presentations. Production Solutions. Exhibits. Tours. Networking.

Sales. Purchasing. Product Review. Training. Speaking, exhibiting, and sponsorship opportunities.

The Wire Association International, Inc. | www.wirenet.org

ROLL TWIST COIL BUNDLE BRAID INSULATE GALVANIZE COAT PAINT ENAMEL TWIST PAIR SUBMERGE BURY WEATHER SUSPEND DRAW BEND SHAPE BARB SPRING ELECTRIFY CRIMP CUT STRIP SOURCE ANNEAL QUENCH CONNECT TEST CRATE SHIP DELIVER

Wire.

Cable.

Supplies.

Equipment.

exhibitors A. Appiani Srl Accuracy Technical Services LLC Ace Metal Inc. ACM AB ADVARIS GmbH AESA S.A. AFI Systems LLC Agape Industry Inc. AIM Inc. AITMAC Inc. All Wire Forming Machinery Inc. Amacoil Inc. Amaral Automation Associates America Bybon Corp.

American & Efird, LLC American Kuhne Inc. Appleton Manufacturing ARM ATE Applicazioni TermoElettroniche Srl AW Machinery LLC AWT Machinery Inc Axjo Aztech Lubricants LLC B & H Tool Co. Inc. Balloffet Die Corp.

Baum’s Castorine Co. Inc. Beacon Reel Co. Bechem Lubrication Technology LLC Beijing Orient Pengsheng Tech Co. Ltd. Bekaert Beneke Wire Co. Bergandi Machinery Co. Beta LaserMike (An NDC Technologies Brand) Blachford Corp.

Black Sea Technology Inc. Bloom Engineering Co. Inc. BMS Birlesik Metal San.Ve Tic. As Boockmann GmbH/ The Slover Group Bow Technology Boxy SpA Breen Color Concentrates Inc. Buhler Redex Caballe Cable Consultants Corp.

Cabrol Group Calmec Precision Limited CardConnect Carris Reels Inc. Cavallero Plastics Ceeco Bartell Products, Bartell Machinery Systems Cemanco LC Ceramtech CERSA-MCI Chase Wire & Cable Materials Chemetall Cheng I Wire Machinery Co. Ltd. Chengdu Centran Industrial Co. Ltd. Chhaperia International Co. China Council for Int’l Trade Cimteq Clifford Machines & Technology

Clinton Instrument Co. CM Furnaces Inc. CMEC International Exhibition Ltd. CN Wire Corp.

Cobre Y Aleaciones Escocia SA Collari Srl Cometo Commission Brokers Inc. Condat Condat Lubricants Confex Technology Ltd. Conneaut Industries Inc. Continuus-Properzi SpA CTI CTS - Cincinnati Thermal Spray Inc. Custom Machining & Fabrications LLC Daloo Davis-Standard LLC DEM S.p.A. Die Quip Corp.

Dino-Lite Scopes (BigC) Domeks Makine Ltd. Sti Dongguan Dewei Wire Co. Dynamex Corp.

Ebner Furnaces Inc. Effegidi spa EJP Maschinen GmbH Elecomtape Global Inc. Electron Beam Technologies Inc. Electronic Drives & Controls Inc. Enercon Industries Enkotec Co. Inc. ERA Wire Inc. Er-Bakir Esteves Group USA Etna Products Inc. Eurobend GmbH Eurolls SPA Eurowire Magazine George Evans Corp.

EVG Inc. Fabritex Inc. Facts Inc. Fastener Engineers - Lewis Machine Fenn LLC FIB Fil-Tec Inc. Filtertech Inc. Fine International Corp.

Finoptics Inc Fisk Alloy Inc. Flymca & Flyro FMS USA Inc. Foerster Instruments Inc. Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc. FSP-One Inc. Fuhr GmbH & Co. Kg Gauder Group Inc. Gem Gravure Co. Inc. GIMAX Srl W. Gillies Technologies LLC GMP Slovakia s.r.o Granite Falls Furnace Guill Tool & Engineering Co. Hafner & Krullmann GmbH Hangzhou Dongxing

Telecommunication Material Co. Hangzhou JR Exhibition Co. Ltd. Hangzhou Juli Insualtion Co. Ltd. Heany Industries Inc. Heatbath Corp.

Henrich Maschinenfabrik Henrich GmbH HFSAB H Folke Sandelin AB Honta Houghton International Inc. Howar Equipment Inc. Huestis Industrial ICE Wire Line Equipment Inc. IDEAL Welding Systems iiM AG measurement + engineering INFLEX Inc. InnoVites Inosym Integrated Control Technologies International Wire & Cable Symposium (IWCS) International Wire Group Inc. International Wire & Cable Machinery Association IP Automation Inc. Iron Tiger Manufacturing Inc. Isabellenhutte Co. IWE Spools & Handling GmbH IWG/Bare Wire Division IWG/High Performance Conductors Jiangsu Kemaite Technology Development Co. Ltd. Jianyin Hygrade Electromechanical Technology Co. Ltd. Joe Snee Associates, Inc. Joe-Tools Jouhsen - Bundgens Inc. Jun-En Enterprise Corp.

Kablosan Turkey - FBC Yayincilik Ltd. sti Kabmak Muh. Ve Mak. San Kalmark Intergrated Systems Ltd. Kar-El Demir Tel San. Ve Tic. Ltd. Sti KEIR Manufacturing Inc. Keystone Steel & Wire Co. Kieselstein GmbH King Steel Corp.

Kinrei of America KMK Krollman Ernst Koch Albert Kren Lamnea Bruk AB LaserLinc Inc. Leggett & Platt Wire Group Leoni Wire Inc. Lisciani Lloyd & Bouvier Inc. LUKAS Anlagenbau GmbH M & M Industries Co. Ltd. M+E Madam Reels Madison Steel Inc. Magnetic Technologies Ltd. Maillefer Extrusion Oy

Mathiasen Machinery Inc. Melos GmbH/Inhol B.V. The Meltech Co. Metal Link Inc. Metal Resource Solutions Inc. Metalloid Corp.

Metavan N V MFL Group The MGS Group - MGS Mfg.Hall Industries - Northampton Machinery Micro Products Co. Microdia USA Mid-South Wire Milacron Canterbury Engineering/Genca Mixer Compounds Morgan-Koch Corp.

Mossberg Associates Inc. Mossberg Industries Inc. Nano-Diamond America Inc. Nantong Yingjie Metal Products Co. Nation Grinding Inc. NDC Technologies Neptco Niagara Composites Industries Inc. Niehoff Endex North America Inc. Maschinenfabrik NIEHOFF GmbH & Co KG Nylene Canada Inc. Oden Technologies Inc. OM Frigerio spa OM Lesmo OMA USA Inc. OMCG North America Inc. Ozyasar Tel Ve Galvanizleme P & R Specialty Inc. P/A Industries Pampas - Baicheng Fujia Paramount Die Co. Parkway-Kew Corp.

Phifer Wire Inc. Pioneer Machinery USA Pittsfield Plastics Eng. Inc. Plas-Ties Co. Pourtier & Setic of America Precision Die Technologies Inc. Precision Process Inc. Premier Wire Die PrintSafe Progress Maschinen & Automation AG Promostar srl Properzi International Inc. Proton Products PWM Q8Oils QED Wire Lines Inc. Qual-Fab Inc. Queins Machines Raajratna Stainless Wire Inc. RAD-CON Inc. Radyne Corp.

Rainbow Rubber & Plastics Rautomead Ltd. REDEX Redex of America ~continued~

exhibitors

sponsors

~continued~

Platinum Level Reel Power Wire & Cable Refractron Technologies Corp.

RESY Filtration Systems RichardsApex Inc. Roblon A/S Rockford Manufacturing Group FELM Rosendahl Nextrom Roteq Machinery Inc. RSD Technik RTD Manufacturing S&E Specialty Polymers SACO AEI Polymers SAMP SpA SAMP USA Inc. SAMPSISTEMI Sanxin Wire Die Inc. SARK USA SARK Wire Sarkuysan SA Schlatter North America Schmidt Maschinenbau GmbH Schnell SpA Shanghai Dehong New Materials Co. Ltd. Shanghai EverSpring Ceramic Co. Ltd. Shanghai Hosn Machinery Technology Co. Ltd. Shenyang Jinggong Cable Material Co. Ltd. Sikora International Corp.

Simpacks Sirio Wire Sivaco Wire Group Sjogren Industries Inc. Skaltek Inc. SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH Sonoco Reels Spirka Schnellflechter GmbH Star Materials Co. Ltd. Steel Cable Reels Stolberger Inc. DBA Wardwell Braiding Stolberger KMB-Maschinenfabrik GmbH August Strecker GmbH & Co KG Subec AB Supermac Industries Ltd. Supreme Superabrasives Co. Ltd. Suzhou Nanda Metal Technology Co. Ltd. Sweed Machinery Inc. Sylvin Technologies Inc. T & T Marketing Inc. Takikawa

Tantec Est Inc. Tapeformers Ltd. Taubensee Steel & Wire Co. Taymer International Inc. Technical Development Corp.

Tecnofil SA TECVIL Teknikor Teknor Apex TEKTAPES Tensor Machinery Ltd. Thermoplastics Engineering Corp.

Tillos Group Trafco Tramev Traxit North America LLC Troester GmbH & Co. KG Tubular Products Co. Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals Inc. United Wire Co. Inc. Unitek Crossheads Upcast OY Vandor Corp.

Vinston US Corp.

Voge Composites vom Hagen & Funke WAFIOS Machinery Corp.

WCISA /Wire Forming Technology International Weber & Scher Mfg. Co. Inc. Windak Inc. Windmill Associates Wire & Cable Technology International Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. wire 2016/Messe Düsseldorf North America Wire Association International, Inc. Wire Journal International, Inc. Wire Lab Co. Wire Machine Systems Inc. wired up Wire World WiTechs Witels Albert USA Ltd. Woodburn Diamond Die Inc. WTM srl Wuxi Quantong Cable Materials Co. Ltd. X-Compound GmbH Yield Management Corp.

Zhejiang Baichuan Conductor Technology Co. Ltd. Zumbach Electronics Corp.

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ADVANCE REGISTRATION FORM Convention: May 8-11, 2017 | Exhibits: May 9-11, 2017 Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Register at: www.wirenet.org, or use the form below 1. COMPLETE & MAIL THIS FORM TODAY

4. EVENT REGISTRATION (Required) *advance (on or before April 10, 2017) | *on-site (after April 10, 2017) *advance

LAST NAME

*on-site

FULL REGISTRATION PLUS NEW WAI MEMBERSHIP (BL/AEM) FIRST NAME

MIDDLE

Includes exhibits, welcome reception, technical sessions & online proceedings, production solutions, keynote, and one year WAI membership.

TITLE

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$445 q

$545 q

Member

$395 q

$495 q

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$495 q

$595 q

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FULL REGISTRATION (BL/AE)

COMPANY

Includes exhibits, welcome reception, technical sessions & online proceedings, production solutions and keynote.

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EXHIBITS ONLY (GD/CE)

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Tuesday-Thursday, May 9-11, 2017 Includes exhibits and production solutions.

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FUNDAMENTALS OF WIRE MANUFACTURING (Includes Exhibits) (GDS) Monday, May 8, 2017 Includes program handouts, lunch, exhibits, and production solutions. q Ferrous Track (FT) q Nonferrous/Electrical Track (NT)

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$295 q

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A. Which ONE of the following best describes your company’s type of business? CHECK ONLY ONE. WIRE MANUFACTURING 10 q Aluminum & Al. Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 20 q Copper & Copper Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 30 q Steel & Steel Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 40 q Other Metal (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 50 q Electrical (Insulated Wire) 53 q Communication (Insulated Wire) 55 q Fiber Optics FASTENERS, WIRE FORMING, FABRICATING 61 q Fastener Manufacture 62 q Four-Slide Forming 64 q Hot and/or Cold Forming and Heading 66 q Spring Manufacture 68 q Wire Cloth Mesh Screening 69 q Other Forming and Fabricating Please Specify ___________________________

SUPPLIERS TO THE WIRE INDUSTRY 72 q Machinery 74 q Process, Accessories, Materials WIRE END-USER 11 q Appliance 12 q Communications (Voice/Data) 13 q Computer 14 q Construction/Building 15 q Electrical (Equip./Components/Power) 16 q Transportation/Vehicular 17 q Wire Formed Durable Goods OTHER 80 q Service Cntrs, Distrib. & Warehouses 90 q Consultants 91 q Student/Faculty 92 q Govt., Library, Others Allied to Field

B. Which ONE of the following best describes your primary job function? CHECK ONLY ONE. 10 q General & Administrative Management 20 q Engineering and/or Operations and/or Production 30 q Technical and/or Research & Development and/or Quality Control 40 q Purchasing 50 q Sales & Marketing 60 q Student/Faculty 90 q Other Please Specify _____________________________________________________________

SOUTHWIRE TOUR (SR) Monday, May 8, 2017 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants. Individual registrations subject to approval.

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MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP (MMW) Thursday, May 11, 2017 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants.

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GLOBAL FERROUS ROD & WIRE SYMPOSIUM (FS) Monday-Wednesday, May 8-10, 2017 Includes Global ferrous rod & Wire symposium AND Interwire 2017 Exhibits, Full Technical Program, and Welcome Reception.

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WAI NEWS

WAI

NEWS

Co-located Ferrous Symposium to offer full tech program at Atlanta

The WAI’s Global Ferrous Rod and Wire Symposium 2017, will cover a comprehensive range of production-related issues.

Below are the titles/authors for the presentations, to be held Tuesday, May 9, and Wednesday May 10. The March preshow issue will include times and abstracts. For latest news, go to www.interwire17.com.

Tuesday-Wednesday, May 9-10, 2017 Conference Sessions, • Development of High-Quality Wire Rod Through Steel Mill Continuous Improvement, Craig Hlady and Jeff Kramer, Cascade Steel Rolling Mills • Correlation of Mechanical Properties with Diameter and Cooling Rate of 1080 Wire Rod, Amit Kohli and David R. Poirer, University of Arizona; and Peter Power and Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Gerdau Long Steel North America • Microstructural Characterization of High-Carbon Wire Steels, Emmanuel De Moor, Colorado School of Mines, and Stephanie Kaster, US Air Force Academy • Characterization of Tensile and Shear Loading on Indented PC-Strand Cable Bolts, Anand Bhagwat and Stephen C. Tadolini, Minova USA, Inc.; and Steven Derycke, NV Bekaert SA • Moving Toward Visible Difference and Beyond: Imaging-Based Surface Quality Control for Rod and

Wire, Tzyy-Shuh Chang and Enrique R. Frixione, OG Technologies Inc • Long Product Metal Industry Continuous Improvement Efficiency,” Bruno Chedal Anglay, SPPD • Technological Aspects of Scrap-Based Steelmaking, Continuous Casting, and Rolling Practice Oriented Toward Production of Boron-Alloyed CHQ Steels Featuring Highest Possible Susceptibility for Cold Heading, Zbigniew Kutyla, CMC Poland • The Shear Punch Test, Likhith Nalluri and Ramesh K Guduru, Lamar University; and Roberto Perez, Leonardo Radicchi S. Cunha, Peter Power, Bhaskar Yalamanchili, and Thad Boudreaux, Gerdau Long Steel North America • Modernization of the Kroman Wire Rod Mill to Increase Productivity, Utilization, and Product Quality, Necdet Utkanlar, Kroman Çelik Sanayii AS, and Wade P. Krejdovsky, Primetals Technologies USA LLC • Quenched and Partitioned Steel Wires: Process, Characterization, and Properties, Christophe Mesplont and Walther Van Raemdonck, NV Bekaert SA • New Process Metallurgy Developments for the Production of Steel Wire Rods, Steven Jansto, CBMM North America Inc. • Bright Heat Treatment of Flat and Profiled Wire Made of Austenitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels, Igor Rogelj, Primoz Eiselt, and Franz Resch, Plasmait GmbH; and Willy Hauer, Howar Equipment Inc. • Capital Projects and Continuous Improvement at Sterling Steel, Nichole Garza and Andrew Bettin, Sterling Steel Co. • Process, Precision, and Performance: The SMS Solutions for High-Quality and High-Productivity Wire Rod Mills, Mario Fabro and Larry Smith, SMS Meer GmbH • Utilization of Thermo-mechanical Rolling for Improving the Utilitarian Properties of Electrode Wires, Karel Cmiel and R. Cieslar, Třinec Iron and Steel Works, Wade P. Krejdovsky and Bruce V. Kiefer, Primetals Technologies USA LLC

Interwire tech programs range from the fundamentals to industry drivers

The Global Ferrous Rod and Wire Symposium will focus on a myriad of topics that are related to the production of steel and steel alloy products.

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Interwire 2017 will include traditional favorites—such as the Fundamentals of Manufacturing, Production Solutions, a provocative keynote speaker, memorable conference sessions, Mordica Lecture, special presentations, a plant tour and more—but the event will also be bolstered by the co-location of the first-ever Global Ferrous Wire Rod Symposium.

The following two pages present a few of the event highlights. For full details, go to www.interwire17.com.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS MONDAY, MAY 8 8:00 am

– 5:00 pm

Registration Open

8:30 am

– 5:00 pm

Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Luncheon

Die Quip’s Tom Maxwell, Jr., presents his Fundamentals presentation on dies at Interwire 2015.

Monday, May 8, 2017 Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing. This day-long session, to be held Monday May 8, is designed to give attendees a solid grounding in the essentials of wire and cable manufacturing. Industry veterans will present the following 12 topics “Mechanics of Wiredrawing,” “Drawing Dies,” “Wiredrawing Lubricant Technology,” “Wire Breaks & Surface Damage,” “Fundamentals of Ferrous Metallurgy,” “Cleaning and Coating of Rod and Wire,” “Ferrous Testing and Properties,” “Ferrous Heat Treatment,” Stranding & Cabling,” “Extrusion,” “Fundamentals of Electrical Testing,” “Wire and Cable Manufacturing Problem-Solving,” and a combined Q&A session.

Plant tour. Southwire will host a tour on Monday, May 8. The bus leaves at 11:45 am, and returns at 4:15 pm.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 Conference Sessions, Interwire presentations, as of press time, include the following titles/authors: The times and abstracts are available at www.interwire17. com.

• Industry 4.0. Panel discussion (see next page) • Separation and Recycling of Wire and Cable Waste,” Michael Kahl and Kevin Doyle, Encore Wire Corporation • “Distracted? Is That a Risk You Want to Take?”

Karen Duff, General Cable Corporation • How to Build a Safety Culture by Offering an OSHA 10-Hour Course,” Terry Carroll, Enviroworld Consulting LLC • Practical Considerations in Measuring Wire Drawing Die Diameters,” Kevin Johnson, Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc. • Green Wiredrawing Lubricants,” Richard R. Strapple, Metalloid Corp. Inc.

