Wire Bulletin - January 2015

VOLUME VI | ISSUE I | JANUARY 2015

` 125

WIRE BULLETIN India’s Quarterly Bulletin Dedicated to the Wire and Cable Industry

ASK THE EXPERT Q: A: Definition: Nexans Olex (Australia)

What are ceramifiable compounds and where can I purchase them? defines a ceramifiable sheathing compound as: One that “hardens into a protective ceramic shield when exposed to fire, maintaining circuit integrity and life-saving essential services such as emergency and exit lighting, pumps and fans in the event of a fire”. This thermoplastic compound is halogen-free and fire-retardant (HFFR).

For more details, turn to p.19

NEWS BITES • Leoni is stepping up the globalism and efficiency of its Wire & Cable Solutions (WCS) Division. This will help expand its business.

• La Farga has been awarded highspeed railway sector projects to be implemented during 2014-2015.

• Southwire Company plans to expand its operations in Bremen, Indiana and will invest USD 2.1 million to purchase and equip a new facility.

QUOTABLE QUOTES “

The government intends to invest more funds on improving infrastructure and will encourage investments in the manufacturing sector to spur growth.” ~ Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister, India.

“

To take forward the vision of setting up 100 smart cities across the country, we invite private players to come ahead.” ~ M Venkaiah Naidu, Urban Development Minister, India.

IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial ............................... 02 Event Calendar .................... 03 Industry News ...................... 04 Interview | Sterlite Technologies ........................ 06 Interview | R&M India ......... 07 Profile | GMP Slovakia ........ 08 Feature | Keeping Cables Safe ......................... 10 Feature | Data Transfer in Optical Fibers .................. 12 Technology | RodentResistant Solar Cables ........ 14 Products .............................. 15 Technical Article .................. 17 Ask The Expert ..................... 19

Siemens to supply bar rolling line for minimill in India SLR Metaliks Ltd., an Indian pig-iron producer, has awarded Siemens Metals Technologies an order to supply a stateof-the-art bar rolling mill for its new steel plant near Hospet. The rolling mill will be designed for an annual production of 3,20,000 metric tonnes of rebars and special bar quality (SBQ) grades, primarily for the automotive industry. Bars with smaller diameters will be rolled in multi-slit mode. The new steel plant in Hospet is a value-addition project within the expansion plan of SLR Metaliks Ltd. The bars will be produced to serve both national and international markets. The plant is scheduled to be brought into operation in the first half of 2016.

Siemens will supply the complete process equipment for the new bar rolling

mill, including the billet infeed with a hot charging option, the descaling, and the handling of the finished bars. The actual rolling line will consist of a roughing mill and an intermediate mill, each with six Red Ring stands in an HV arrangement, and a finishing mill with six Red Ring stands in an HVC arrangement. This will be followed downstream by a three-stand sizing mill with CGA stands.|WB

Quality Products Incorporated announces acquisition of Fenn LLC Quality Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of aircraft ground support equipment, hydraulic press machine tools, press brakes, hydraulic presses and shears, has announced the acquisition of Fenn LLC. Fenn president, Paul Uccello, commented, “This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together. With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines.”

Lapp India announces expansion of Bangalore production unit Lapp India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Lapp Group and a leading manufacturer of cables, connectors, cable glands, conduits and accessories in India announced the expansion of its Bangalore manufacturing facility. The project will increase the company’s production area from the existing 5,227 square meters to 10,803 square meters. The facility has the capacity to manufacture 60,000 km of multi-core cables and 78,000 km of single core wires per annum. The company has invested approximately ` 165 million for this project. With this new expansion Lapp India aims at tapping into the increased demand for quality control cables in the market.

Speaking on this occasion, Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Board, LAPP Holding AG and Honorary Consul of the Republic of India for Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland- Pfalz, said, “The Indian cabling industry offers vast potential owing to growing urbanisation

and increased focus on infrastructure development. With our range of products we are looking at addressable market potential of ` 55 billion growing at an average of 10 per cent year-on-year until

2020 and beyond. This calls for regular investments in technology, infrastructure and of course, people. The expansions of our plants at Jigani and Bhopal are a step in this direction.” In 2012, Lapp India set up its second Indian manufacturing facility in Pilukhedi, Bhopal which has strengthened its base in the single core wire segment.|WB

Steel ministry to set up research centre for steel production Union Minister of Mines and Steel, Narendra Singh Tomar, announced that his ministry will set up a research centre to boost steel production in the country. He was addressing a gathering at the Indian Institute of Materials’ (IIM) JRD Tata Award function during the 52nd National Metallurgist Day and 68th Annual Technical Meeting (NMD-ATM 2014) at the College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP).