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Southwire Plant Tour (bus leaves 11:45 am, returns 4:15 pm) 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing (Ferrous Track) 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing (Nonferrous/Electrical Track) 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Q&A 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Ferrous Symposium Opening Reception

TUESDAY, MAY 9 8:00 am

– 5:00 pm

Registration Open

8:30 am

– 9:00 am

Opening Session

9:00 am

– 11:30 am

Interwire Session – Industry 4.0

9:00 am

– 12:00 pm

Ferrous Symposium Session 1

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Exhibits Open

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Ferrous Symposium Luncheon

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Interwire Session – Operations

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Ferrous Symposium Session 2

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Interwire Session – Drawing

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Opening Reception

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 8:00 am

– 5:00 pm

Registration Open

9:00 am

– 12:00 pm

Nonferrous Workshop

9:00 am

– 12:30 pm Interwire Session Nonferrous/Electrical 1

9:00 am

– 12:30 pm

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Ferrous Symposium Session 3 Exhibits Open

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm Member Rewards Luncheon, Mordica Lecture 2:00 pm – 2:40 pm

Keynote Address

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Interwire Session Nonferrous/Electrical 2 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Ferrous Symposium Session 4

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Production Solutions

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

WAI Southeast Chapter Reception

THURSDAY, MAY 11 8:00 am

– 3:00 pm

Registration Open

9:00 am

– 12:00 pm

Manufacturing Management Seminar

9:00 am

– 12:00 pm

Ask the Expert

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Exhibits Open

*Schedule subject to change.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 39

WAI NEWS

INTERWIRE 2017 & GLOBAL FERROUS ROD AND WIRE SYMPOSIUM

WAI NEWS

Industry 4.0 panel discussion: what is it and why it matters Industry 4.0. On Tuesday, May 9, four speakers whose companies offer technology that can be used as part of a Industry 4.0 solution will share their expertise in a panel discussion.

The topic is one that has gained much traction, mostly in Europe, but increasingly now in the U.S., where it is better known as the Smart Factory. There is a difference between the two, but the essence of both is electronics and the ability to deploy it on the shop floor. Also, the technology is not limited to major global manufacturers.

The panelists are Ali Shehab, Cimteq Ltd.; Albert Groothedde, Innovites; Willem Sundblad, Oden Technologies, and Kevin Blais, Wonderware North.

The four stages of Industry 4.0. The last leg, the most complex, is likely to be “in progress” for years to come. DFKI chart.

Also on Tuesday, May 9, 2017

ous casting and rolling of copper rod has evolved since the early 1960s.

Exhibits. The show floor will be open 10 am to 5 pm..

Interwire reception. 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 Mordica Lecture. Hal Moss, Lucent Technologies (Ret.), will present, “Continuous Casting and Rolling of Copper Rod— Where it All Started,” during the Member Rewards Luncheon.

This presentation by Moss, who has more than 40 years of experience in continuous casting and the nonferrous industry, will look at how the process for continu-

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Moss

Keynote speaker. On Wednesday, Keynote speaker Rick Smith, a 3-D printing expert and a bestselling author, will share his vision on the future of 3D printing, which he believes will have an incredible impact on manufacturing.

The author of the forthcoming book, The Second Wave: Smith Revolution, Disruption and Survival in a 3D Printed World, Smith will discuss the growth and inevitability of 3-D printing, noting what leaders can and should be doing right now to prepare. He is a featured contributor for Forbes, and his work has been featured in The New York

WAI NEWS

Thermoplastic compounds panelists at Interwire 2015.

Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Financial Times, ABC, CNN, Bloomberg, and dozens of other media outlets. He also authored two books that reached No. 1 on the Amazon business bestseller list.

Other presentations • Electrical Linear Resistance Measurement of Large Cross-Section Conductors, Denis Milz, AESA SA • High-Capacity, High-Performance Composite Core Conductors,” Dave Bryant, CTC Global Inc. • Increasing Building Wire Voltage Ratings from 600 V to 1000 V, Justin Hrbacek, Encore Wire Corporation • Extrusion Technology for Material Savings, Markus Boström, Maillefer Extrusion Oy • “How Atmospheric Plasma Surface Treating Enables Inkjet Printing on Wire and Cable, Sarah Bauer, Mark Plantier, and Galen Quinsey, Enercon Industries Corp.

• Danieli Endless Aluminum Rod Mill: Mission Accomplished at Sural, Lodolo Stefano and Alberto Voltolina, Danieli • ZnAl Rod From Upcast® Continuous Casting Process,” Juho Kalliokoski, Upcast Oy • Manufacturing of High-Strength and High-Ductility Nonferrous Metal Wire by Alternate Wiredrawing, Kazunari Yoshida, Hidetoshi Nagashima, and Shintaro Takamiya, Tokai University • Introduction to New Optical 3D Roughness Measurement Technology for Real-Time In-Production Surface Measurement of Extruded Wires and Cables, Juha Säily, FocalSpec Inc. • “Development of Technology for Producing Wires With High Surface Finish, M. V. Prasad, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. • “A New Cobalt Base Super Alloy,” M.V. Prasad, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. Exhibits. The show floor will be open 10 am to 5 pm.

Thursday, May 11, 2017 Two “ask the experts” sessions will be held from 9 am to noon, one for ferrous and the second for nonferrous/ electrical. There also will be a workshop of manufacturing management.

Exhibits. The show floor will be open 10 am to 3 pm.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 41

WAI NEWS

WAI welcomes 4 new members in 2017 to its Board of Directors The Wire Association International will see four new members in its Board of Directors, executives at three wire and cable manufacturers and one from an OEM equipment supplier. The BoD meets twice a year to help guide the Association’s direction and focus.

Marco Gerardo, SAMP USA Marco Gerardo, the Vice President of Sales and Services for SAMP USA, Inc., has more than three decades of industry experience. The company, a U.S. subsidiary of Italy’s SAMP SISTEMI, is located in Williamsport, Maryland, where he is responsible for all company activity in North America.

He originally joined SAMP in 1991 as a Sales Area Manager, Gerardo and in 1997, he was promoted to Export Sales Manager, directly responsible for territories in both Mexico and Canada. He was then promoted in 2000 to Sales and Marketing Manager, requiring him to work closely with the product development team and marketing group at SAMP in Italy. Prior to joining SAMP, Marco worked in various capacities for O.M. Lesmo and Johnson Controls in Europe.

Tim Wampler General Cable Corporation Tim Wampler is Vice President of Manufacturing, Utility, at General Cable, a role he began in 2011. He leads and coordinates the activities of six plants that manufacture low- and medium-voltage cables and bare overhead conductor utilized in the transmission and distribution of electrical power.

Wampler has over 20 years of experience in the wire and cable Wampler industry. He began his career with Belden Wire and Cable where he held a variety of operations roles of increasing responsibility. In 2006, he joined General Cable as plant manager of its plant in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, that manufactures data communications and telecommunications cables. He was promoted to Vice President and Team Leader for General Cable’s Communications and Assemblies plants in 2008.

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WAI NEWS

Wampler holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an MBA degree in Operations Management from Ball State University. General Cable, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of aluminum, copper and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, construction, industrial, specialty and communications markets.

Jason Jones, Bekaert Corporation

Steel Reel Specialists since 1962

Jason Jones is Sales Director Industrial Products, for Bekaert North America.

He first joined the Bekaert Corporation in 2000 and held various sales and sales management positions throughout the organization. In 2004, he joined Coastal Wire Company as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, then in Jones 2009 he returned to Bekaert Corporation as National Sales Manager for Industrial Applications. Over the next few years he was given responsibility for various other sales divisions of Bekaert North America, including Senior National Sales Manager, and was promoted to his current position in 2015. He previously has served on the board for Coastal Youth Ballet, where he has help positions as both Vice President and President.

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Jim York, Leggett & Platt Jim York is Unit President of Wire Products for Leggett & Platt. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia, held positions with CF&I Steel and Bekaert for 19 years before joining Leggett & Platt in 2003 as Vice President of Marketing and Product Development in the company’s Industrial Materials Segment.

York In 2005, York was promoted to President of Specialty Products Division where his responsibility included Solon Specialty Wire, Shaped Wire, and Leggett & Platt Wire International. L&P Wire Tie Systems was added in 2010. In 2014, he was named to his current post. He works out of the Leggett & Platt Corporate headquarters, which is located in Carthage, Missouri.

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FEBRUARY 2017 | 43

one focus.

May 8-10, 2017 at INTERWIRE

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Poland technical conference offers educational and marketing benefits Organizers of the 7th International Conference on Drawing, to be held March 2-4, 2017, at the Antałówka Hotel in Zakopane, Poland, encourage readers to attend this biennial event.

The WAI’s Poland Chapter, which along with the Czestochowa University of Technology (CUT) are among the key organizers of the biennial technical event, report that the conference has a sold lineup of technical presentations on steel wire and wire products, nonferrous wire and wire products, electrical wire, and special products.

The first day of the event, Thursday, March 2, is registration and a reception; the second day, Friday, March 3, has the technical sessions, with tabletops, followed that evening by regional folk entertainment; and the third day, Saturday, March 4, will include morning sessions and poster papers, followed by lunch and the conference closing. More than a dozen tabletops had also been reserved by exhibitors.

The event will also see the awarding of the Schneider Memorial Award to Wojciech Misiołek, a highly regard-

ed U.S. professor with Polish roots, who is director of the Loewy Institute at Lehigh University, and to Marek Siemiński, a CUT graduate who later joined Company Metalurgia S.A., becoming its president in 2016.

For more details, go to www.konferencja.wip.pcz.pl.

Deadline nearing for scholarships apps

Applications for scholarships for three WAI chapters, in conjunction with the Wire Foundation, must be postmarked by Monday, March 31, 2017.

The chapter scholarship program is bolstered by the Wire Foundation connection that allows donations to be tax deductible. For the New England chapter, eligible candidates for the awards are graduating high school seniors going to college. The Southeast and Midwest chapters also allow continuing college students to apply for scholarships.

Non-members of WAI who have students who would be eligible for the scholarships are welcome to join WAI and their respective chapter. The form can be accessed at the chapter pages at www.wirenet.org. For more details, contact Steve Fetteroll at tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 115.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 45

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER

FEATURE

In this feature, suppliers of reels, spools and other packaging products discuss their field. It also includes a series of retired reels that have found “other opportunities,” and the Products section that starts on p. 62 includes a range of packaging products, many from companies in this section.

WJI: What is the single biggest challenge you face in your day-to-day operations?

Containment of raw material cost to remain competitive. Craig Currie, technical sales manager, Hearl Heaton/Pentre Group.

Customer satisfaction. Responding quickly and correctly to our customers’ requests. Keeping schedules on production and deliveries. Rene Mayer, vice president, Mossberg Associates, Inc. There’s probably no one single biggest challenge, but one key has always been that a company has to be able to evolve to better take care of its customers in a changing market. We have taken firm steps and investment to do just that. I’ll cite two examples. In 2016, we welcomed Lone Star Reel into the Carris community of companies.

Lone Star Reel, started by Mike Pawlish and Larry Beal, has grown to more than 150 employees, and their expertise in producing nailed wood and plywood reels in their Texas plants in Bonham and McKinney has earned them a solid customer base throughout Texas and the Southeast.

In addition to providing Carris with a solid and expandable footprint in the region, this acquisition has bolstered the capability of our full network of reel manufacturing plants. We also moved our Michigan plant to Indiana this past spring. The move itself was actually quite short—it’s just eight miles to our new 63,000-sq-ft facility in New Carlisle, Indiana—but it provides us with more floor space that supports additional repair and recycling of wood reels as well as providing greater space for inven-

The new Carris Reels plant in New Carlisle, Indiana.

46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tory. All that, in turn, enables us to be even more responsive, able to provide quick, reliable delivery to customers of our growing Mid-West division. Carris Indiana serves the Mid-West markets with reels made of plywood, nailed wood, plastic and stamped metal See p. 66. Gordon Wood, director of sales and marketing, Carris Reels.

Constantly updating a business model to satisfy ever-changing customer demands is a challenge.

To meet them, we recently added our fourth manufacturing location and a process reel product line combined with high-voltage reels. We have also started to stock steel as far as six to nine months ahead to ensure the best lead times for our custom- CSR Chairman Nalin Shah ers. Nalin Shah, chairman, Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC. Our main worldwide challenge is to compete against suppliers without “green” certification. In some countries, we still have competitors using low-value wood that mainly comes from illegal harvesting and native forests.

On the positive side, we do see more cable companies choosing to avoid jungle wood or illegal wood. Also, logistics are very important, so we are opening new manufacturing plants: one in the U.S. this year and one next year in Malaysia, and we have plans to open up two other plants in 2019 and 2020, most likely in Turkey and Japan. Leandro Mazzoccato, director, Madem Reels Group.

Our biggest challenge is managing the ever-changing requirements and timelines of our customers in the North American market. The market is extremely sporadic when it comes to large- and medium-diameter reel requirements. Many projects are based around utility companies and new infrastructure improvements which create big needs on a spot basis. Meeting these peak demands in

FEATURE

a timely fashion is a constant challenge as there is little forecasting possible. We try to adapt and respond with our labor pool to be able to quickly deliver reels, often in just two to three weeks. Chris Hauer, sales manager, HOWAR Equipment.

Reducing lead times for our equipment is currently our biggest challenge. We are keenly aware that we are the sole supplier of REELEX® coiling equipment, and our demand at the moment is extraordinary. As a result, we have shifted gears from an R&D focus to a production focus, and for me that means less “development” and more “improvement.” Lead times for us currently extend well into 2018. Timothy Copp, vice president business development, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. The biggest challenge we daily face is keeping quality and selling at a good price. Our policy is to supply only quality products that are durable, and sent on time.

We insist on doing this because if you supply a perfect product, the customer will be happy and will come back to you again, and that is especially important now for companies that have to target their investments. When we say good quality, we mean taking care of the production process, from the purchasing of raw materials to every subsequent processing step as well as delivery. For these reasons, we continue to invest in new solutions to save production time to reduce production costs and make it possible to send an even better proposal to our customers.

See p. 63. Gabriela Filepova, CEO, GMP Slovakia.

Steel raw materials make up more than half of the cost of a reel, and lately this commodity has seen a very

BOXY Srl Managing Director Alberto Tononi. volatile pricing situation. It is therefore difficult to plan for the material requirements as most orders do not happen quickly. Having a good handle on the steel market helps plan and ensure that the product is still built in a profitable way, as most reels are not a high margin item.

BOXY Srl/HOWAR Equipment.

Mossberg Industries has a long history of providing product to the wire industry. That brings the daily challenge to provide what will be needed for the future of the industry. We want to help our customers improve and look forward instead of being content. Jim Khorshid, president, Mossberg Industries.

Finding new business. There is so much noise in today’s marketplace that it is hard to stand out so potential customers know who you are and what your expertise is.

Mike Tucker, marketing manager, Cavallero Plastics.

Repurposing is the ‘reel’ thing for former wire and cable stalwarts Recycling continues to be encouraged by industry, but repurposing reels and spools has long been a timehonored tradition. All it takes is a used wooden reel in decent shape, a good imagination and a handyman’s savvy. Here, and in the following pages, this section presents a range of such “deployments.”

A timely statement.

A mini-coffee station.

Industry-style ambiance.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 47

FEATURE A multi-purpose station.

The essence of a child’s dreams.

We rely on automated machinery to produce our steel reels and have a smaller crew of operators due to the automation which we have invested into. It is very critical that we maintain the equipment in proper functioning to ensure consistent quality and short-lead times. We have specialized in a high-quality stamped reel with short lead-times, so the reliability of our equipment is of utmost importance. METAVAN NV/ HOWAR Equipment.

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WJI: In an electronic age, how important are personal relationships with customers? Has the customer base changed in ways that makes it harder to maintain these?

Personal relationships are still very important, however, the electronic age has made it very difficult to get that one-on-one meeting. We try to attend as many exhibitions, seminars, meetings and outings as possible to maintain this personal contact. Rene Mayer, Mossberg Associates, Inc.

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We have certainly seen quite a bit of turnover in the people we normally deal with. As a result, we have relied almost exclusively on electronic communiTimothy Copp, REELEX Packaging cation in order to Solutions, Inc. keep tabs on who is who and getting information across in near real-time. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually easier to manage relationships with customers, but at the cost of humanizing those relationships and making them deeper than just the sharing of information. We have also seen an increase in international sales, which often presents a language barrier. For those customers, we rely very much on our international sales

representation to maintain relationships. Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. Personal relationships are still very important. We often receive customers who like to observe our production facility and get a true understanding of our technical prowess. It may appear that a reel is a simple item, but know-how is extremely important in providing a durable and effective reel for each application. We therefore cherish these personal relationships as they allow us to maintain a strong connection and trust with our customers.

BOXY Srl/HOWAR Equipment.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very important we regularly visit all our cable customers and that we try to be present at all wire and cable exhibitions and conferences to keep those relationships as close as possible. In terms of customer changes, electronics has made a difference. One example is that we strive to be available to them at a time that works best for them.

Leandro Mazzoccato, Madem Reels Group.

Today, personal relationship with customers is more important than ever. My late father started this business 30 years ago, from a small welding shop we have come a long way. Most of our relationships are at least a decade long, till date these customers reach out to me directly to place an order or just sometimes catch up. Nalin Shah, Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC.

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While it has become harder and harder to have face time with our customers we feel that it has become easier to gain personal relationships. We can easily exchange pictures or have a video conference to explain a situation where items may have needed to wait in the past.

Through quick responses and communicating more often we can keep a good working relationship. Jim Khorshid, Mossberg Industries.

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When coffee just won’t do.

We have always placed a big emphasis on maintaining and growing personal relationships. The internet has allowed us to communicate quicker, but not always better.

Therefore, personal visits and relationships are extremely important and help build a trust that can not be created by phone or e-mail. Most customers value the personal attention and presence, since we as a supplier can gain better understanding of the customer’s requirements and processes. This leads to better and proper reels being delivered consistently to the customers’ satisfaction.

METAVAN NV/HOWAR Equipment.

Personal contact is of prime importance and focus for us. We cover all of North America with three sales people, and we take great pride in trying to see all our customers. The benefits are not easily measured, but I can assure you that you learn something each time you meet with a customer, but these relationships form a great level of trust and collaboration. The days of “supplier versus customer” should be behind us, as a strategic partnership between both parties is a benefit to one and all. The electronic age has surely allowed for quicker answers and

Truly, for the birds.

exchange of information, but a personal touch still trumps the ability to text on the fly. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment.

Relationships with customers are always very important, especially in this electronic age. For this reason we have representatives in every area of the world. Personal relationships are also important to build a prosperous cooperation, based on trust and assistance. If a customer trusts you, it is easier to talk and understand their needs. And if you have a personal relationship, you can easy solve Gabriela Filepova any issue that may arise. Gabriela Filepova, GMP Slovakia.

Personal relationships are even more important. While emails, on-line quotes and other computer-based functions greatly improve the everyday function of business, we find in some instances a phone call or visit can be more beneficial to both our customers and ourselves. Many of our customers still appreciate the fact that our business has been family owned for 45 years and that our employees have a personal stake in the success. That pride shows in our quality product and frequent interaction with our customers and suppliers. Reel Options.

Personal relationships are critical. Having business partners and suppliers you can trust to deliver on time and with the required quality determines how successful you are. Resolving issues quickly and efficiently makes the entire supply chain succeed. Mike Tucker, Cavallero Plastics.

Chris Hauer thinks big when it comes to reels.

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These continue to be the single-most important interface between Pentre and its customers, and maintaining them is one of our key strategies. Everyday challenges arise

WJI: Is the industry divided between lower-value products considered strictly commodities, where the bottom line dictates sales, and those where the process dictates the need for higher-value, higher quality products?

There is surely some division among simpler items which are deemed a 1-way shipping reel which is seen only as packaging. For these parts price is of extreme importance, yet many customers do value the consistency and service available from BOXY. Higher-end products are usually those that require higher tolerances and are used in modern stranding and wire drawing applications.

For these most customers understand the value of a well built and studied reel which BOXY is proud to be able to deliver. BOXY Srl/HOWAR Equipment.

Savvy reel buyers consider a lot more than sales price.

Will the reel perform safely for its anticipated life and prevent damage to the goods? Will it spawn more expens-

es such as unnecessary shipping weight or extra labor and disposal costs? Can buyers count on a steady supply and fulfill unexpected demand? Smarter buyers know the true cost of cheap goods. Sonoco works toward satisfying their Jay Swetenburg customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; need for high-value reels that offer appropriate performance. See p. 64. Our polyfiber reel line is a prime example. We have invested more than 17 years and $5 million developing these lightweight, weather resistant reels. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re built to performance-based specifications for weight and capacity so our customers get the protection they need at a competitive lifetime cost. Options like a built-in-pallet or ramp add even more value by reducing labor and product damage costs. Jay Swetenburg, sales account manager, Sonoco Plastic Reels.

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FEBRUARY 2017 | 51

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in manufacturing and distribution, deadlines move and requirements change from both sides. Working together to find a common solution is a necessity, and it is much easier and more successful when you have a good working relationship with your customer. See p. 66. Craig Currie, Hearl Heaton/Pentre Group.

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Basically, yes. In our experience, we have had many customers who bought products at a lower price than ours, and that is their choice. We do not complain about this. Suppliers of such low-price products, however, buy and use lower-quality raw material and/or cut corners in the production process to be able to offer that low price.

The result is that after even limited use, such products can cause problems in the working process. So, even if at first sight the quality of products seems to look the same, the product quality is very unlikely to be as good as the cost. The problems caused by a low-value product can eat away at any savings and cause much frustration. A manufacturer needs to be confident that they are using quality products, and the supplier must have the experience and know-how to supply good products that last. Gabriela Filepova, GMP Slovakia.

Our industry is very diverse, consisting of many industrial sectors that all have very different requirements, and those factors, in essence, dictate the design, specification and, ultimately, the price of the reel. This spectrum includes low- and high-tech products; low- and highspeed manufacturing; process and shipping reels; differing working environments, namely onshore and offshore, so it is impossible not to have a division between low-price commodity and high-value bespoke reel products. Craig Currie, Hearl Heaton/Pentre Group.

We feel our customers deserve to decide how best to package their product and we always aim to accommodate their needs. The value of our product is dictated by how well it is made, received, and functions to the customer’s expectations.

We see more and more customers aware of this. They inquire The Reel Options focus is on production. about the value-added features that are standard in Reel Options® reels. To that end, customers are able to use our products to their full extent while remaining cost competitive. Reel Options.

We have found that a quality product is key in every situation. A “commodity” with poor quality can lead to higher scrap rates and affect the bottom line more than a small increase on the product. Mossberg looks to take a long-term approach versus a quick savings up front. Jim Khorshid, Mossberg Industries.

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There are no true commodities in this business as every item has important requirements and specifications. Some simple products can create downtime and quality issues if not properly manufactured and delivered on time. Mike Tucker, Cavallero Plastics.

METAVAN’s pressed steel reels may be considered on the simpler side of the reel construction spectrum, so there is surely a greater emphasis on price competitiveness. We have invested heavily to ensure pricing is extremely competitive, but we do not want to only focus on price. A company does not only supply only a product, it provides value. The value is a culmination of product quality, price, service, flexibility and lead-time. We provide exceptional value when all these items are considered. METAVAN NV/HOWAR Equipment.

For us the reel buying decision has always been linked to competitive pricing and the best lead times. We have recently moved towards fabrication automation machinery

Yes it is, and because of that we continually seek to innovate. That has led us to create new packing alternatives, like our “full kit,” our new steel “locking bushing” and most recently, our new “ink jet” technology.

This allows a customer to have an attractive design element that is a more welcome touch than just having a traditional packaging product. See p. 62 for a Leandro Mazzoccato display of a few visual possibilities. Leandro Mazzoccato, Madem Reels Group.

Because REELEX® is somewhat of a premium product, we deal almost exclusively with processes and products

that can command a premium. We are a strong believer in not being part of the “race to the bottom,” and luckily because of our business model we can focus on offering high-value products and services. One of the core initiatives we focus on at REELEX is packaging development, both with respect to advancing the REELEX system in general and working closely with our customers to design the highest performing package possible. To that end, we see ourselves as “packaging consultants,” creating, developing and testing packaging solutions that ultimately become the foundation to how our customers present their products. See p. 62. Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. HOWAR Equipment has the luxury of being able to supply any type of steel reels through its network of suppliers and manufacturing facility. Therefore we see the two sides where certain items are viewed as a commodity, and this is a true phenomenon. However, we cannot always focus only on price alone, as a good supplier should provide solutions and value in their product stream. We do this through our industry expertise and product breadth. Customers have come to rely on us as a single point of information and product availability. We are able to provide the simpler reels at great value, while also focusing on higher-tolerance reels which require a special touch and understanding. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 53

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to be able to deliver consistent fabrication and maintain production thresholds. Robotic welding will help ensure seamless grade. Nalin Shah, Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC.

FEATURE A split patio approach.

One reel = two halves.

WJI: Is it better to be a steady supplier in a specific packaging niche or to offer a wider range of products?

We believe it is imperative to keep our focus on what we do well (our niche) and let someone else handle the other stuff. Because we are the sole licensor of REELEX® technology, we are quite niche indeed, and thus are always aware of the importance of maintaining a steady commitment to our customers. But, we are also always looking to expand how our niche can be applied in new ways. An example of this is our SlingPack and ProFlex packages. These packages utilize the same REELEX coil that goes into the familiar cardboard box, but present a unique and value-added way of presenting wire and cable products. There isn’t a ton of innovation that happens at our end of the industry, so we are quite comfortable focusing on continuous improvement in our niche.

Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. We seek to be the industry’s ultimate packaging solutions supplier. We are the only North American manufacturer that makes reels and spools in so many sizes and materials. Our customers care first about getting their product to the market efficiently and intact. Whether the vehicle is made of plastic, steel, wood, polyfiber or whatever, our objective is to provide the right solution, not just what is “on the shelf.” Making a niche product might be better for the supplier, but not necessarily for the customer. Jay Swetenburg, Sonoco Plastic Reels.

We are focused on wooden reels to keep a worldwide leading position. Leandro Mazzoccato, Madem Reels Group.

METAVAN has focused on a smaller spectrum of the reel construction, and firmly believes that such specialization is a key benefit. The production process is greatly improved whereby the greatest level of efficiency is achieved. This efficiency provides a positive return in the

54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Function over form works.

form of lower prices, shorter lead times, and greater product knowledge. METAVAN NV/HOWAR Equipment.

The wire market has both. Niches which are a great place to be if there is enough volume to justify the required tooling and production equipment. Servicing the overall market is great also. However, in reality there is a wide variety of equipment and processes already in the global market so many customers have different needs and requirements so a broad product line is required. See p. 64. Mike Tucker, Cavallero Plastics.

Offering a wide variety of products is extremely important to us. See p. 65.

We can go many years between orders from the same facility, and being able Rene Mayer at Wire Expo 2016. to provide a larger product range helps get you into more manufacturing plants. Rene Mayer, Mossberg Associates, Inc. Variety is a key benefit since customers lack the luxury of spare time. Engineers and purchasing agents that work with us benefit from the fact that we can assist them with all their reel requirements, so in one call they can get multiple requirements taken care of. This provides for efficient sourcing practices which the marketplace craves due to years of restructuring and downsizing. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment.

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FEATURE With accessories, a shining example.

A truly enlightened application.

To have a very wide range of products is important to give good service to the customer. What is most important, however, is to keep the same high quality for all products. We think that if customers need reels for different applications, they have to find them fast and easy, particular in this age when everybody is always busy.

If the supplier offers them the full range, the customer does not have to go crazy finding the right products that we can suggest and supply. Gabriela Filepova, GMP Slovakia.

Reel Options® offers a core product line with a wide range of variations and usages. For example, we are often able to modify a current product to work with a customer’s process to yield the best product for the best price.

We feel for the service we provide, a single product that has a wide array of uses is more beneficial than several individual niche products. This is a win-win for both Reel Options and our customers. See p. 66. Reel Options.

In today’s global market there is no “standard packaging.” Approaches differ greatly, and it is imperative that we can offer our customers alternative solutions to enable them to satisfy their end customers. We promote Pentre as being the “Total Package,” and it is not uncommon for us to be able to offer a solution in plastic, steel, timber, plywood and cardboard. Craig Currie, Hearl Heaton|Pentre Group.

There are surely advantages in both models, but we have the ability to offer expertise in all types of steel reels as well as handling equipment. It is through 48 years of activity that we have gained a true understanding of all types of reels and we are comfortable with supplying all types required. There is surely value with being able to provide a one-stop shop for customers, since they can rely on Boxy for all their reel requirements. Boxy Srl/ HOWAR Equipment.

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An “on target” usage.

WJI: Do customers care about end-of-life product disposal, or does that only apply to products that lend themselves to being reused/recycled?

Customers do care about product disposal, and this is an area where we have been able to help many of our customers.

Mossberg Industries only supplies Jim Khorshid plastic products that are recyclable. We can set up return programs in some cases or a customer can easily find a local recycler that could pay them for their disposed product. Jim Khorshid, Mossberg Industries.

Increasingly, customers care about end of use disposal and are showing elevated interest in recycling. A real star within the Carris Group has been J. Hamelin Industries, a Canadian supplier of wooden reels that joined us in 2015. The business recently relocated and consolidated its Quebec repair facility from Chambly to the company’s head office and main manufacturing plant in Saint Jerome. Hamelin President Harold Stotland says that this change will result in significant customer service benefits and operational advantages as the company’s reel repair business continues to grow with operations now in four Canadian provinces. Over 1,000 reels per week are being repaired at J. Hamelin’s facilities and returned to the company’s loyal customers throughout North America. Part of that total includes more than 25 truckloads of used reels per month that are shipped from the company’s plant in

Yes, it’s a big issue now and for the future. We have recycling programs with cable producers and cable distributors. Besides our ISO 14000 certification, we also are green certified (www.fsc.org and www.pefc.org).

Leandro Mazzoccato, Madem Reels Group.

Over the last five years, we have seen more companies looking at recycling programs that allow them to dispose of their used reels responsibly. Pentre fully supports and promotes that goal. Craig Currie, Hearl Heaton/Pentre Group.

They certainly do care, but for us we are already one of the most environmentally-friendly packaging options out there. When we develop a new packaging concept, disposal and recyclability is always a major consideration, but since our primary package is a cardboard box, we are already in a position in which our package uses one of the most frequently recycled materials on the planet. Our new

payout tube system EcoCore™ takes this one step further, and almost completely removes plastic from the REELEX box. This allows nearly the entire package to be both recyclable and compostable. Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. The end users care quite a bit. Any product that can’t be reused or recycled likely goes to a landfill. Aside from the cultural shift to being more earth friendly, the cost to get rid of used reels and spools can be hefty once you factor in storage, labor, transit and disposal fees. Now companies are looking to their wire and Dave Winebarger cable suppliers—our customers—for answers. That’s why we have expanded the reach of our EcoReel® recycling program. When users have a regular supply of viable empty wood or polyfiber reels, we arrange to have them picked up—at our expense—and routed to one of our service centers across the continental US. There the reels are refurbished to like-new condition and put back into circulation. Dave Winebarger, vice president and general manager, Sonoco Reels.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 57

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Edmonton, Alberta, to eastern manufacturers via piggy back service. In addition to repairing nailed wood reels, J. Hamelin repairs and reconditions steel reels using the company’s full capabilities, including widening or “narrowing” reels, sandblasting and full painting. These services are welcome: at many Canadian wire plants, 70% of the reels in use have been repaired at least once. Gordon Wood, Carris Reels.

FEATURE A step beyond taking work home.

A tiered multi-level table.

A simple touch for holiday spirit.

program can help save money long term and protects the investment originally made in steel reels. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment.

End-of-life product disposal, even if not mandated, is increasingly being factored in the ordering process. We have noticed increasing number of customers leaning towards reuse/recycle when it comes to steel reels. Our service division focuses extensively on reel return, repair and inventory management services to help customers achieve their goals and be responsible towards the environment. Nalin Shah, Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC.

Spreading the good word about Cavallero Plastics at Wire Expo 2016 were Mike Tucker and Tom Ehmann.

Most of the products we manufacture are reused many times and sometimes for many years. Then, at the end of their useful life, they can be recycled. This is the ultimate “green” product although sometimes customers depending on their location can have a hard time finding a plastic recycler to take them. Due to the reuse of our products we don’t get a lot of requests for disposal assistance, but we’re happy to provide it. The plastics products under environmental pressure are items like plastic bags, shrink wrap and bottles which do have recycling streams, but are often landfilled out of convenience. Cavallero Plastics.

Customers are continuously working with us to ensure that their reels last longer and are kept in proper functioning capability. We offer reel refurbishing and storage services. This ensures that reels are maintained which lengthens their useful life. By investing in maintenance of reels, customers are ensuring that end-of-life of a product is pushed out as far as possible. A good maintenance

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We find that many customers are adopting waste reduction initiatives and we are happy to support in that effort whenever possible. These customers appreciate that our core product line is produced using mainly re-processed materials and can be easily recycled. Reel Options.

Customers choosing pressed steel reels for their shipping and processing requirements, surely place a great deal of value in the environment. This is of course not the

only reason why the steel reel is chosen, but it absolutely fits the need to provide an easily recyclable product which stands up to the rigors of the application. METAVAN NV/HOWAR Equipment.

Many customers are making environmentally based decisions to use steel reels as they tend to last longer and are easily recyclable. In the manufacturing world, many customers see the value in investing for the future, which makes steel reels a logical alternative. In order to be further environmentally conscious, customers have chosen us to supply reels which can be taken apart once empty in order to return the reels in a smaller package.

Some customers have chosen this alternative over wooden reels which often do not make it back to the factory for logistical and cost reasons. BOXY Srl/HOWAR Equipment.

WJI: Please provide an example of an innovative product you offer and explain what makes it so desirable.

METAVAN’s products are not as innovative as are how they are provided by the company. Due to the automation and specialization, METAVAN can often manufacture reels within two to three weeks on a regular basis. This is a definitely unique ability which no other manufacturer can claim on a regular basis. METAVAN NV/HOWAR Equipment.

Steel Cable Reels has pioneered the innovative Complete Knock Down™ Reel. The knockdown reel design features flanges and barrels as separate assemblies. The CKD Advantage™ provides customers with huge savings in logistics, storage SCR’s CKD Reel. and repair/reuse.

The CKD Reel can also be welded up to be converted into a one-piece reel.

See p. 62. Over the years, customers have taken advantage of this innovative design and have partnered with us to recycle thousands of steel reels back into their inventory. Our team is currently working on returning 4,500 reels from Peru and Chile in South America back to a customer location for reuse. This project involves on-site disassembly of NEMA 96 in. CKD Reels. We will also inspect, repair and refurbish these reels for reuse. This will help the customer avoid an entire purchase of reels. Nalin Shah, Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC.

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No, metal reels always have been recycled (scrapped or reused) and always will. Rene Mayer, Mossberg Associates, Inc.

FEATURE

...and at WJI headquarters, the office conference table. Reels courtesy of Carris Reels, Inc.

BOXY has worked on new collapsible reels for the steel wire and cable industry. It recently produced collapsible reels for 2000 mm flange diameter and 10-ton loading capacity. As the industry moves to larger coil packages that require larger collapsible reels to produce such configurations. BOXY has focused on integrating coil holding clamps that allow the coil to be lifted by the collapsible reel. The reels can also incorporate cable holding fixtures for tail in or out requirements as well as for cable trays to house a specific length of tail of cable. Making such reels is not easy task as there has many moving components and extreme tensions. Customers like these new longer packages for the simple reason of being able to run longer and provide fewer packages to customers containing more cable. BOXY/HOWAR Equipment.

At our assembly and manufacturing facility we have designed and manufactured large diameter reels with removable flanges. The benefit of these reels is that customers can return the shipping reels whereby the shipping envelope is smaller, and often leads to being able to ship large reels on a standard trailer instead of needing special trailers or permits for oversize loads. Our latest design was for 176 in. diameter reels which were used as a multi-way transport reel for HV cable. The use of this system was an easy way for the customer to save money on their return shipments.

HOWAR Equipment.

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Optional questions WJI: In terms of priorities for your company, where does safety rank?

I’d say that safety is without a doubt the top priority here. Safety is our highest priority, period. Many companies would probably say that, but at Carris, we live it.

Company President Dave Ferraro starts off every meeting asking about safety and he insists that his executive team does the same. When someone from the very top cares that much, it trickles all the way down. I’m proud to say that, while we are deeply committed to doing ever better on this important aspect of Carris Reels’s safety efforts our work environment, were award-winning. its already clear that our focus on safety is working. Carris Reels was honored with the 2015-16 prestigious John Arnold Award for achieving scores for overall safety performance that were high-

WJI: Where do you see your product line in five years? Are you optimistic for the future?

I think the future is very bright for REELEX®. As IoT, PoE and connectivity in general grows, so does the use of REELEX. We are also facing a huge number of equipment replacements due to age. Some of our machines are still in operation after 30 years, and as customers become busier they are looking to upgrade or replace that equipment. In five years, I think you will see REELEX not only continue to be the standard package for many low-voltage products, but also find increased use for packaging fiber optics as well. We are making major advancements in the REELEX coil as well as to our equipment, and the value of those innovations will be felt by our customers. It’s always a challenge to stay ahead of ourselves, but we are extremely excited for the future.

Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc. WJI: What do you see for the industry in 2017 and beyond?

Certainly the focus on “Making things in America,” less regulations and improved tax incentives for businesses will be a good thing for those in manufacturing. Mike Tucker, Cavallero Plastics.

WJI: What do you think when you lose an order to low-cost bids you cannot match?

The market is very big, and nowadays the competition is very aggressive. Sometime we get the orders, sometimes we lose. But the most important thing for us to do is to continue investing in new sources, trying to find a good solution for customer requirements and never compromising between price and quality. If a customer spends the right money for the right product, they will not have to face problems in production. Basically, you get what you pay for. Our team is investing daily to find new solutions to save time in the production department, so we can have the best raw material with a good production time. Gabriela Filepova, GMP Slovakia.