“By setting up the centre, we want to enhance steel production from 80 million tonnes at present to 300 million tonnes by 2025,” he added and appealed to private steel companies to contribute to set up the research centre. Tomar handed over the JRD Tata awards to B N Kalyani, CMD, Bharat Forge and C S Verma, Chairman, Steel Authority of India.

Wire flattening mill at Fenn.

Fenn will continue to produce customengineered machinery to customer specifications, whether it be rolling mills, wire flattening and shaping, drawbench, or turks head applications. In addition, Fenn will also continue to offer its industrial line of products including Torin spring coilers, swagers, and impact cut-off machines.

With all of its product lines, Fenn will also commit to a renewed focus on machine service and spare parts support.

QPI operates in two segments. Its machine tools’ segment consists of MultiPress, Pacific Press and Fenn. In the aircraft ground support equipment category, Columbus Jack has served the aviation industry for decades, providing ground support equipment to commercial, military and civilian aircraft clientele. Commenting on the transaction, Quality Products Inc. president, David Somers, stated, “This acquisition continues the expansion of our businesses in metal working machinery and equipment. We are excited about the ability to increase our product offerings and penetrate new markets.” For more information on QPI products and services visit: www.fenn-torin.com, www.columbusjack.com, www.multipress.com, and www.pacific-press.com.|WB ADVERTISEMENT

Tomar also handed over the Lifetime Achievement Award to R Krishnan, former director of Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bangalore and National Metallurgist (Industry) Award to Sajjan Jindal, CMD, JSW Steel Ltd. According to Tomar, India is aiming to become the second-largest steel producing country in the world. |WB

• Wire Flattening & Shaping Mills • Laboratory & Research Mills • 2 Hi & 4 Hi Strip Rolling Mills 300 Fenn Road • Newington, Connecticut 06111 Phone: 860.594.4300 • Fax: 860.667.4667 Email: precision.fenn@spx.com

www.fenn-torin.com

JANUARY 2015 | 1

JANUARY 2015

EDITORIAL

W

hat you see is not always what you get. It’s been more than six months now since the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assumed power, promising a turnaround in the fortunes of the country. Hopes have risen and expectations have almost hit the roof. But while all this has been rosy enough, what do the ground realities indicate? Judging by the mood that prevails in Indian industry, the tidal wave that was supposed to have washed away the lethargy that has set into the manufacturing sector hasn’t yet arrived. Or if it has, the force has not been enough. In fact, the industrial production data for October 2014 came as a real shocker to the economy, showing a sharp contraction of 4.2 per cent even though November retail inflation eased to a two-year low of 4.3 per cent.

Another set of data that somewhat belies the IIP’s gloomy picture shows a four-month high bank loan growth of 11.3 per cent at the end of November. In addition, wholesale inflation for the month stood at zero per cent, as shown by the latest official data. So, the three-year low IIP (Index of Industrial Production) data looks clearly abnormal. The sharp fall in factory output is primarily due to negative performance posted by manufacturing, capital goods and consumer items’ sectors. The IIP data shows that manufacturing output dipped 7.6 per cent, capital goods 2.3 per cent and consumer goods 18.6 per cent in October.

Exports are also at a risk from a slowdown in global demand.

Given this rather depressing scenario, the question is whether the new government’s policy reforms are making any headway at all? As was revealed at the wire and cable show held in Mumbai in October 2014, the dullness of the past two to three years has yet to give way to some shine. Most of the wire and cable manufacturers, it seems, are waiting and watching for the infrastructure and other projects to be flagged off once again before making new investments or putting new products and technologies into the market. This applies to companies outside India too who are keenly observing the scenario and making their own calculations about how long it will be before things get back to normal.

Also, the ban on mining has had a negative impact on various sectors. There’s a good wind blowing though. Despite an uproar from the opposition uproar, the Lok Sabha has passed the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014, which sets the norms for the auction of 204 mining blocks that had been ordered cancelled by the Supreme Court in September. The bill, which seeks to replace an earlier ordinance issued in the wake of the apex court order, was introduced

by Power Minister Piyush Goyal with opposition members charging during the debate that it was seeking to de-nationalize the coal sector by reversing a decision of the 1970s.

The minister said the step was taken primarily to address the requirement of the Supreme Court and to avoid a major crisis in electricity generation in the country due to a shortage of coal, and to protect the interests of millions of workers. These are now proposed to be re-auctioned or allocated in the first phase.