FEATURE

est among the 370 member companies of the exclusive Raffles Captive Insurance Group. Raffles member companies can only be referred by other member companies and must pass a rigorous vetting process based on successful safety inspections by outside firms. Additionally, Raffles member companies must exhibit above average financial strength and a solid history of successfully controlling losses to be included among this diverse group of best in class companies. Gordon Wood, Carris Reels.

An assortment of reels from the Pentre Group.

WJI: What is unique about your company?

We believe that the Pentre Group, which includes Hearl Heaton, offers the most diverse product range of reels, drums and spools in Europe, with total control of all the manufacturing process. We are not a trading company that subcontracts manufacture to third parties to enhance its product range. Service and quality are in-built in everything we do on a day-to-day basis, underwritten by recognized quality accreditations such as ISO 9001.

On standard products from design to delivery, and on custom bespoke projects from concept through commissioning to completion, all are delivered by our in-house teams. This is our strategy and commitment, and we are able to achieve that because our factories are equipped with specialized machinery, operated by dedicated experienced operators with extensive manufacturing know-how, and most importantly supported by decades of industry knowledge. See p. 66 for our portfolio. Craig Currie, Hearl Heaton/Pentre Group.

WJI: Is a reel supplier a fabricator or an engineering company?

Reels are too often perceived as simple packaging items that merely need to have the size requirements to be able to be used. This is for the most part a very simplistic approach and one needs to have a better knowledge of the entire picture in order to provide the correct reels.

Therefore a good reel supplier is much more than a simple fabricator, he is an extension of the cable facilities engineering team. HOWAR Equipment prides itself on its in-depth understanding of the various wire and cable manufacturing processes and different machines used.

This allows us to carefully evaluate and then design the correct reel for a specific application. Cable manufacturers need to understand that an incorrect reel can have detrimental effects on the cable or wire being produced.

Close consultation with your reel supplier will yield a well structured and designed reel for the application, and this does not necessarily mean that the reel will be more expensive. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment.

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PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY There’s no need for a drab-looking reel You could literally say that the latest advance in reels from Madem Industries has an artistic touch: color!

Madem Industries has just begun offering wire and cable manufacturers the opportunity to order reels that, via ink-jet technology, can present a dazzling range of colors and patterns. “This is very new,” said Madem Reels Director Leandro Mazzoccato. “We are now able to offer this in all plants.”

The company can use the ink jet heads to print any desired design before finished packing, Mazzoccato said.

There is no price increase for a simple stenciling with several colors, but there is a charge if the customer wants a full-flange painting with lines of information, the costs developed for each customer, he said. The process does not normally delay shipping. The photo shows some of the more complex patterns that can be chosen. Faces are not a problem.

environmental advantages, versatility and handling ease of a cardboard box.

Like the company’s ProFlex shrink bag package, SlingPack is a user-friendly package design with a centered, easy to grasp handle, but uses a simple cardboard cutout that folds around the shrink-wrapped coil and is stapled. This allows all the great features of a box (stability, easy handling, protection) to be maintained while dramatically reducing the per-package cost.

SlingPack is a great package choice for coils weighing under 20 lb (9 kg). It provides a unique and innovative presentation for retail or industrial applications.

Contact: REELEX Packaging Solutions, Inc., tel.

845-878-7878, timcopp@reelex.com, www.reelex.com.

Family business continues to be trusted industry supplier for many reel needs To date, Mazzoccato said that the technology is set up in three of its plants, and that even at this early stage, more than 70 cable companies have taken advantage of the offer, and the reviews have been very positive. “The definition is very high and due to the deep penetration and fast-drying, the lifetime is higher than with the old traditional spray technology,” he said. “Customers are very happy about the finishing of the reels and the extra colors available, and most are opting for more than just one color for their logo. All colors are offered, he said.

“The only limitation is that, at this point, the white color is more of a soft white or a beige white, but other than that the colors are quite striking.”

Contact: Madem Reels Group, www.mademreels. com.

Lost-cost packaging innovation maximizes speed and economy SlingPack™, one of the newest REELEX® innovations, is a low-cost, installer-friendly package that combines the economics and speed of stretch-wrapped coils with the

62 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Steel Cable Reels (SCR), a Cabrol Group company, serves North and South America with steel reels, spools, drums, quality packaged products and integrated services.

Capabilities includes reel sizes from 4 ft to 14 ft that meet NEMA I & II Specifications, Western Electric & DIN Standards. SCR’s design and development teams specialize in custom reel construction with a focus on value engineering, logistics and bottom-line cost impact.

Three decades of experience have helped the group cater to a wide array of products and services for global energy projects. Of note is its Complete Knock Down Steel Reel™ (pictured, and discussed further on p. 59).

SCR has successfully fabricated, tested and integrated extremely high capacity steel reels for high-voltage cable applications.

Constructed of high-quality materials, the company’s reels feature highly customizable features like ramps, lifting mechanism, pol-

Collapsible multiway spool offers safe production application at good price The latest development to the Niehoff Package System, a highly efficient, safe and economic handling system for automotive wires, is the spool type NPS 400/400 PP (NPS-PP), which is already in use by major cable makers, and characterized by an attractive price while offering the same production safety and application potential of all original NPS spools.

The collapsible NPS-PP multiway spool has a reduced wall thickness and is considerably lower in cost than its predecessor. It is compatible with all three million NPS spools made of ABS, and can be reliably applied at operating speeds of up to 1800 m/min, a speed which is approved only for Niehoff spools. The spool can be equipped with an RFID transponder system so NPS users can identify if a spool belongs to the system and is compatible with it. The transponder also simplifies spool labeling. As the spool identification is stored in RFID, no label is needed. The standard color is gray, and special colors are available as an option.

The new spool generation is the result of the continuous further development of the NPS in order to reduce the production costs of its users and to exploit savings potentials to a maximum. The application of the NPS and its new spools is associated with great cost benefits. Further NPS PP spool types with other dimensions will be introduced this year to the market.

Contact: Niehoff Endex North America Inc., tel. 856- 467-4884, sales@niehoffendex.com, www.niehoffendex.com.

Patented take-apart reel is simple to use, can also serve as a coil lifter GMP Slovakia reports that its patented take-apart reel, the EKP-EasyKoil Plus (EKP Plus), excels for use in producing coils of steel, aluminum or copper.

The flange of the EKP Plus reel is removable, so an operator can take the coil from the reel directly. The reel is very easy and safe to use, and saves time as the operator can handle it just by positioning the hooks in the correct position.

The EKP Plus is available from 800 mm an diameter flange and over. It can be dynamically balanced and it is always machined on the parts in contact with the wire. All internal parts are manufactured with hardened steel and can be supplied with changeable flanges to make coils having different width. To prevent wear problems from high-rotation speed, hardened changeable bushings are recommended. The reel can come with four, six or eight slots for the metal straps insertion, and with circular slots in the flanges to fit the cardboard barrel.

The EKP can also work as a coil lifter. The reel has four hooks: two are suitable to open the reel, and two are

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PRODUCTS & MEDIA

ished side walls, perimeter I beam and opening for wood lagging.

With three manufacturing locations and a strong distribution network, the group supplies over 27,000 reels worldwide a year. The supply chain includes wire and cable manufacturers as well as utility companies. With over 27 years in business, the family-owned enterprise is a pioneer in the steel reel business, with an outstanding commitment to relationships, values and integrity.

Contact: Cabrol Group/Steel Cable Reels LLC, www.steelcablereels.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

suitable to lift the reel with the coil. With the hooks in the “lifting” position, the barrel expands during lifting operation and takes the coil up; with hooks in “open” position barrel collapses during lifting operation and sets the coil free.

Contact: GMP Slovakia s.r.o., www.gmp-slovakia. com.

Lines of reels come in multiple forms to meet the needs of manufacturers Germany’s IWE Spulen und Handling GmbH, represented in the U.S. by Wire Machine Systems, Inc., offers reels for all applications in the wire and cable industry.

IWE designs and manufactures superior quality steel reels in Germany, with a product range that includes reels from 300 to 3500 mm flange diameters used for wire drawing, annealing, stranding, cabling and extrusion lines. The product range is primarily made to DIN standards, but IWE’s flexibility enables them to build to customer specs, for most any application.

Shipping reels can be delivered in lightweight versions for oneway shipping or durable construction with solid flanges and/or special reinforcements.

Collapsible packaging systems with folding/removable flanges, for easy and safe loading, provide ease of operation and a reel-less package to reduce shipping costs.

Shipping reels are offered with smooth internal flanges and drum surface for protecting the wire or cable.

Special surface treatments are available, such as hot-galvanizing to UNI EN ISO 1461 or painting with two component lacquer. For certain applications the complete spool can be made from stainless steel. Accessories include lifting holes, fixing holes for safe loading, rim profiles for nail-less lagging, area nameplates of steel (for company logo, data plate, cable entry bow, tying bow and more).

Contact: IWE Spulen und Handling GmbH, www.iwereels.com, Wire Machine Systems, Inc., tel. 260-483-9269, sales@wire-machine.com, www.wire-machine.com.

2 new ideas from industry supplier Cavallero Plastics, Inc., has two new products to offer the wire and cable industry.

The first is a braider bobbin. This small gear-driven braider bobbin—known as the “Stubby”—was designed to process fine wire on Steeger and other winding equipment for the medical wire market. It has a 40-mm flange,

64 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

10.6-mm bore and 26-mm traverse, and is available in three barrel diameters (30 mm, 26 mm and 16 mm).

See photo.

Bobbins matter as braiding equipment often runs for decades, if well maintained, and a worn-out bobbin can result in damaged end product. That is why it is important to choose materials that allow for extended life for bobbins and other components, especially for those used for harsh applications. For such requirements, the company offers engineered resins that include filled nylon for extended life.

Cavallero Plastics has also built molds for several new bobbins and machine components to add to the company’s extensive line of braider equipment supplies. One of these is a new plastic drive for braiding equipment. It is 80 mm in diameter, has eight drive pins and a 17.6 mm bore hole. Available in a variety of engineering resins including filled nylon for extended life.

Cavallero Plastics, celebrating its 50th year, supplies a variety of standard bobbins, braider bobbins, accessories and spools for the wire and cable industry. It also engineers, designs and builds custom molds in-house. A small custom bobbin or spool can be inexpensive.

Contact: Tom Ehmann or Mike Tucker, Cavallero Plastics, Inc., tel. 413-443-0925, www.cplas.com.

Reel supplier can offer it all, from wood and steel to plastic and polyfiber One of the world’s largest manufacturers of wood, steel, plastic and polyfiber reels, Sonoco’s selection of plastic reels and spools ranges from precision spools for 56 AWG to Reel Tough® reels that carry over 1,000 pounds; nailed wood reels with flanges up to 160-in. in diameter and plywood reels up to 60-in.; tubular steel reels to 42-in. or larger; heavy duty corrugated steel reels and custom-engineered structural in-process and shipping reels to over 24 ft in diameter.

These reels can be easily recycled through established industrial recycling programs.

Contact: Sonoco, tel. 800-633-3962, wcr.sales@sonoco.com www.sonoco.com/reels.

The market has changed, but there is still a need for small metal spools Back in the late 1960s, Mossberg Pressed Steel was manufacturing hundreds of thousands of small metal spools 12 in. and under in size. As technology improved,

machines were made to handle larger reels and developments in plastics improved the strength of smaller spools.

With the exception of a few cases, these manufacturing improvements virtually wiped out the need for small metal spools.

Metal Forming Machinery FENN has over 100 years of expertise in creating customized metal forming equipment for a wide variety of applications.

Wire Flattening & Shaping

Drawbenches

Turks Heads

Spare Parts

Swagers Rolling Mills

Torin Spring Coilers Upgrades & Rebuilds

www.witels-albert-usa.com

Learn more & see videos at www.fenn-torin.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 65

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

The sizes and types of reels that Sonoco refurbishes today through the EcoReel® recycling program have expanded greatly. Most investor-owned utilities support environmental protection efforts. They pressure wire and cable suppliers to take back reels. Sonoco’s ability to offer timely removal of used reels can be proof to wire and cable buyers that a commitment to providing relevant solutions goes beyond just making sales. The service is provided free of charge to cable customers or manufacturers.

The company’s nationwide network of contractors will pick up reels then deliver them to one of Sonoco’s 22 Service Centers. Our customers get good quality reels, and their customers no longer need to deal with disposal.

Truckloads and sometimes LTL pickups of reels viable for refurbishing are scheduled with companies that have a steady or significant supply of wood and polyfiber reels.

We are also developing a platform for marketing less popular or overstocked recycled reels in inventory.

Our hand-assembled/disassembled Twist-lok® plastic reels are gaining a lot of traction in data cable applications. Knocked down reel components take up to 70% less space so they ship and store more efficiently until ready to wind. Adding our end plates with braking feature and inserting the assemblies into payout boxes allows communications contractors to pull multiple cables at once without the hassle of “free spooling” and tangling.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Over the past three decades, customers relied on the used market to fill their needs, but with that market drying up, Mossberg Associates has seen an increase in demand for new ones. While the market will never return to the quantities of the past, we have supplied several thousands of 8 in. to 12 in. heavy-duty metal spools in the past four years. Why do some customers prefer metal reels to plastic? In many cases it is the strength and durability of the metal reel. They are used mostly in steel wire processing.

Contact: Rene Mayer, Mossberg Associates, tel. 401334-2255, www.mossberg-reel.com.

Wide range of reels can supply multiple manufacturing needs U.K.-based Pentre Group, which includes Hearl Heaton and is represented in the U.S. by J.J. Lowe Associates, offers an incredibly diverse range of reels.

Our collective portfolio includes ABS flanged reels, wholly molded plastic reels and steel process and shipping reels for applications from wiredrawing and annealing to simple take-ups/payoffs. These can be used in-house or for single/multi journeys. We also offer steel process drums that are suitable for the offshore market, both for in-house processing and product dispatch. We also offer timber shipping drums, plywood reels and cardboard reels as well as lifting beams, transportation cradles and pallets. Our dispatch reels/drums/spools can come in steel, plywood, softwood, cardboard and plastic.

We serve wire and cable customers in sectors that include building and construction, telecom and fiber optic, oil and gas, 3D printing, medical and offshore industries.

Hearl Heaton, with more than 45 years of experience, is a leader in the design and manufacture of high-speed process reels made with plastic flanges from a special grade of virgin ABS that provides maximum strength without brittleness that we guarantee meets high-quality specifications.

Steel reels and spools manufactured in our fabrication facilities cover a wide range of both international and standard sizes as well as bespoke customer designs. Using

only prime, certified, sustainable, responsible sourced materials, we not only cater for our customers’ needs but the environment as well. We are approved and recommended by all the major OEM machine suppliers, and we can offer affordable solutions to ever changing production and distribution requirements. Visit our website to see our full product and service capabilities.

Contact: Craig Currie, Pentre Group, tel. 44-1942266391, www.pentregroup.com, J.J. Lowe Associates, tel. 475-329-5276, www.jjlowe.com.

3 plastic hybrid reels head the latest addition to company’s product lines Three new plastic reels developed by Carris Reels and made at the company’s plastics facility in Rutland, Vermont, USA, are now available.

The newly designed models are referred to as hybrid reels because they are comprised of several materials, including recycled polypropylene flanges, paper tubes and metal bolts.

Three flange diameters can be matched with varying traversed paper tubes for capacity flexibility. Sizes currently include: 10.60 in., any traverse length X 4.0 in. bbl dia. with 1 9/16 in. arbor; 11.75 in., any traverse length X 5 in. bbl. dia. with 1 9/16 in. or 2 1/16 in. arbor; and 13.50 in. dia, any traverse length X 5 in. bbl. dia with 1 9/16 in. or 2 1/16 in. arbor.

The hybrid reels, intended for capacities from 25 lb to 100 lb, can be shipped assembled or unassembled. The reels are compatible with both Hall and Windak machines as well as all other take-up equipment.

Another new plastic reel recently introduced by Carris Plastics in Virginia is a one-piece recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) spool (6.5 in. x 4.5 in. x 2.125 in.).

Carris also offers an entire family of HDPE reels that are spin-welded to PE extruded barrels, that include flange diameters from .5 in., 8.5 in., 10.5 in., 11.75 in. and 13.5 in.

Contact: Carris Reels, www.carris.com.

The name defines the advantage Reel Options® reports that its recently introduced Labor~Saver™ Automation Ready Reel System is a labor-saver from factory to field.

Many reels from Reel Options are designed for single-use OSP field use, and in many cases, customers package them into individual box containers so that a single technician is able to unwind the product. As many

66 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

It Never Calls In Sick. Never Filed A Worker’s Comp Claim.

Never Asks For A Raise And Saves The Company $150,000 A Year.

Windak’s AutoReeler AR24-D makes automatic spooling, packaging, and palletizing simple, efficient and affordable. Automatically load, wind, stretch wrap, unload and palletize wire and cable on spools - eliminating the labor, wages and benefits of 3-4 operators. This “affordable automation” not only helps you reduce your packaging costs, but also helps increase productivity by up to 40%.

www.windakgroup.com windak inc, usa 221-b s.mclin creek rd conover, nc 28613 usa tel +1 828 322 2292 fax +1 828 322 1716 infoamericas@windakgroup.com

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

customers use automated equipment to load and package their product, the logical solution was to create a reel assembly with features to solve both factory and field-use obstacles, the genesis for the Labor~Saver.

The Labor~Saver ships from the factory fully assembled, locked and ready to load onto automated winders. Its innovative locking feature keeps the End~Stands locked in position so the reel assembly can be loaded and unloaded by automated equipment. Customers realize labor-saving benefits as there is no need for extra assembly or handling post winding, which frees up warehouse space as extra components need not be stocked.

In the field, once the technician is ready, that person simply pulls the loaded product through the dispensing window in the container to disengage the lock. The End~Stands were designed with robust axles that keep the reel elevated inside the box for ease of unwind. The Labor~Saver does just what the name implies, in all aspects and usages of the product, from factory to field.

Contact: Reel Options, www.reeloptions.com.

a single plane bend and robotically welding the carrier together.

Contact: Dan Trier, Fabritex Inc., tel. 888-740-5917, dantrier@fabritex.com, www.fabritex.com.

Full-service supplier can provide both standard custom-built steel reels Italy’s A. Appiani Srl, represented in the U.S. by Canada’s AITMAC, Inc., is a full-service industrial steel fabricator that has the resources needed to provide the industry what it needs. The company’s steel reel manufacturing technologies are housed in an 8,000-sq-m facility, where it manufactures standard and custom build steel reels according to DIN specifications or to customer requirements.

The company’s product range includes: B40, B60, B80/17 and B80/33 spools for steel cord and saw wire; single-flange-pressed steel reels, type BCG, for process and shipping; partially machined reels, type BPS, for wire drawing and stranding; fully machined reels, type BPE, for wire and multi-wire drawing;

Wire carriers come in multiple designs, all made to top quality Wire carriers from Fabritex, Inc., are made to the highest quality standards, we are ISO 9001-2008 as well as AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) certified, which means we provide only the highest quality products.

The company produces more than 200 types of carriers, so if you need it, we can supply it. We offer the standard carrier base designs (square, round, star and clover), but we also offer a patented Base Lock design. This design has been tested to be as strong if not stronger than traditional square base carriers.

We offer standard and special carriers in many paint finishes as well as stainless steel for annealing furnaces.

We can also inventory for your high-volume needs. Further, we also cut down on production time by utilizing 68 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

double-flange pressed steel reels, type BAP, for cables; fabricated steel reels, type BCS and BFA for cables, ropes and strands; collapsible, take-apart reels, type BSC; and composite ABS-steel reels, type P63, P56, P50 and P40, for extrusion lines, fiber optics and telecom cables.

This wide range of steel process and shipping reels is complemented by standard and customized ancillary equipment as a support service to its main steel reel business covering tilting units, coils lifter, reel lifting devices, steel reel pallets and steel baskets.

The Appiani range of products includes structural reels type BCS and as well as the corrugated, finflanged type, BFA (pictured). It also offers steel reels for annealing process as well as special surface treatments, such as hot galvanizing according to UNI EN ISO 1460 to suit power cable applications in tropical and humid, high temperature environments. Other available coatings include polyurethane or a similar type rubber application is also available. The coating is a two-component polyurethane elastomeric system (red colored reel).

Contact: A. Appiani Srl, www.appianigrouip.com, Allan Brown, AITMAC, Inc., tel. 905-761-6165, allan.aitmac.ca@gmail.com, www.aitmac-ca.com.

Inosym has been supplying reels to the wire and cable industry for 17 years, with customers in some to over 65 countries.

Specializing in steel and plastic reels made to European and USA standards, Inosym, based in New Zealand, can offer reels to meet all the varying needs of the modern manufacturing plants. Inosym is committed to providing our customers with world class quality reels and bobbins at competitive prices. Inosym reels were developed to provide cable and wire manufacturers with a product that was realistically priced and of high quality. We believe we are achieving this and are assisting our customers to reduce capital expenditure and increase profits.

Our product lines include ABS plastic reels from 250 mm to 1000 mm for insulating, group twinners, stranding, bunching and jacketing; MF (Metal Flange) pressed metal process reels that come in sizes from 100–1250 mm, and are made from high-quality steel plate and tube, for applications that include universal take-up and payoff reels, bunching, stranding, insulating and jacketing; SM (Semi Machined) double-wall high-speed reels that come in sizes from 315–1250 mm and are made of high-quality steel plate and tube, for applications that include drawing,

Here at Guill we are proud to introduce The Bullet II™, the latest in extrusion tooling technology.

This extrusion head will speed up production with its easy to use design that eliminates fastening hardware. The taper body and deflector design were specifically developed by our engineers here at Guill to make cleaning and changing the tooling quicker and easier.

bunching, stranding and insulating; FM (Fully Machined) steel high-speed reels that range in size from 100–1000 mm, manufactured from high-quality steel plate and tube, for applications that include high-speed wiredrawing, high-speed multiwire drawing, bunching and enamelled wire coating; and SD (Steel Drum) reels that are large steel process and shipping drums available in sizes that range from 800 to 4500 mm, with options that include flat sided flanges, corrugated flange and break-down reels, for applications that include drum twisting, stranding, insulating and jacketing.

With more than 40,000 sq meters of production space, Inosym can provide our customers,with rapid delivery of both large and small reel orders. Our focus is on quality, performance and price to be world class..

Contact: Philip Young, Insoym, tel. 64-21-353-634, inosym@inosym.com, www.inosym.com.

The Bullet II® Cam Lock Design

We welcome your call or visit www.guill.com 10 Pike Street West Warwick, RI 02893 Email: sales@guill.com Bill Conley

Guill Ad5162 “Bullet” WJ 2016

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Reel supplier’s product lines can serve multiple wire and cable needs

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPERS Conference Proceedings for the Wire Association International’s 2016 International Technical Conference

Novel halogen-free flame-retardant crosslinked systems for low-voltage building wires and solar cables

By Linus Karlsson, Borealis AB, Sweden, and William Fajardo, Borealis Compounds Inc., USA Abstract: Demand for crosslinked non-halogen flame-retardant (FR) compounds has been steadily growing over the past several years. A push for reduced fire hazard and low smoke has been gaining versus traditional halogen FR systems. Development of a new technology platform in combination with a unique halogenfree FR system has led to two new materials meeting the performance requirements of UL44 and TUV 2Pfg 1169/EN 50618 for building wire and solar cables.

Karlsson

Fajardo

Linus Karlsson is business development manager flame retardant for Borealis AB, Stenungsund, Sweden. He has over 10 years of experience in the wire and cable industry. He has mainly worked in the field of flame retardant compound development, especially for wires in Building, Low Voltage, and Automotive applications.

He has been with Borealis for the past six years. He holds an M.Sc. degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in material science from Chalmers University of Technology. Bill Fajardo is an application development engineer with Borealis Compounds Inc., Port Murray, New Jersey, USA. He has been

actively involved in the wire and cable industry for over 25 years through working with polymers, mineral fillers, and compounding. He has been with Borealis for the past 18 years, focusing on flameretardant technology and materials. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton.

All papers and presentation materials in the Conference Proceedings for WAI’s 2016 International Technical Conference have been assigned to, and duly copyrighted by, The Wire Association International Inc. They may not be reprinted or published without the permission of The Wire Association International Inc., 71 Bradley Rd., Ste. 9, Madison, CT 06443 USA; telephone: (001) 203-453-2777; fax: (001) 203-453-8384.

Copyright © 2016 The Wire Association International Inc. Madison, Connecticut, USA

70 | WAI 2016 ITC / MONTEREY, MEXICO

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Novel Halogen Free Flame Retardant Crosslinked Systems for Low Voltage Building Wires and Solar Cables Linus Karlsson1, Bill Fajardo2 1

Boreralis AB, Stenungsund, Sweden

2

Borealis Compound Inc., Port Murray, New Jersey

Abstract Demand for crosslinked halogen free flame retardant compounds has been steadily growing over the past several years. A push for reduced fire hazard and low smoke has been gaining versus traditional halogen FR systems. Development of a new technology platform in combination with a unique halogen free FR system has led to two new materials meeting the performance requirements of UL44 and TUV 2Pfg 1169/EN 50618 for building wire and solar cable.

Polymeric compounds targeting UL44 horizontal XHHW-2 building wires are commonly based on brominated flame retardants combined with antimony trioxide as synergist [1]. Such compounds are not only environmentally unfriendly, but also costly solutions.

Different options for developing halogen free based solutions for horizontal XHHW-2 and solar wires were investigated. Some major challenges for cable producers today is the difficulty in processing and the short shelf life of existing crosslinked halogen free solutions.

1. Introduction At the International Wire & Cable Symposium 1998, a new technology for flame retarding polyolefin by combination ethylene acrylate copolymers, calcium carbonate and a fraction of silicon gum was introduced as a solution for thermoplastic jacketing and insulation materials [4]. Further investigation and development of this flame retarding system has led to new materials that can overcome existing challenges for easier and simpler processing while maintaining excellent cable performance.

Applications like horizontal UL44 XHHW-2 and solar cables according to TĂ&#x153;V 2 Pfg 1169 [1,2,3] have been met with these new material systems. The compounds based on this system withstand the harsh wet electrical requirements and shows similar performance to the established brominated solution. The developments of moisture curing solutions for these applications are challenging but new base resins in combination with unique FR systems can provide new solutions.

2. Technology Basis 2.1 Flame retardant options In table 1 are shown some of the different flame retardant options available for cable compounds for solar and XHHW-2 cables.

For the XHHW-2 cables the compounds based on bromine and antimony trioxide solution is today the dominating solution and for the solar cable compounds based on aluminum hydroxide are commonly used.

Table 1. Overview of the different flame retardant technologies evaluated in this study.

Paper

CaCO3/ Si-gum

Al(OH)3

Br/ Sb2O3

FR loading, w-%

20-40

50-65

20/10

Temp.

700 1701 stability, °C 1 Maximum extrusion temperature insulation.

300

Compounds based on calcium carbonate and silicon gum has shown good performance in the wet electrical requirements and exhibit similar performance as the established brominated solution. This solution was therefore chosen for optimal performance with respect to flame, mechanical, crosslinking and extrusion performance in comparison with the established brominated solution.

2.2. Polymer base A core in this meeting the demands of these applications has been the development of a new polymer base, i.e. terpolymers consisting of a vinyl silane and an acrylate based co-monomer.

H H (C C)n C H H

H

OCH3

H H

H

H

C C Si OCH3

C C

C

C

H H OCH3

H C O O R

C O CH3O Si

OCH3

OCH3

O R

Figure 1. Description of the terpolymers developed as polymer base for the XHHW-2 and photo-voltaic cable compounds.

In this base polymer the vinyl silane gives curability of the compound by moisture when a catalyst is added as a master batch at the cable extrusion line. The acrylate regulates the flexibility of the compound and also contributes to the flame retardant action of the calcium carbonate and silicon gum based flame retardant system [4]. It also makes it possible for the polymer to absorb large amount of fillers without completely ruining the physical properties of the compound.

Many polymers required for moisture curable halogen free compounds are produced by grafting the vinyl silane functionality to the polymer backbone e.g. by the Sioplas process [5]. The grafting operation requires an additional process step, restricts the use of certain stabilizers and also reduces the storage stability of

FEBRUARY 2017 | 71

2.3 Control of precuring Another essential feature of this development is the use of scorch retardant additives [6, 7] in order to avoid formation of pre-cured (scorch) particles during the cable extrusion process in which the crosslinking catalyst is added. It is impossible to completely avoid water in an industrial extrusion process as it is present in the air and also in the cable compound as such especially when filled with polar fillers and additives. Excessive water in the materials prior to completion of the extrusion process is one of the main causes for scorch. The addition of scorch retardant additives is vital to ensure cable producers can achieve long production campaigns without the need for drying. So a careful optimization of this scorch retardant technology was performed in order to achieve optimal extrusion characteristics for these compounds.

requirements. One new grade meets the horizontal flame required in UL44 while a second meets the vertical flame standard for solar cables, TUV 2Pfg 1169/EN50618.

The fire properties were measured on a cone calorimeter with a Xentra gas analyser according to ISO 5660. 3 mm thick plaques were compression moulded at 170°C from tapes, followed by crosslinking and conditioning at ambient conditions for min 24h.

CaCO3/Si gum is a material that swells to form an intumescent layer during fire; therefore a cone sample separation of 60 mm was chosen, with a heat flux of 35 kW/m2.

A comparison of the different materials burning behavior relative to a non-flame retarded low density polyethylene by the use of cone calorimeter is outlined in figure 2 and 3. All flame retarded materials succeed to suppress the heat release peak significantly.

For LDPE a peak value of 1420 kW/m2 is noticed, while the flame retarded compounds measured levels between 508-391 kW/m2. A small difference in flame retardant behavior is noted between CaCO3/Si for UL and solar, with a peak heat release difference of 112 kW/m2 in favor of the solar compound. This compound is designed to fulfill the tougher vertical flame retardant demands for solar cables (4 mm2 wires and larger) while CaCO3/Si UL is designed for the UL44 horizontal burning requirements.

1600

1400

Combining the technologies the calcium carbonate and silicon gum with the polyethylene/acrylate/silane terpolymer and an optimized scorch retardant package provides us with a unique moisture crosslinkable system capable of meeting the tough demands of low voltage cable applications. The combined technologies yielded a halogen free flame retardant system with only two components: 1) base resin with FR and scorch retardant and 2) catalyst masterbatch with scorch retardant. For the cable producers this allows for ease of handling and processing with only two main feeders required and long runs with controlled scorch.

3.1 Fire/Smoke properties The flame retardant system relies on the three components of calcium carbonate, silicon elastomer and the polyethylene acrylate copolymer. When exposed to fire, this system will form an intumescent structure with a stable outer layer to protect the material underneath. The copolymer and calcium carbonate react under flame/heat to form an ionomer, water and CO2. This gives the foamed char structure with some dilution effect. The silicon elastomer and calcium carbonate will form a silica rich hard surface layer for the char.

Limiting oxygen index (LOI) is a test used by the industry to indicate an approximate level of flame performance. Generally, the higher the LOI the better is the flame performance. By adjustment of these three ingredients you can vary the limiting oxygen index (LOI) to some degree. Also, the removal of any one ingredient will result in a significantly lower LOI and insufficient flame performance. The new calcium carbonate/Si gum FR systems can vary from 31 to 34%. When you remove any of the individual ingredients, the LOI is reduced to close to twenty, a significant reduction By proper design of the FR system components we are able to achieve good flame performance to meet application

72 | WAI 2016 ITC / MONTEREY, MEXICO

Heat Release Rate [kW/m2]

3. System & Properties

1200 1000 800 600 400 200

0 0

200

400

600

800

1000

Time [s] LDPE

Halogen

CaCO3/Si Solar

EVS-ATH1

CaCO3/Si UL

Figure 2. Heat release rates for the different flame retardant polyolefins in comparison with unfilled low density polyethylene (LDPE).

0.16 0.14 Smoke production rate [m2/s]

TECHNICAL PAPERS

the produced polymer. However, when the silane is incorporated directly into the polymer in the polymerization reactor we see excellent shelf life, less processing steps and good additive compatibility. The reactor base terpolymers are preferred and used as the basis of these new compounds for halogen free flame retardant applications [6, 7]. Also, the acrylate functionality will provide a higher level of flexibility to the cable versus traditional homopolymer based moisture cure resins.

0.12 0.1

0.08 0.06 0.04

0.02 0 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Time [s]

LDPE

Halogen

CaCO3/Si Solar

EVS-ATH1

CaCO3/Si UL

Figure 3. Rate of smoke production for the different flame retardant polyolefins in comparison with unfilled low density polyethylene (LDPE).

The loading level of the calcium carbonate/silicon elastomer for optimum performance is not as high as traditional metal hydrate filled materials. Typical level range for this system is between 20-40% by weight. Whereas, metal hydrate systems are from 5065%. The halogen containing FR systems also contain a lower loading but the synergist, antimony trioxide, is a very heavy material and brings the density to a higher level than the calcium carbonate/Si FR systems. For solar applications a typical metal hydrate system can have a density of 1450 kg/mm3 where as our new system has a low density at 1190 kg/mm3. For UL building wire a typical halogen system would have a density of 1140 kg/mm3 versus our new system at 1100 kg/mm3.

3.3 Absorbed water The calcium carbonate/Si gum FR compounds will have lower water pick up than metal hydrate filled FR systems. All flame retardant compounds show much higher absorptions than an unfilled silane copolymer in which the water content is below the detection limit of 10 ppm. The moisture pick up will be slightly more than halogen systems but still relatively low compared to the metal hydrates. When tested for 7 days at 23 oC and 50% relative humidity the water pick up level for EVA/ATH was over 4 times that for the calcium carbonate/Si gum system. EVA/ATH had a level of 1300 ppm while the new calcium carbonate/Si gum grade was only 300 ppm. Typical halogen system had about 60 ppm.

Having lower water pick up is important to cable makers to avoid scorch during production.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

3.2 Density

3.5 Wet Insulation resistance Data was generated on cables. The wet insulation resistance data were generated at the UL laboratories [UL44, UL2556], where a minimum of 2 XHHW-2 cables at 15 m length were submersed in 90°C tap water. The insulation resistance was measured with a megohmeter after 60s application of a dc voltage between 100500 V between conductor and ground. Measurements were made after 24h, and thereafter every 7 day.

The wet insulation resistance data is collected in figure 4. The new calcium carbonate/Si gum system shows higher insulation resistance than the brominated solution. The masterbatch solution combining crosslinking catalyst and UV stabilization show initially lower resistance compared to the wires only containing low amount of carbon black for coloring and the red wire.

However, after 12 weeks wet conditioning the UV stabilized wire show the highest insulation resistance of all compounds.

10000

1000

Wet IInsulation resistance [GΩm]

Not surprisingly the brominated polyethylene show a “PVC” like burning behavior i.e. low heat release rate but formation of large amount of smoke and even at the well ventilated burning conditions in the cone calorimeter large formation of carbon monoxide about 12 times’ higher levels than for the halogen free compounds.

100

10

1

0

0

0

5

10

15

20

25

Immersion time [weeks] CaCO3/Si Black

CaCO3/Si Red

HalogenRred

Halogen Black

CaCO3/Si & UVcolor black

Figure 4. UL44 wet insulation resistance at 90°C for the traditional brominated moisture cure solution in comparison with the halogen free CaCO3/Si compound.

3.4 Crosslinking Crosslinking can be achieved via several different means such as peroxide, irradiation and moisture. An efficient method of crosslinking is through moisture and the functional silane group within the polymer. This crosslinking process uses a catalyst to reduce the time to optimal crosslink degree. The traditional type of catalyst is tin based. A catalyst masterbatch was developed specifically for efficient crosslinking of the new calcium carbonate/Si gum FR system base resins. Crosslinking times will vary by cable size, wall thickness, temperature and humidity.

Traditional tin based catalysts are generally cured in a sauna or water bath.

Crosslinking is typically measured by the hot creep elongation method. Here a specimen is hung and heated in an oven at 150oC for 15 minutes with a specified weight attached to the bottom.

The specimen has marks one inch apart put on prior to going in the oven. The distance between the marks is measured after the 15 minutes and the percent elongation is determined. The new moisture curable CaCO3/Si systems showed good cure level after 4 hours in 90oC water and after 24 hours in 60oC water. This was determined on a cable consisting of a 2mm2 conductor with 0.76 mm of insulation.

All compounds do pass the UL required minimum insulation resistance of 0,06 GΩm (0,18 MΩ1000ft) and also the 12 weeks minimum level of 3 GΩm (10MΩ1000ft) for which the test do not require continuing to 24 weeks. However, the brominated wires show a larger decrease than the required 4% between week 10 and 12 accordingly the test had to be prolonged to 24 weeks [1].

Halogen systems work in the gas-phase by interfering with the oxidation of hydrocarbons. The halogen free systems are generally active in the solid phase. ATH by its high filler load is diluting the fuel and by the endothermic reaction in which aluminum hydroxide is transformed to aluminum oxide which also is cooling down the flame front. The compounds based on calcium carbonate, silicon gum and acrylate copolymers form an intumescent char with a silicon oxide surface which protect the polymer from uncontrolled burning [4].

FEBRUARY 2017 | 73

TECHNICAL PAPERS

3.7 Processing properties The processability of the materials was evaluated via an extrusionmeter. The equipment used was a Gottfert Werkstoff instrumented extruder with a diameter of 30 mm, a screw at 20D and a compression ratio of 3:1. Tapes were produced at 5 rpm and high temperature, 200oC for PE based and 170oC for ATH system, to induce scorch or pre-crosslinked material. The scorched material will result in higher pressure build up. We looked at the new compounds as compared to a standard unfilled moisture cure system, with and without the scorch retardant, as well as an ATH filled system.