The central government will auction or allot 18 more coal blocks with a total capacity of about 120 million tonnes, in addition to the 74 blocks already in the first lot, to meet the growing needs of the power sector. Of the 92 mines to be allotted and auctioned in the first lot, 57 would be given to the power sector, and the remaining would be for other industries like steel and cement.

Once the power sector begins to get all steamed up and ready to go, it is quite likely that the demand for wire and cable will be pushed up.

There’s also the government’s bid for providing power to all over the next few years and this may hopefully provide the boost that cable companies are in sore need of. For the moment though, the industry remains at a walking pace and is yet to break into an energized trot.

Huned Contractor Editor hcontractor@wirenet.org | hunedc@gmail.com

2 | WIRE BULLETIN

CALENDAR & EVENT REVIEW World calendar January 10-13, 2015: Wire & Cable Arabia

Dubai, UAE. Wire & Cable Arabia 2015, an international trade fair for the wire and cable industry, shall be held in concurrence with Middle East’s flagship industrial trade fair, Tekno Arabia. The infrastructure projects in the GCC dictates that demand for wire and cable products are some of the highest and fastest-growing in the world.

The MENA region gets a leg up by USD 15.4 billion worth wire & cable consumption in 2012, up by 5.4 per cent from 2011. In 2012, the GCC market reached almost 1.2 million gross cable tonnes, while the North African region stood with 5,20,000 tonnes. It is against this backdrop that the event assumes special significance.

Contact: Jeen Joshua. Tel.: +971-4-3406888. Website: www.alfajer.net.

January 22-24, 2015: Intelect 2015

Mumbai, India. Organised by the Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA), the exhibition will feature home and building automation security and surveillance; lighting and HVAC; e-mobility, people movers and energy storage solutions; renewable, off-grid, micro-grid and rural smart electrification; infotech and software development, cloud computing and data centers; efficient distribution systems; machine to machine communication; and sustainable living in growing digitalisation and urbanised societies. Contact: IEEMA, 501, Kakad Chambers, 132, Dr. Annie Beasant Road, Worli, Mumbai – 400 018. Tel.: 022-24930532, E-mail: mumbai@ieema.org.

Events Wire & Cable India 2014: Successful despite tough economic scenario At the staging of the trade fair Wire & Cable India, Tube India International and Metallurgy India 2014 held in October at Mumbai, 388 exhibitors from 25 countries presented the latest products for the wire and cable, tube and metallurgy industry. In addition to individual exhibitors, the trade fairs also featured country group exhibits from Austria, China, Germany, Italy and North America. A total of 10,600 trade visitors came to the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center to find innovations, technologies and trends in the relevant sectors. The Indian industrial sector depends greatly on automotive engineering, telecommunications and construction industries. Despite a slowdown in India’s economic growth in 2014, the trade fair booths at all the three events attracted a lot of interest.

January 29-31, 2015: International Conference & Exhibition on Reinforced Plastics Hyderabad, India. ICERP event is an important event of the Indian composites industry organised by the FRP Institute once in two years. The focus this year will be upgradation of composites’ technology in India to reach global level in terms of product quality, finishing and also to address the challenges that have to be met to achieve international standards. There will also be a conference on the latest developments in mechanisation, automation and innovation. Contact: Dr. A Selvam, Tel.: +91-9841426644, E-mail: exhibition@icerpshow.com.

March 3-8, 2015: Timtos

Taipei, Taiwan. Timtos 2015 is the 17th Taipei International Machine Tool Show, to be held at the Taipei World Trade Centre and the Nangang Exhibition Centre. This biennial exhibition has already become a focus for international buyers and is a prominent event for the machine tool industry which forms a crucial element in Taiwan’s machinery sector. The country is currently the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of machine tools. Contact: Taiwan Trade Development Council. Tel.: +886-2-27255200. E-mail: timtos@taitra.org.tw.

Dr. Kalliopi Jain, Associated Engineers & Industrial Ltd. “Speaking on behalf of Messe Düsseldorf and Messe Düsseldorf India, we are very pleased that we have established an ideal industry platform for the Indian market by organising these three shows concurrently.

We will further strengthen the leading roles

Booth of Assomac Group. of our trade fairs on the Indian subcontinent,” stated Werner Dornscheidt, Chairman and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. Commenting about the show, Dr. Kalliopi Jain, Director – Continuous Improvement, Associated Engineers & Industrial Ltd. said: “Wire & Cable India provides a platform to interact with our existing customers and to showcase our new developments. It has always been the right place to start and establish good friendships in the industry and to approach new clients.”