The compounds were allowed to dwell or extruder with no catalyst for about 12 minutes. Then catalyst was added and pressure monitored over time.

The standard unfilled moisture cure system with scorch retarder showed a rise in pressure of only 5-10 bar. The same materials but without the scorch retarder showed a change in pressure of approximately 40 bar. This indicates that scorch was being generated at a high rate without the scorch retardant technology.

The scorch retarder will allow for longer runs between clean ups and for quick change overs on the line.

The new CaCO3/Si UL and solar compound systems performed very similar to the standard unfilled moisture cure material.

These compounds had only a 10-20 bar increase in pressure over time. The ATH compound system had a pressure rise about 60 bar.

Processing of these new compounds is capable to be on most PE or PVC extruders at low temperature and back pressure.

3.8 Physical Performance The photovoltaic (PV) or solar cable is designed to operate at temperatures between -40 to 90°C, with a maximum conductor temperature of 120°C. The operating temperature range for the XHHW-2 building wire is similar with the exception of having the maximum conductor temperature limited to 90°C. To cover these demands the wires have to withstand demanding physical properties.

The physical requirements for the building wires are outlined in table 3 together with recent UL testing results for CaCO3/Si UL compound in red and black. The data is compared with the results for the halogenated solution, bromine and antimony which also has by UL approval. Some changes are made in the requirements during this period strengthening the low and high temperature demand. The heat deformation requirements have been extended from 121 to 131°C and the cold bending with the optional -40oC from the standard -25°C. Also a -40°C impact and a 90°C shrinkage test have been introduced in the UL44 standard. On the other hand the scoring test is today excluded from the standard.

Comparing the physical properties of the novel halogen-free solution with the established halogenated compound the performance is rather similar. However, somewhat better results achieved for the new material with respect to crushing resistance, and high temperature deformation. The non-halogen material has a flexural module in the range of 100 MPa compared to 300 MPa for the stiffer halogenated material.

74 | WAI 2016 ITC / MONTEREY, MEXICO

Table 3. Physical and ageing performance of CaCO3/Si UL with natural catalyst in red and the UV black containing catalyst in comparison with the traditional halogenated solution (bromine/antimony).

Requirement UL44

CaCO3/Si UL Black

CaCO3/Si UL Red

Halogen

Density, kg/m3

None

1190

1190

1140

Insulation thickness 14 AWG, mils/mm

<33/0,84

30,9/0,78

29,7/0,75

33/0,84

29/0,74

29/0,74

29/0,74

Average Minimum Tensile strength, lbf/In2/MPa

1500/10, 3

2500

2400

2400

Elongation, %

>150

340

340

300

>65

103

101

92

>65

98

98

100

Not appl.

Not appl.

Aging 121°C, 7 days.

Retained tensile strength, % Retained Elongation, % Weather resistance, 720 hours xenon or carbon arc exposure (0,35 2 W/m at 340nm) Retained tensile strength, %

Optional

Retained Elongation, %

>80

>80

>80

>80

Flexural Modulus, MPa

None

100

100

300

Crush resistance, lbf

1200

1400

1500

1300

High temperature (131°C) deformation, %

<30

3

2

6 (121°C)

Cold bending

No cracks

No cracks

No cracks

No Cracks

(-40°C, 4h)

(-25°C) Cold impact

Max 2 cracks out of 10 cables

0

0

Not required 1996

Glancing impact, 2J, Retaining breakdown, %

>20

30

64

83

Crushing, lbf/N

1200/

1400/

1500/

1300/

14AWG

5338

6228

6660

5770

(-40°C, 3 lbs from 3 feet), Number of cracks

h), % Variation strength

in

tensile

Variation in elongation Tensile strength, MPa

6,5

8

12

18

Elongation

125

125

490

460

100

18

65

25

-2,5

0

-27

-12

Hot-set (200°C) Max Elongation, % Max. Permanent set, % Damp heat test (90°C, 85% relative humidity, 1000 h) Variation in tensile strength and elongation, % <30

2

Table 4. TÜV evaluation of a 4mm photo-voltaic cable having CaCO3/Si Solar with 5% of natural catalyst masterbatch.

Property

TUV 2 Pfg 1169 (ref)

Conductor dimension, mm2

4. Conclusions

CaCO3

In table 12 the results for the different flame retardant options for UL44 horizontal building wires (XHHW-2) as well as solar cables TUV 2Pfg 1169/EN 50618 are summarized.

4

Table 12.

Overview of the different flame retardant technologies.

Wall thickness, mm Insulation

>0,5

0,85

Sheath

>0,5

0,75

Total

>1

1,60

Shrinkage, %

<2

0,2

High temperature (140°C) pressure test. Max. depth of penetration, %

<50

40

Dynamic penetration, N Mean value of force

4 mm2=224

Minimum value of force

312 237

Paper

CaCO3/ Si-gum

ATH

Halogen

FR loading, w%

20-40

50-65

20/10

700

1701

300

Temp. stability, °C Environmental concerns flame retardant system Wet electrical performance Smoke Fire gas corrosivity Physical properties

No

No

yes

Good

Not OK

Good

Low

Low

High

Low

Low

High

Good

Marginal

Good

Notch propagation at -15, +23 and +85°C

No breakdowns

No breakdowns

Cold (-40°C) impact

No cracks

No cracks

Flexibility

Very good

Marginal

Good

No cracks

Extrudability/ Scorch performance

Good

Marginal

Good

Cold (-40°C) bending

No cracks

1

Weather resistance. 720h, 65°C, 60 w/m2 at 300400nm.

No cracks

Ozone resistance

No cracks Ins.

Thermal endurance test Arrhenius (ageing), °C

Heat ageing (150°C, 168

No cracks jacket

20000 hours at min. 120°C based on min 50% retained elongation. <30

Maximum extrusion temperature for insulation.

No cracks

Ins

jack

122

122

-27

-17

Only the flame retardant systems based on the Calcium carbonate silicon gum combination and the traditional brominated antimony trioxide solution were able to withstand the demanding wet electrical requirement of XHHW-2 wires. But the CaCO3/Si gum system provides the advantages of a halogen free solution.

Halogen system perform well for flame but the environmental aspects of the new CaCO3/Si gum compounds as well as the formation of much less smoke and the absence of corrosive gases when exposed to fire give the advantage to halogen free technologies.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 75

TECHNICAL PAPERS

There are many similarities in demand between the horizontal XHHW-2 wires and the solar cable. But also some important differences which resulted in a need to develop two different products for these applications. Especially the heat ageing requirement is much tougher for the solar cable which should manage to operate minimum 20 000 hours at 121oC. Also the flame retardant demand is higher as the wire should be tested in vertical position. It is also a market requirement for the solar cable for maintaining a good weather resistance for non-black cables. Accordingly the main differences between CaCO3/Si UL and CaCO3/Si Solar are that the later contain a more advanced heat and UV stabilization package as well as somewhat higher amount of flame retarders. Normally conductor sizes for solar cables are equal to 4mm2 or higher and therefore the results of the TÜV evaluation of this conductor size insulated and sheathed with CaCO3/Si Solar is presented in Table 4. The material combination is fulfilling all demands and for most properties with good margins.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

m and new specifically onmentally or both low are many 2 wires and e important o different

The combination of a unique halogen free FR system and new polyethylene/acrylate/silane a specifically The combination of a uniqueterpolymers halogen free with FR system and new designed scorch retardant package provideswith an environmentally polyethylene/acrylate/silane terpolymers a specifically safe and excellent performing moisture cure system for both low designed scorch retardant package provides an environmentally The and combination of a unique moisture halogen free system andmany new voltage UL44 and TUV/EN solar cables.

There safe excellent performing cure FR system forare both low polyethylene/acrylate/silane a specifically similarities in demand betweenterpolymers the horizontal XHHW-2 wires and voltage UL44 and TUV/EN solar cables.with There are many designed scorch retardant package provides an environmentally the solar/photovoltaic cable.

But are also some important similarities in demand between the there horizontal XHHW-2 wires and safesolar/photovoltaic and excellent moisture cure system forimportant both low differences which performing resulted a need two different the cable.inBut there to aredevelop also some voltage UL44 and TUV/EN solar cables.

There are many products for these applications. differences which resulted in a need to develop two different similarities demand between the horizontal XHHW-2 wires and products forinthese applications.

Unique advantages of these are:are also some important the solar/photovoltaic cable.materials But there Unique of these materials are:tofordevelop differences which produced resulted in a need two different  advantages Reactor base resin even distribution of products these applications. silane leading to high quality and excellent  for Reactor produced base resin consistency for even distribution of storage stability silane leading to high quality Unique advantages of these materials are:consistency and excellent  Two component storage stability system for ease of handling Reactorretardant producedadditive base resin protection for even distribution of  Scorch from moisture Two component system forfor ease of handling silane leading to high quality consistency and excellent and ability for long production runs.  Scorch retardant additive for protection from moisture storage stability  Processes lower and back pressures and abilityatfor longtemperatures production runs.  Two component system for ease of handling Easily extruder on most equipment  Processes at lower temperatures and back pressures  More Scorch retardant additive for protection from moisture standard materials  Easilyflexible extruderthan on most equipment and ability for long production runs.  Halogen free for low smoke materials and no acid gases More flexible than standard  Processes at lower temperatures and back pressures Meets requirements for both foracid lowgases voltage and  Halogen free for low smoke and no  TUV/EN Easily extruder on most equipment solar cables  Meets requirements for both for low voltage and  More flexible than standard materials TUV/EN solar cables  Halogen free for low smoke and no acid gases  Meets requirements for both for low voltage and TUV/EN solar cables

5. References Underwriters Laboratories Inc. UL44 eighteenth [1] 5. References

“Thermoset-Insulated andeighteenth Cables”, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.Wires UL44 [1] edition, March 28,“Thermoset-Insulated 2014. edition, Wires and Cables”, 5. References

[2] [1] [2] [3] [2] [3] [4] [3] [4] [4]

[5] [5] [6] [5] [6] [6] [7] [7] [7] [8] [8] [8]

March 28, 2014.Laboratories TÜV Rheinland Product Safety GMBH, Köln, Underwriters Inc. UL44 eighteenth 2pfg1169/08.2007, “Requirements for cables use in edition,Rheinland “Thermoset-Insulated Wires and for Cables”, TÜV Product Safety GMBH, Köln, photovoltaic-systems.

March 28, 2014. “Requirements for cables for use in 2pfg1169/08.2007, photovoltaic-systems.

EN “ElectricProduct cables for photovoltaic TÜV50618, Rheinland Safety GMBH,systems, Köln, December 2pfg1169/08.2007, “Requirements for cables for use in EN 50618,2014.

“Electric cables for photovoltaic systems, photovoltaic-systems.

December 2014.

B-Å Sultan, K Ericsson, M Hirvensalo, T Hjertberg, and M Hänninen, “Novel Halogen Free Flame EN 50618, “Electric cables photovoltaic systems, B-Å Sultan, K Ericsson, M for Hirvensalo, T Hjertberg, Retardant Polyolefins IntendedHalogen for Internal December 2014. and M Hänninen, “Novel FreeWiring Flame– Properties and Flame Intended retardantforMechanism”, 47th– Retardant Polyolefins Internal Wiring B-Å Sultan, K Ericsson, M Hirvensalo, T Hjertberg, Internationaland Wire & Cable Symposium Proceedings, Properties Flame retardant Mechanism”, 47th and M Hänninen, “Novel Halogen Free Flame p.

147-160,Polyolefins 1998.

International Wire & Cable Symposium Proceedings, Retardant Intended for Internal Wiring – p.

147-160, 1998.

US patent 3656155, “Crosslinkling of a Polyolefin Properties and Flame retardant Mechanism”, 47th with a silane”.

H.G. & Scott, Midlands Dow International Wire Cable Symposium Proceedings, US patent 3656155, “Crosslinkling ofSilicones, a Polyolefin Corning, 1968 p. 147-160, 1998. with a silane”.

H.G. Scott, Midlands Silicones, Dow Corning, 1968 B-Å Sultan, “Moisture CrosslinkableofPolyethylene US patent 3656155, “Crosslinkling a Polyolefin with Improved Processing and Crosslinking with Sultan, a silane”.

H.G. Scott, Midlands Silicones, Dow B-Å “Moisture Crosslinkable Polyethylene th International Wire & Cable Performance”.

Corning, 1968 43 with Improved Processing and Crosslinking Symposium page 461-467, WirePolyethylene & 1994.

Cable Performance”.

43th International B-Å Sultan, Proceedings, “Moisture Crosslinkable Symposium Proceedings, page 461-467, 1994.

B-Å and Processing N. Hampton, “ACrosslinking Review of Fifteen with Sultan Improved and Years Development in Moisture International Wire &Copolymers Cable Performance”.

B-Å Sultan and43 N.thHampton, “ACurable Review of Fifteen and a Future Outlook”.

Cables 19-21 March 2002, Symposium Proceedings, page2002, 461-467, 1994.

Years Development in Moisture Curable Copolymers Cologne, Germany. and Future Outlook”.

Cables“A 2002, 19-21 B-ÅaSultan and N. Hampton, Review ofMarch Fifteen2002, Cologne, Germany.

European Patent 0736065, US patent 5350812, “Silane Years Development in Moisture Curable Copolymers Crosslinkable Polymer Composition a 2002, and a Future Outlook”.

Cables 2002, Containing 19-21 March European Patent 0736065, US patent 5350812, “Silane Silane Compound as a Precuring Retarder, B-Å Sultan Cologne, Germany.

Crosslinkable Polymer Composition Containing a and L-E Ahlstrand, Borealis Holding A/S (Neste Oy), Silane Compound as a Precuring Retarder, B-Å Sultan European Patent 0736065, US patent 5350812, “Silane 1988 and L-E Ahlstrand, Borealis Holding A/S (Neste Crosslinkable Polymer Composition Containing aOy), 1988 Silane Compound as a Precuring Retarder, B-Å Sultan and L-E Ahlstrand, Borealis Holding A/S (Neste Oy), 1988

[9] EN50267-2-2:1999, “Common test methods for cables

under fire conditions. Tests on gases evolved during combustion of materials from cables”.

[10] B-Å Sultan and O. Fagrell, “Tin free catalyst system

ambient during of moisture crosslinkable

76 | WAI 2016 ITC Wire / MONTEREY, MEXICO polyethylene”, and Cable Focus 99, Providence,

Rhode Island, September 13-19, 1999.

[9] EN50267-2-2:1999, “Common test methods for cables fire conditions.“Common Tests on gases evolvedfor during [9] under EN50267-2-2:1999, test methods cables

combustion of materials from under fire conditions.

Tests oncables”. gases evolved during combustion of materials from cables”.

[10] Sultan and O. Fagrell, “Tin freemethods catalyst for system [9] B-Å EN50267-2-2:1999, “Common test cables ambient crosslinkable underSultan fireduring conditions.

Tests “Tin on gases during [10] B-Å and of O.moisture Fagrell, free evolved catalyst system polyethylene”, Wire and from Cable Focus 99, Providence, combustion of materials cables”. ambient during of moisture crosslinkable Rhode Island, September 13-19, 1999.catalyst polyethylene”, Wire and Cable 99, Providence, [10] B-Å Sultan and O. Fagrell, “TinFocus free system Rhode Island, September 13-19, 1999.

[11] B-Å Sultan, S. Nilsson, O. Prieto, W. Fajardo, S. Song, ambient during of moisture crosslinkable Westling “A newProvidence, technology polyethylene”, WireA.andWatson, Cable Focus 99, [11] L. B-Å Sultan, S.and Nilsson, O. Prieto, W. Fajardo, S. Song, platform for moisture curable non halogen flame Rhode Island, September 13-19, 1999.

L. Westling and A. Watson, “A new technology th International Cable – retardant polyolefin”, 64 platform for moisture curable non halogen [11] B-Å Sultan, S. Nilsson, O. Prieto, W. Fajardo, S. flame Song, th Connectivity Symposium, Atlanta, GA, October 5-8, International Cable – retardant polyolefin”, 64 L. Westling and A. Watson, “A new technology 2015.

Connectivity Symposium, Atlanta, GA, October 5-8, platform for moisture curable non halogen flame 2015. retardant polyolefin”, 64th International Cable – Connectivity Symposium, Atlanta, GA, October 5-8, 2015.

6. Biographies 6. Biographies

Linus Karlsson Business Development Manager Flame Retardant Linus Karlsson 6. Biographies Business Development Manager Flame Retardant Borealis AB Linus Karlsson SE-444 86 Borealis AB Business86Development Stenungsund, Sweden Manager Flame Retardant SE-444 Stenungsund, Sweden Borealis ABover ten years of experience in the wire and cable Linus has SE-444has 86 over ten years ofindustry.

Linus worked in Linus experience in has themainly wire and cable Stenungsund, Sweden the field retardant industry.

Linusofhas flame mainly worked in compound the field development, of flame especially retardant Linus has over ten years offor experience in the wire cable wires indevelopment, Building, Lowand Voltage compound especially industry.

Linus has mainly in and Automotive applications.

For the for wires in Building, Lowworked Voltage the field of flame retardant past six years Linus has been with and Automotive applications. For the compound especially Borealis AB.development, Linus his past six years Linushas hasfocused been with for wires inproduct Building, Voltage work onAB. application Borealis Linus and hasLow focused his and Automotive applications.

For the development, project work on product andmanagement, application past business six yearsdevelopment.

Linus has been and Linuswith has development, project management, Borealis AB. Linus has focused his aand M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering business development. Linus has work on inproduct andScience application a Ph.D. inChemical Material from aand M.Sc. Engineering development, projectof Technology. management, Chalmers University and a Ph.D. in Material Science from and business development.

Linus has Chalmers University of Technology. a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Material Science from Bill Fajardo Chalmers University of Technology.

Application Bill Fajardo Development Engineer Application Development Engineer Borealis Compounds Inc. Bill Thomas Fajardo 176 Road Inc. Borealis Compounds Application Port Murray,Development NJ 07865 Engineer 176 Thomas Road Port Murray, NJ 07865 Borealis Inc. Bill has aCompounds broad background in the wire and cable industry over 176 Thomas Road the past twenty-five years while polymers, mineral Bill has a broad background in theworking wire andin cable industry over Portpast Murray, NJ 07865years while fillersworking and compounding. has the twenty-five in polymers, Bill mineral extensive in LDPE, PP fillers andexperience compounding.

Bill has Bill has a broad background and in the wire andRexene cable in industry over EVA with Resins along extensive experience LDPE, PP the past twenty-five years while working polymers, withEVA compounding experience in and with in Rexene Resinsmineral along fillers compounding and compounding. has both rubber and experience plasticBillbased with in extensive experience in18LDPE, PP materials.

For the yearsbased Bill both rubber andpastplastic and been EVA with with Rexene Resins has Borealis Compounds materials.

For the past 18 yearsalong Bill withbeen compounding experience in Inc. Hewith hasBorealis focused on flame has Compounds both rubber and plastic based retardant technology and materials Inc. He has focused on flame materials. technology For 18 years Bill along with technical responsibility for the thepast Low Voltage, retardant and materials has been with Borealis Compounds Telecommunication and Automotive markets.

Bill has a B.Ch.E. along with technical responsibility for the Low Voltage, Inc. He has focused flame Telecommunication and Automotive markets.

Bill has aonB.Ch.E. retardant technology and materials in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and is an along with technical responsibility for the Low Voltage, active member in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Telecommunication and Automotive markets. Bill has a B.Ch.E. Engineers (IEEE), the Power Engineering Society – Insulated Conductors Committee (PES-ICC), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), National Fire protection Association (NFPA) and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

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TECHNICAL PAPERS ANALISYS OF LAN CABLE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES WHEN SUBMITTED TO NEW PROJECTS USING STATISTICAL TOOLS – ANOVA Mateus Teixeira de Souza, Thaisi C. Fukui, Julian A. Martins, Paulo M. Ito, Sidney A. Joly, Hélio Durigan Furukawa Industrial S.A. Produtos Elétricos, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil Phone: +55 41 3341-4335 e-mail: mteixeira@furukawa.com.br

Abstract Nowadays, the telecommunications industry demands more and more from companies to be able to adapt to new technologies, trends and customer requirements. In many cases, this adaptability proves to be essential for business survival.

In this context, the necessity to change cable designs becomes a challenge to the manufacturers, as they need to maintain the product quality (according to current standards like TIA-568-C.2 [1] and IEC 11801 [2]) and meet the market expectations. These changes affect directly in the manufacturing process because the quality of the final product depends on many factors, for example, machines conditions, different types of machines and the way that the product passes through the production line.

Depending on the conditions of the manufacturer plant, some processes are more important than others, however, the interactions (or combinations) of these processes can be the real problem for the cable quality.

Due to this issue, this paper has the objective to use statistical tools to find the best combination of processes, in other words, to develop a full factorial experiment of cable manufacturing processing. This analysis consists in use of ANOVA, interactions plot and main effects plot to verify three processes: (1) Insulation – with combination of two machines –, (2) Pairing – with two different machine type –, and (3) Winding – with two different types of machines. The influence of these processes (and their factors) will be measured in four electrical parameters in LAN cables (Return loss, NEXT and ACRF).

Keywords: LAN cables, Process, Full factorial design of experiments, ANOVA, Electrical parameters, Statistical tools.

1. Introduction Currently, the LAN cable companies seek to provide high quality products (according to current standards like TIA-568-C.2 [1] and IEC 11801 [2]) while adapting to new technologies and market demands.

In LAN cable manufacturing, some processes are extremely important in the development of new products. Sometimes, these processes can derail new projects and often affects the company in relation to competitors.

In order to guarantee greater reliability in the processes, in relation to new projects, it can be use concepts of statistical tools, for example Design of Experiments and ANOVA. These concepts consist in evaluating the results of the planned tests, in order to seek more control and capability of the process.

78 | 65TH IWCS CONFERENCE PAPER

Based on this study, this paper indicates which factors and processes are more important for the quality, showing the best combination of three processes: Insulation, Pairing and Winding.

2. Full factorial design of experiments and ANOVA A full factorial design consists of all possible combinations of levels for all factors. The number of experiments is defined by k factors and l levels. For example, a study about 3 factors at 2-level consists in 8 experiments.

According to Guimarães [3], the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a statistical technique that allows the evaluation of several process factors at the same time, through continuous variables in a parametric test.

In resume, the elements of 3-way ANOVA are: Table 1. ANOVA table for three-way ANOVA ANOVA table for “Three-way ANOVA” Source of variation

SS

df

Factor A

SSA

(a-1)

SSA/dfa

M SA/M SW

Factor B

SSB

(b-1)

SSB/dfb

M SB/M SW

Factor C

SSC

(c-1)

SSC/dfc

M SC/M SW

MS

F

M ain effects

Two-way Interactions A*B interaction A*C interaction B*C interaction

SSAB

(a-1)(b-1)

SSAB/dfab

M SAB/M SW

SSAC

(a-1)(c-1)

SSAC/dfac

M SAC/M SW

SSBC

(b-1)(c-1)

SSBC/dfbc

M SBC/M SW

Three-way Interactions A*B*C interaction

SSABC

(a-1)(b-1)(c-1)

Within

SSW

N-abc

Total

SST

N-1

SSABC/Gdfabc M SABC/M SW

SSR/dfw

Source: Adapted from Karpinski (2011) [4].

Where:   = ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑  − ̅  (1)  =  ∑̅  − ̅  (2)

 =  ∑ ̅ − ̅ 



(3)

 =  ∑̅ − ̅  (4)

 =  ∑ ∑ ̅ − ̅ − ̅ + ̅  (5)

 =  ∑ ∑  ̅  − ̅  − ̅ + ̅  (6)

P value

 =  ∑ ∑ ∑̅ − ̅ − ̅ − ̅ + ̅ + ̅ + ̅ − ̅  (8)  = ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ − ̅ 



(9)

Using the ANOVA table, it is possible to obtain the p-value.

According to Montgomery [5], the p-value can be considered as “the probability that the statistic test will take on a value that is at least as extreme as the observed value of the statistic when the null hypothesis is true”. Frost [6] says that a low p-value indicates that the factor or interactions are significant to the model, because the changes in the predictor´s values are related to changes in the response variables.

3. Test methodology In this study, it was used LAN cable samples (100m) of a new project, from the same manufacturing part. The cable is formed by four twisted pairs, 23AWG gauges, with a PVC jacket. These cables are in accordance with TIA-568-C.2 and ISO/IEC 11801.

3.1 Test conditions The tests were made according to the follow diagram:

C) Type of Winding Machines: Two levels of type were used: Pairing Machine type “E” (PM_E) and pairing machine type “ED” (PM_ED) – Type: Quantitative;

3.2 ANOVA Analysis Based on these three factors, which are believed to be important (Insulation, Pairing and Winding processes), and each with two levels (as described above), it was prepared a test table with electrical results. It was used the worst case in each electrical characteristic (in the range of 0 MHz to 250 MHz), for each pair or pair combination. Afterwards, it was extracted the average values of each electrical characteristic. The full factorial table was replicated, resulting in sixteen experiments.

Table 2. Design of experiments results using full factorial design StdOrd

Rord

CPt

3 8 5 6 1 4 7 2 11 16 13 14 9 12 15 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Blk INSULATION PAIRING WINDING 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC Ex_AB Ex_AC

PM_ED PM_ED PM_E PM_E PM_E PM_ED PM_ED PM_E PM_ED PM_ED PM_E PM_E PM_E PM_ED PM_ED PM_E

WM_O WM_N WM_N WM_N WM_O WM_O WM_N WM_O WM_O WM_N WM_N WM_N WM_O WM_O WM_N WM_O

RL (Avg. dB)

NEXT (Avg. dB)

5.09 5.97 5.56 3.15 5.03 5.25 3.29 5.83 6.16 2.23 3.90 6.16 1.97 2.12 5.05 4.83

10.99 12.28 11.98 9.09 11.15 6.35 9.32 13.30 12.76 11.40 9.52 12.37 10.36 10.61 13.17 10.46

ACRF (Avg. dB/100 m) 12.16 11.13 10.99 7.38 12.83 11.87 7.55 12.98 13.96 13.93 7.76 14.13 12.94 10.59 12.95 10.27

Based on these electrical results, the data was analyzed (using ANOVA) in the following way (the electrical parameters were studied separately and after jointly): 3.2.1

RL parameter analysis

The ANOVA table for RL parameter is: Table 3. ANOVA Table for RL parameter

Figure 1. Simplified diagram of tests sequence.

Table 4. Details of ANOVA Table The factors studied using DOE in this paper were: A) Type of Insulation machines: Two levels of combinations were used: Extruder A combined with Extruder B (ExAB) and Extruder A combined with Extruder C (ExAC) – Type: Quantitative; B) Type of Pairing Machines: Two levels of type were used: Pairing Machine type “E” (PM_E) and pairing machine type “ED” (PM_ED) – Type: Quantitative; The results showed these three processes and its respective levels are not significant for RL results (high p-values).

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 =  ∑ ∑ ̅ − ̅ − ̅ + ̅  (7)

1.254 F actor A B C

ABC AB

N ame IN SU LA TIO N P A IRIN G WIN DIN G

BC Term

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Table 5. ANOVA Table for NEXT parameter

Pareto Chart of the Effects

(response is RL (average), Alpha = .25)

B C

Table 6. Details of ANOVA Table

A AC 0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6 0.8 1.0 Standardized Effect

1.2

1.4

Figure 2. Pareto Chart for RL parameter – Factors and interactions The chart above shows the behavior and the influence of factors and its interactions. The interactions are not significant to RL results.

The results showed that the interaction between three processes are significant for NEXT results (low p-value).

The charts below show the mains effects and the main interactions for RL average margin.

Figure 5. Pareto Chart for NEXT parameter – Factors and interactions Figure 3. Main Effects Plot – RL parameter

The chart above shows the behavior and the influence of factors and its interactions. The interaction between “Insulation”, “Pairing”, and “Winding” are more influential than others.

The charts below show the mains effects and the main interactions for NEXT average margin.

Figure 4. Matrix of interactions – RL parameter 3.2.2

NEXT parameter analisys

The ANOVA table for NEXT parameter is:

80 | 65TH IWCS CONFERENCE PAPER

Figure 8. Pareto Chart for ACRF parameter – Factors and interactions The charts below show the mains effects and the main interactions for ACRF average margin.

Figure 7. Matrix of interactions – NEXT parameter 3.2.3

ACRF parameter Analisys

Figure 9. Main Effects – ACRF parameter

The ANOVA table for ACRF parameter is: Table 7. ANOVA Table for ACRF parameter

Table 8. Details of ANOVA Table

Figure 10. Matrix of interactions – ACRF parameter

3.3 Optimal response using desirability function The results (chart below) showed that the interaction between “Insulation” and “Winding” are significant for ACRF results (low p-value).

Using a technique developed by Derringer and Suich [7] to obtain an optimal response (desirability function), it was considered the following lower and target values for each parameter: A) RL parameter: a.

Lower value: 2.0 dB

b.

Target value: 5.0 dB

B) NEXT parameter: a.

Lower value: 8.0 dB

b.

Target value: 12.0 dB

C) ACRF parameter: a.

Lower value: 8.0 dB/100m

b.

Target value: 12.0 dB/100m

Table 9. Details of optimal response: entrances Parameters RL average NEXT average ACRF average

Goal Maximum Maximum Maximum

Lower 2 8 8

Target 5 12 12

Upper 5 12 12

Weight 1 1 1

Import 1 1 1

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Figure 6. Main Effects – NEXT parameter

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Based on this data, the chart of optimal response for maximizing values is:

1)

For RL parameter, these three processes are not significant. In others words, the plant is capable to produce this new product without RL problems;

2)

For NEXT parameter, the interaction between these three factors is significant, therefore the machine combinations deserve attention for this electrical characteristic;

3)

For ACRF parameter, the interaction between Insulation and Wiring is significant, therefore the machine combinations deserve attention for this electrical characteristic ;

Based on this study, the combination of level process in order to obtain a better quality in all electrical parameters, is: a.

Insulation: Combination Machines Ext_AB;

b.

Pairing Machines type PM_ED;

c.

Winding Machines type WM_O.

5. References [1] ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standards.

Figure 11. Optimal response – Maximize In resume: Table 10 – Global solution for maximizing responses

Insulation Pairing Winding

-1 1 -1

Ex_AB PM_ED WM_O

[2] ISO/IEC 11801:2002 Information technology – Generic accbling for customer premises.

[3] I.A. Guimarães “Class notes of reliability engineering course”, UTFPR.” Curitiba (2013).

[4] A. Karpinski “Factorial ANOVA: Higher order ANOVAs an overview”, available in: <http://astro.temple.edu/~andykarp/Graduate_Statistics/Gradua te_Statistics_files/Ch%2008%20Lecture%20Notes.pdf>.

(2014).

[5] D.C. Montgomery “Design and Analysis of Experiments”, John wiley and Sons, Inc.”, New Jersey (2005).

Where: Table 11 – Predicted responses

RL average 5.62 [dB] NEXT average 11.87 [dB] ACRF average 12.05 [dB/100m] Composite Desirability 0.9894

[6] J. Frost “How to Interpret Regression Analysis Results: Pvalues and Coefficients”, available in: <http://blog.minitab.com/blog/adventures-in-statistics/how-tointerpret-regression-analysis-results-p-values-andcoefficients>. (2015).

[7] Derringer, G., and Suich, R., (1980), "Simultaneous Optimization of Several Response Variables," Journal of Quality Technology, 12, 4, 214-219.

Authors 4. Conclusion This methodology helps to see difficulties in the process when the plant starts a new development. So, based on this analysis, the use of statistical tools like ANOVA, Full factorial design and desirability function proves to be an effective and fast methodology for a primary evaluation of processes with new products.

Another advantage of using DOE and, specifically, Taguchi method is the small number of experiments for evaluation, low cost and the response is almost immediately (the improvement of factors levels can be done in the end of analysis).

According to this work, it can be conclude:

82 | 65TH IWCS CONFERENCE PAPER

Mateus Teixeira de Souza received his B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) in 2012. In 2015 received his B.S. degree as Reliability Engineer from Universidade Tecnológica Federal do

Thaisi Carmello Fukui received her B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) in 2012.

She joined at Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 2010 in Quality Assurance dpt. and since 2015 she has been involved in design and development of LAN metallic cables. She is currently working in Process and Development Engineering.

Julian Alpendre Silveira Martins received his B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Paraná (PUC-PR) in 2013. In 2015 received his B.S. degree as safety Engineer from Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR). He joined Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 2011 and since has been involved in design and development of LAN metallic cables. He is currently working in Process and Development Engineering.

opticals cables. He is currently responsible for Process Engineering.

Sidney Antonio Joly received his B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica do Paraná (CEFET-PR) in 1990. He joined Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 1990 as a plant engineer and since then he has been involved in design and development of telephone and LAN and optical cables. He is currently responsible for Plant Management in Furukawa.

Hélio J. Durigan received his B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) in 1981.

He joined Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 1982 as an outside plant engineer in R&D Dept. and since then he has been involved in development, production, process engineering and sales of Telephone and LAN metallic cables and Optical cables and structured cabling solutions. He is currently responsible for Marketing, IT and Technical areas in Furukawa. Hélio is a member of the IWCS Symposium Committee.

Paulo Massao Ito received his B.S. degree as an Electrical Engineer from Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina – Centro de Ciências Tecnológicas - FEJ in 1994. He joined Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 1996 and since then he has been involved in Process and Development Engineering of LAN and

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Paraná (UTFPR). He joined at Furukawa Industrial S.A. in 2010 and since 2011 hee has been involved in design and development of LAN metallic cables. He is currently working in Process and Development Engineering.

TECHNICAL PAPERS TECHNICAL PAPERS

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

Procedia Computer Science 86 (2016) 413 – 416

Procedia Computer Science 86 (2016) 413 – 416 2016 International Electrical Engineering Congress, iEECON2016, 2-4 March 2016, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2016 International Electrical Engineering Congress, iEECON2016, 2-4 March Chiang Mai, Comparison of Voltage-Time to Surface Failure of 2016, Various Thailand

a

Insulation Material for Space Aerial Cables Comparison of Voltage-Time to Surface Failure of Various Sathit Krirapeea,b,*, Siriwat Potivejkula, Norasage Pattanadecha Insulation Material for Space Aerial Cables

Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand. b Charoong Thaia,b, Wire and Cable Public Company Limited, Chachoengsao, Thailand. a a

Sathit Krirapee *, Siriwat Potivejkul , Norasage Pattanadech

a

Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand.

Abstract b Charoong Thai Wire and Cable Public Company Limited, Chachoengsao, Thailand.

This paper aims to represents the investigation of surface tracking resistance of various types of cable insulations. Five kinds of cable material i.e. non carbon filled crosslink polyethylene (XLPE), carbon filled XLPE, low density polyethylene (LDPE), Abstract medium density polyethylene (MDPE), and high density polyethylene (HDPE) were examined. The test specimen has a dimension of 10 mm in width, 50.8 mm in length and 1.52 mm in thickness. The test samples were classified into two groups for This paper aims to represents the investigation of surface tracking resistance of various types of cable insulations. Five kinds of investigation. The former group was the new test samples, whereas the latter test samples were stressed by thermal ageing with cable material i.e. non carbon filled crosslink polyethylene (XLPE), carbon filled XLPE, low density polyethylene (LDPE), 120oC for 168 hours. Then both specimens were examined. One side of the specimen was contacted with high voltage electrode medium density polyethylene (MDPE), and high density polyethylene (HDPE) were examined. The test specimen has a terminal made of 1 mm diameter Nichrome wire. Another side of the test specimen was dipped into 0.1 percent solution of dimension of 10 mm in width, 50.8 mm in length and 1.52 mm in thickness. The test samples were classified into two groups for ammonium chloride as grounded electrode. The spacing between electrodes at dry area was determined for 25.4 mm. After investigation. The former group was the new test samples, whereas the latter test samples were stressed by thermal ageing with completion of the test set up, AC high voltage was applied to the test specimen. The dip rate of the specimen into the solution 120oC for 168 hours. Then both specimens were examined. One side of the specimen was contacted with high voltage electrode was set up as 4 times per minute. The test voltage level was in the range of 1-3.5 kV. The experiment was performed in terminal made of 1 mm diameter Nichrome wire. Another side of the test specimen was dipped into 0.1 percent solution of accordance with ICEA S-66-524 (Method B). The test voltage was applied to the test specimen until the insulation failure could ammonium chloride as grounded electrode. The spacing between electrodes at dry area was determined for 25.4 mm. After be observed. Then, the insulation failure voltage and failure time were recorded. The test results illustrated that both unaged and completion of the test set up, AC high voltage was applied to the test specimen. The dip rate of the specimen into the solution aged HDPE and non carbon filled XLPE provided the higher surface tracking resistance than carbon filled XLPE, LDPE and was set up as 4 times per minute. The test voltage level was in the range of 1-3.5 kV. The experiment was performed in MDPE respectively. Besides, the thermal stress aging had not much effect on the surface tracking resistance characteristic of accordance with ICEA S-66-524 (Method B). The test voltage was applied to the test specimen until the insulation failure could tested material. It can be summarized that the material structure much more influenced the surface tracking characteristic of the be observed. Then, the insulation failure voltage and failure time were recorded. The test results illustrated that both unaged and cable material. aged HDPE and non carbon filled XLPE provided the higher surface tracking resistance than carbon filled XLPE, LDPE and © 2016 2016The TheAuthors.

Authors.Published Published by Elsevier B.V. by Elsevier B.V. This aging is an open articleeffect underon thethe CC surface BY-NC-ND license MDPE respectively.

Besides, the thermal stress had access not much tracking resistance characteristic of (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Peer-review under responsibility of thethat Organizing Committee of much iEECON2016. tested material.

It can be summarized the material structure more influenced the surface tracking characteristic of the Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of iEECON2016 cable material.

Keywords: Crosslink polyethylene; Surface tracking resistance; Space aerial cable; © 2016 2016The TheAuthors.