Said Wilson Ling, Executive Vice Director, Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI): “SECRI has participated in Wire & Cable India several times and we have always supported communication between the industries of China and India.

This trade fair has established a leading position in South Asia. We are delighted to see the number of exhibitors and visitors growing and more opportunities of cooperation and exchange.” Daniel Thomas, Managing Director, Niehoff of India, too praised the show, stating, “The show was very well-organised. There was good attendance from the entire industry despite the tough economic environment in India.”

The next staging of the shows has been scheduled for October 5-7, 2016 in Mumbai.|WB

April 14-17, 2015: MTA 2015

Singapore, Southeast Asia. Dedicated to serving Asia’s manufacturing industry and supporting its progression on the value chain, MTA 2015 is a premier sourcing platform for regional manufacturing players to access the latest precision engineering and machine tool technologies available in the global market. Contact: Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd., 10 Kallang Avenue, #09-16 Aperia Tower 2, Singapore – 339 510. Tel.: +65 6233 6638.

April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015

Atlanta, USA. Introduced in 1981, Interwire is the largest and longest-running wire and cable marketplace in the Americas. Hosted biennially, Interwire is an international trade event that includes exhibiting companies, speakers, and visitors from more than 50 countries. When industry professionals look for new wire and cable technology, supplies, and equipment they choose Interwire, the benchmark for wire business in the Americas. The show crosses dozens of vertical industries including automotive, construction, aerospace, transportation, and communications, among others. Interwire is held in conjunction with WAI’s Annual Convention.

Contact: Box Xeller. E-mail: bxeller@wirenet.org. Tel.: 1-203-453-2777. Website: www.wirenet.org.

September 16-18, 2015: wire Southeast Asia

Bangkok, Thailand. For several years now, wire Southeast Asia has shed the spotlight on wire and cable processing equipment and machinery, plus manufacturing innovations from around the world. It is estimated that 3,000 international exhibitors have successfully connected with active buyers and important decision makers from the wire and cable industries over the past ten editions. The forthcoming edition will include machinery for wire and cable manufacturing, processing and finishing, wire products and fiber optic manufacturing, fastener production and spring making along with process technology tools, auxiliary process technology materials, measuring and control technology, test engineering, installations for environmental protection, etc. The venue will be the Bangkok International that attio rrm ionn that fo a Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC). Prein m e v fo a you have in sectionn??

D registration details will be available in April Doo you sh in thhis tio t is sec -mailil ttoo:: g bbeelo 2015. Visit: www.wire-southeastasia.com. lonngs in it by ee-m a

mit by net.orrgg.. se subbm PPle leaase su tin@w ire t.o lllleetin@wirene u b e ir u w b wire

JANUARY 2015 | 3

INDUSTRY NEWS Second Queen’s Award presented to Metalube On Friday, December 5, 2014, leading lubricant specialist, Metalube Limited, was proudly presented its second Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This prestigious honour for innovation was presented at a ceremony held at the company’s Manchester headquarters by Mrs Edith Conn, Her Majesty’s Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. The award for innovation was given to Metalube for inventing OCG 6000, a synthetic grease that protects overhead line electrical conductors.

The corrosion-preventing grease can operate at over 200 degrees Celsius with an operational life exceeding 20 years. “OCG 6000 extends the lives of conductors and ultimately saves capital investments by delaying future renewal of pylon infrastructure” the company’s press release states. This is the second successive year that the company has been bestowed a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Exporting to over 86 countries worldwide, the company won in the international trade category in 2013.

Commenting on the event, Robert Brown, Managing Director, Metalube,

4 | WIRE BULLETIN

said: “It is a tremendously proud day for Metalube and I am particularly delighted for the company’s many innovators who work in our laboratory. It is their skills that set us apart, and for one of our groundbreaking products to be publicly recognised is a great compliment.” Metalube manufactures a range of nonferrous drawing oils and maintenance lubricants as well as a variety of corrosion protection and forming oils. The company has offices in China, India and Brazil.

VISCAS Japan to invest in Sterlite’s power cable facility Sterlite Technologies Limited, a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the power and telecom industries, has entered into a joint venture agreement with VISCAS Corporation, a leading Japanese company specialised in providing power transmission and distribution systems solutions globally. As part of this JV agreement, VISCAS Japan will invest into the existing power cable facility of Sterlite in Haridwar which is already serving the MV/HV power cables customers in India. This venture is an important milestone in sustaining Sterlite’s leadership in the power transmission and distribution sector with an objective of addressing the growing extra high-voltage underground power cabling requirements in India. It also strengthens the unique positioning of Sterlite in offering integrated overhead, underground transmission and distribution networks with smart grid enablers as OPGW / communication products.