Authors.Published Published Elsevier by by Elsevier B.V.B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of iEECON2016.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of iEECON2016 Keywords: Crosslink polyethylene; Surface tracking resistance; Space aerial cable; * Corresponding author. Tel.: +66-38-593-401-10 ; fax: +66-38-593-400.

E-mail address: sathit@ctw.co.th

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +66-38-593-401-10 ; fax: +66-38-593-400.

E-mail address: sathit@ctw.co.th

1877-0509 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of iEECON2016 doi:10.1016/j.procs.2016.05.054 1877-0509 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of iEECON2016 doi:|10.1016/j.procs.2016.05.054 84 2016 INTERNATIONAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS / THAILAND

Sathit Krirapee et al. / Procedia Computer Science 86 (2016) 413 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 416

1. Introduction Focusing on the electrical distribution system in Thailand, Space Aerial Cable (SAC) as shown in Fig.1 is widely used in for long times. a

XLPE Sheath (Filled carbon black)

b

XLPE Insulation (Unfilled carbon black) Conductor Screen (XLPE semi-conductive) AL Conductor

Fig. 1. (a) SAC for distribution system; (b) SAC construction [1].

Many evident revealed that the surface of some SAC have been deteriorated after they was installed for some years which may cause by many factors such as salt, contaminant, ultraviolet, and other installed accessory equipment [2-3]. The resistance characteristic concept of wire and cable is well explained in [4]. Many kinds of tracking and erosion test for solid insulation are recommended in IEC 60587 [5] and ICEA S-66-524 [6]. Another interesting test technique is developed and described in [7]. This research work investigated the surface tracking resistance of various types of cable insulation i.e. non carbon filled crosslink polyethylene (XLPE), carbon filled XLPE, low density polyethylene (LDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), and high density polyethylene (HDPE). This study applied ICEA S-66-524 as the tracking & erosion test. The tested material was prepared by the cable company.

2. Test Experiment The test experiment was performed in the high voltage laboratory of CTW. The test specimen had a dimension of 10 mm in width, 50.8 mm in length and 1.52 mm in thickness as illustrated in Fig.2. a

XLPE XLPE E (Unfilled) ed) (Filled carbon)

LDPE

MDPE

Fig. 2. Test specimens.

b

HDPE

Fig. 3. (a) Sample holder; (b) Electrode configuration

The test samples were classified into two groups. The former group was the new test samples, whereas the latter test samples were subjected by thermal stress of 120 oC for 168 hours. Then the specimens were investigated. One side of the specimen was contacted with high voltage electrode terminal made of 1 mm diameter Nichrome wire.

Another side of the test specimen was dipped into 0.1 percent solution of ammonium chloride as grounded electrode [7]. The distance between electrodes at dry area section was fixed for 25.4 mm as depicted in Fig.3. The test circuit was setup as shown in Fig.4.

After complete the test set up, AC high voltage was applied to the test specimen. The test voltage was increased from 0 to 1-3.5 kV depending on the test experiment condition. The dip rate of the specimen into the solution was fix for 4 times per minute controlled by a speed control motor. The experiment was performed according to ICEA S66-524[6]. The test voltage was applied to the tested specimen until the insulation failure was observed (the happening of arcing at least 2 times continuously of testing). Then the failure voltage and failure time were recorded.

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414

415

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Sathit Krirapee et al. / Procedia Computer Science 86 (2016) 413 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 416

b a f

e c

g d Fig. 4. Test experiment set-up : a) AC High-voltage supply 0-30kV; b) Current limiting resistor 51 k: ; c) Voltage divider 200 kV, ratio 2000:1; d) AC Kilovolt meter; e) Test specimen under electrode arrangement; f) Motor 4 RPM; g) Speed control motor.

3. Test Result All The test results represented that both unaged and aged HDPE and non carbon filled XLPE provided the higher surface tracking resistance than filled carbon XLPE, LDPE and MDPE respectively as shown in Fig. 5.

Table 1-5 demonstrate the failure test specimen from the experiment. Moreover, it was found that the thermal ageing had not much influence the surface tracking resistance characteristic of tested material. The time of failure of both tested specimen groups (unaged and thermal aged) was approximately the same. Therefore, the material structure should had much more affected the surface tracking characteristic of the cable material. a

b Time toFailure (Sce.)

>24100 hr 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Time toFailure (Sec.)

>24100 hr 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

AC HV Supply (kV)

AC HV Supply (kV) XLPE(unfilled carbon)

XLPE(filled carbon)

XLPE(unfilled carbon)

XLPE(filled carbon)

LDPE

MDPE

LDPE

MDPE

HDPE

HDPE

Fig. 5. Voltage and time relationship of tracking failure of the test specimens: (a) Unaged specimens; (b) Aged specimens.

4. Conclusion and Discussion According to the test results, the test voltage clearly affected the time to failure of surface resistance of the cable materials; the higher test voltage the shorter failure time. Additionally, the time of failure was a little bit reduced due to the thermal ageing. The test result is corresponding to the former research employing different kind of the electrode configuration [8] which can be summarize as shown in Fig.6. Therefore, it can be concluded that the material structure or material types much more strongly influenced the surface tracking characteristic of the cable material Acknowledgements The authors would like to give the special thanks to Electrical Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and Charoong Thai Wire & Cable Public Company Limited.

86 | 2016 INTERNATIONAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS / THAILAND

Sathit Krirapee et al. / Procedia Computer Science 86 (2016) 413 – 416 Table 1. Samples of surface tracking of XLPE (unfilled carbon) at different test voltages.

XLPE (unfilled carbon)

1.0 kV

1.5 kV

2.0 kV

2.5 kV

3.0 kV

3.5 kV

XLPE (filled carbon)

1.0 kV

1.5 kV

2.0 kV

2.5 kV

3.0 kV

3.5 kV

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

unaged

unaged Pass

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

aged

aged Pass

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Table 3 Samples of surface tracking of LDPE at different test voltages.

LDPE

Table 2. Samples of surface tracking of XLPE (filled carbon) at different test voltages.

1.0 kV

1.5 kV

2.0 kV

2.5 kV

3.0 kV

3.5 kV

unaged

Table 4. Samples of surface tracking of MDPE at different test voltages.

MDPE

1.0 kV

1.5 kV

2.0 kV

2.5 kV

3.0 kV

3.5 kV

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

unaged Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

aged

aged Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Table 5 Samples of surface tracking of HDPE at different test voltages.

TRACKING RESISTANCE HDPE

1.0 kV

1.5 kV

2.0 kV

2.5 kV

3.0 kV

3.5 kV H I G H

unaged Pass

Pass

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail L O W

aged Pass

Pass

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fig. 6. Summarized diagram of the surface tracking characteristic of the cable materials.

References 1. Space Aerial Cable with Cross-linked Polyethylene for 25 kV and 35 kV Nominal voltage, TIS 2341-2007.

2. Vatcharin Saithongin, Boonchai Techaumnat : “Numerical Analysis of Electric Field at the Contact Point between A Spacer Aerial Cable and A Spacer”, 2011 International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Informatics 17-19 July 2011, Bandung, Indonesia, pp. 1-5.

3. Quoc Viet Huynh, Boonchai Techaumnat : “Study on The Field Behavior at The Contact Point between A Covered Conductor and A Dielectric Solid”, Conference Proceedings of ISEIM2011, pp. 148-151.

4. E.K. Duffy, S.Jovanovitch, I.J. Marwick : “Discharge-Resistant Characteristics of The Polyethylenes for Wire and Cable”, IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and System, Vol. PAS-84, No. 9, September, 1965, pp. 815-825.

5. IEC 60587 : Electrical insulating materials used under severe ambient conditions - Test methods for evaluating resistance to tracking and erosion, Third edition 2007-05.

6. ICEA S-66-524 : Cross-Linked-Thermosetting - Polyethylene-Insulated Wire and Cable for The Transmission and Distribution of Electric Energy, Revision No.2, July 16, 1992.

7. C.F Wallace, C.A. Bailey : “Dip-Track Test”, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation in Liquid Dielectrics under AC Voltage”, ICDL2011, IEEE International Conference on Dielectric Liquids, 2011, pp.1-4.

8. S. Krirapee, S. Potivejkul, N. Pattanadech : Surface Resistance Investigation for Space Aerial Cable”, 2015 The Symposium on Lightning Protection and High Voltage Engineering (ISLH) 12-13 June 2015, Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 95-97.

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(Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d. from p. 26) Insulated wire construction for fire safety cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,536,635 Patent date: Jan. 3, 2017 Filed: Aug. 29, 2013 Assignee: Wire Holdings LLC, USA Inventors: Daniel Polasky An electric wire includes a metal conductor, a first insulation layer, wherein the first layer is a non-ceramifiable silicone compound, and a second insulation layer, wherein the second layer is a ceramifiable silicone compound, wherein the second layer is on the outside of the first layer. ... Ceramifying polymer materials have been developed by incorporating ceramic forming pre-cursors into thermoplastics. These compounds can be processed on conventional plastic extrusion equipment to form sheets, profiles or coatings. In a fire situation, the polymer component is quickly pyrolized. However, a porous, coherent ceramic begins to form at sufficiently low temperatures to maintain the structural integrity of the material through to temperatures of over 1000.degree. C. The ceramic forming systems can be adjusted to minimize dimensional changes, or to provide a degree of intumescence through entrapment of volatile gases from the polymer. This can produce a cellular structure with increased thermal resistance. Ceramifying polymer technology has already been commercialized for fire resistant cable coatings and shows promise for many other fire protection coating applications.

Insulating wire having partial discharge resistance and high partial discharge inception voltage U.S. Patent No.: 9,536,634 Patent date: Jan. 3, 2017 Filed: Jan. 23, 2014 Assignee: LS Cable & System Ltd., S. Korea Inventors: Hyung-Sam Choi, Joon-Hee Lee, Bo-Kyung Kim, Dong-Jin Seo, Jae-Geon Lee The present invention relates to an insulating wire and, more particularly, to an insulating wire having partial dis-

charge resistance that exhibits excellent partial discharge resistance and high partial discharge inception voltage and also excellences in the adhesion between the conductor and the insulation layer and the flexibility of the insulation layer, which insulating wire can be prepared by a simple process at a low production cost.

High-sensitivity nanoscale wire sensors U.S. Patent No.: 9,535,063 Patent date: Jan. 3, 2017 Filed: Sept. 18, 2013 Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College , USA Inventors: Charles Lieber, Xuan Gao, Gengfeng Zheng One aspect of the invention provides a nanoscale wire that has improved sensitivity, for example, as the carrier concentration in the wire is controlled by an external gate voltage. In one set of embodiments, the nanoscale wire has a Debye screening length that is greater than the average cross-sectional dimension of the nanoscale wire when the nanoscale wire is exposed to a solution suspected of containing an analyte. In certain instances, the Debye screening length associated with the carriers inside nanoscale wire may be adjusted by adjusting the voltage, for example, a gate voltage applied to an FET structure. In some cases, the nanoscale wire can be operated under conditions where the carriers in the nanoscale wire are depleted and the nanoscale wire has a conductance that is not linearly proportional to the voltage applied to the nanoscale wire sensor device, for example, via a gate electrode.

Wire harness and method of maintaining shape thereof U.S. Patent No.: 9,531,173 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Jan. 21, 2014 Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Michihisa Masuda, Hidehiro Kchikawa, Masahiro Takamatsu, Shigemi Hashizawi, Japan A wire harness includes a conduction path, and a flexible sheathing member through which the conduction path passes and which has recessed sections and protruded sections. The recessed sections and the protruded sections extend in a circumferential direction on the surface of the sheathing member and are formed alternately along a longitudinal direction of the sheathing member. A curing-type adhesive or resin containing the adhesive is supplied to

FEBRUARY 2017 | 89

PATENTS

Patent Update

PATENTS

the recessed sections of a bent part which is formed when the wire harness is bent, and cured while the bent part is maintained in a bent shape.

Method to strip a portion of an insulated wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,531,171 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Feb. 3, 2010 Assignee: HID Global GmbH, Germany Inventor: Manfred Michalk According to the method of stripping a portion of a wire of the invention, the insulated wire including the wire core are first flattened before the insulation is stripped away. The flattening eases the stripping as the insulation is partially cracked and dissociated of the wire core, and the stripping is more efficiently applied on a flat surface.

A wire stripping machine and a transponder antenna with stripped portions are also claim as being part of the invention. ... a flattening step is carried out previously and separately to a stripping step. This allows to control the forming of the wire during the first step, disrupting in the same time the insulation layer in order to facilitate the stripping process which can be applied with less efforts and more precision. However, one can imagine a unique tool achieving both flattening and stripping actions, for example with at least a flattening edge followed by a scraping edge. Such a tool falls under the scope of the present invention, as long as both means/actions are clearly separated.

Method for manufacturing a shielded cable and for processing a shield of the cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,530,543 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: July 23, 2015 Assignee: MD Elektronik GmbH, Germany Inventor: Johanne Friesinger A method for manufacturing a cable having a wire, a shield, a jacket, and a sleeve electrically contacted to the shield, includes removing the jacket at an end of the cable so that the shield is exposed. A support clamp is attached in such a way that the support clamp is electrically contacted to the shield and that, at an end of the shield, a projecting portion protrudes axially from the support clamp, the shield surrounded by the support clamp having a radial

distance from an outer contour of the support clamp. The end of the shield is severed in such a way that, after the severing operation, a length of the projecting portion is shorter than the radial distance in a state in which the shield is folded radially outwardly. The sleeve is mounted so that it is disposed radially outwardly of the support clamp and electrically contacted thereto.

Shielded cable U.S. Patent No.: Patent date: Assignee: Inventors:

9,530,542 Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Feb. 10, 2015 Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Katsuya Akimoto, Naofumi Chiwata, Yosuke Sumi, Katsutoshi Nakatani, Kenji Ajima, Hiroshi Okikawa, Yasuharu Muto A shielded cable includes an insulated wire including a conductor wire and an insulation formed around the conductor wire, and a shield layer formed around the insulated wire and including a shield wire. The shield wire includes a tubular member including a conductive material and defining a gap therein, and a magnetic powder is filled in the gap.

Cable with spring steel or other reinforcement member(s) for stable routing between support points U.S. Patent No.: 9,530,541 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Feb. 13, 2015 Assignee: Raytheon Company, USA Inventors: Roy McMahon, Joseph Kurek An apparatus includes a cable having at least one signal transport line and at least one reinforcement member. The at least one signal transport line is configured to transport one or more signals through the cable. The at least one signal transport line and the at least one reinforcement member are twisted in a common direction around a central axis of the cable, where the central axis extends in a longitudinal direction along a length of the cable. A twist rate of the at least one signal transport line substantially equals a twist rate of the at least one reinforcement member. At least part of each signal transport line is physically located between adjacent twists of each reinforcement member in the longitudinal direction of the cable.

Readily strippable cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,530,539 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Jan. 27, 2016 Inventor: Craig Joyce, USA A cable having conductors that may be easily exposed in preparation for electrical connection, without requiring the use of tools, is provided. The cable has an insulating layer

90 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Wire harness manufacturing method and wire harness U.S. Patent No.: 9,530,538 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Dec. 14, 2015 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation , Japan Inventors: Kazuy Takeuchi, Hiroshi Ichikawa A wire harness includes plural cables, a first sheet and a second sheet. The first sheet includes a base sheet, and a self-adhesive layer formed on a whole of only first surface of the base sheet. The first sheet is wound on the plural cables so that a non-self-adhesive layer formed on a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the first sheet is located inside. The second sheet includes a base sheet and a self-adhesive layer formed on a whole of only first surface of the base sheet. The second sheet is wound on the first sheet so that the self-adhesive layer of the first surface of the second sheet is located inside.

Breakout cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,529,172 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: May 12, 2014 Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Singapore Inventors: Anthony Baker, Stephen Flint, Christiane Savard A breakout cable includes a data-lane module comprising a plurality of data lanes configured to send and receive a plurality of data signals, a plurality of breakout modules, and a plurality cables. Each breakout module is associated

PATENTS

having at least one relatively weak portion that extends along the length of the cable, which allows the insulating layer to split as the wires are pulled apart, thereby exposing the wires without the use of tools. The wires themselves may, similarly, have a weakened portion thus allowing the conductors themselves to be exposed in preparation for electrical connection, without requiring the use of tools.

with a data lane and each cable interfaces with the datalane module and a corresponding data lane to send and receive the plurality of signals between the data-lane module and a corresponding breakout module at a nominal 25 Gbps or a nominal 100 Gbps. In various embodiments, the data-lane module connects to a host and each of the plurality of modules connects to one or more system(s) to enable host-to-system(s) communications and system(s)-to-host communications at a nominal 100 Gbps or a nominal 400 Gbps.

Multipurpose optical fibre drop cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,529,170 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Aug. 4, 2011 Assignee: Prysmian Telecom Cables and Systems UK Limited/Draka Compteq France SAS Inventors: Ralph Sutehall, Martin Davies, Ian Lang, Jean-Pierret Bonicel A telecommunication cable includes at least one optical fiber unit surrounded by a low fire hazard halogen free polymeric inner sheath that is covered by and in contact with a peelable, environmentally resistant polymer outer sheath. At least two discrete strength members are embedded into the low fire hazard halogen free polymeric inner sheath. The cable is intended for outdoor and indoor use.

FEBRUARY 2017 | 91

PATENTS

eters in the well would all be detected along the entire length of the logging cable instead of just at the tool as this would provide the operator of the well added information to assist in maximizing the performance of the well

Logging cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,529,169 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: Jan. 26, 2011 Assignee: AFL Telecommunications LLC, USA Inventor: Brian Herbst A cable that includes a first optical fiber in a center, a first layer with a plurality of metal wires and a stainless steel tube surrounding the first optical fiber, a second optical fiber inside the stainless steel tube, and a second layer with a plurality of metal wires surrounding the first layer, wherein the first optical fiber is directly exposed to the outside environment. ... This fiber can be simply for data transport from the surface to the tool and back. The optical fiber can also be used as a sensor itself to detect temperature along the length of the logging cable using distributed temperature sensing. Ideally, the sensing of various param-

GLOBAL COMPANIES

Sensor guide wire comprising a polymer layer U.S. Patent No.: 9,526,454 Patent date: Dec. 27, 2016 Filed: March 13, 2013 Assignee: ST. Jude Medical Coordination Center BVBA, USA Inventors: Lisa Mellin, Karin Torne A sensor guide wire for an intravascular measurement of at least one physiological or other variable in a living body may have a proximal region, a distal sensor region, and a tip region. The sensor guide wire may further comprise a sensor element arranged in the sensor region, and comprising a sensor portion for measuring the variable and to generate a sensor signal in response to the variable.

Furthermore, a core wire, having a longitudinal axis A, and comprising at least a tip core wire portion, extends essentially along the tip region of the sensor guide wire. The tip core wire portion may further comprise a distal tip. At least a major part of the tip core wire portion is provided with a polymer layer essentially enclosing the at least major part.

The distal tip of the tip core wire portion may further comprise an enlargement.

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