“This partnership has the potential to attain leadership in the HV/EHV cables market in India in the next 2-3 years. The country is implementing HV/EHV solutions in the transmission and distribution segment of power to enhance efficiency and will require specialised technologies to address this need. Both the companies share a common vision and bring together complementary strengths for this venture,” said Pravin Agarwal, Whole-Time Director, Sterlite Technologies Limited.

The closure of the transaction would be subject to necessary approvals. Axis Capital Ltd. acted as sole financial advisor to Sterlite Technologies Ltd.

Suprajit Engineering acquires Speedo Cable

Suprajit Engineering, an automotive cable maker based in Bangalore, is acquiring the Speedo Cable business from India’s Pricol Limited, for an undisclosed amount.

Multiple media reports said that the acquisition is being made on a “slump sale basis,” and that the company would relocate the plant and machinery from Pricol’s plant to one of its facilities in Bangalore. In addition to the speedometer cables, Pricol

manufactures products such as oil pumps, disc brakes, sensors, industrial gauges, vehicle security systems, etc.

The Speedo Cable business was part of the non-core business of Pricol whereas it will be a key addition for Suprajit, which makes a wide variety of control cables.

Suprajit has 13 manufacturing units, and the capacity to make 150 million cables for OEM and replacement segments. The company also has plans to set up a new plant in Tamil Nadu that would take its capacity to 210 million cables. It clientele include TVS Motors, Ashok Leyland, TAFE, Hyundai and Ford, among others.

Paul Leibinger introduces new website Paul Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG is now providing its customers with even more added value on its new, completely revised company website. After being relaunched it is radiating with a fresh, new design and clearly focuses on being able to quickly find even more information about Paul Leibinger and the company's variety of products. “Easy entrance into the Leibinger product world is made possible as of now by the new, clearly structured homepage of the Germany-based specialist for industrial marking and coding systems and verification solutions. With just a click you can get detailed information about continuous inkjet printers, camera verification systems and numbering machines as well as access the ‘news’ area with all of the press releases, news and current trade show appearances,” a press release said. Visit: www.leibinger-group.com. continued on p.5

INDUSTRY NEWS Nexans delivers first batch of the world’s largest DEH system Nexans has provided to BP-operated Shah Deniz Stage 2 development project the first delivery in what will be the world’s largest and most complex direct electrical heating (DEH) system to date. The company is supplying a comprehensive subsea DEH system solution including complete system design and 130 kilometer of cables with accessories for installation. This will provide flow assurance for 10 subsea flowlines serving the Shah Deniz high-pressure gas condensate development, located in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. The Shah Deniz DEH contract, worth around Euro 100 million, forms part of a 10-year frame agreement between Nexans and BP, the operator of the project, to supply umbilical cables, DEH systems, accessories and services for various deep-water oil and gas projects worldwide.

“The key to Nexans’ success as a leader in DEH projects is our comprehensive systems approach that integrates the design of DEH systems, including engineering and manufacture of all the vital elements such

as riser cables, piggyback cables, protection and accessories,” said Krister Granlie, Executive Vice President, Hybrid Underwater Cables Division, Nexans Norway.

The first delivery consisted of DEH cables and accessories for four flowlines. The second delivery of the six remaining subsea systems is scheduled for 2016.

Indometal 2014 showcases sophisticated machinery and equipment

Indonesia’s most dedicated exhibition for the metal and steel industries - Indometal 2014 – had 296 exhibiting companies from 26 countries including Indonesia’s most prominent metal and steel businesses and a group supported by the Directorate of Industrial Manufacturing Base, Ministry of Industry, Republic of Indonesia as well as national pavilions from Austria, China, Germany, Italy and Taiwan. Jointly organised by Messe Düsseldorf Asia and PT Wahana Kemalaniaga Makmur (WAKENI), Indometal 2014 was held earlier this month at the Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Indonesia.

Spanning across three halls, the impressive machinery and product displays ranging from foundry technology, casting products,

metallurgy and thermo process technology provided a one-stop procurement, learning and networking event for over 8,000 trade professionals.

According to Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia, “Indometal returned with a stronger position as the most relevant and industry-awaited exhibition for the metal and steel sectors in Indonesia and the region. It was in time amidst the rising demand for metal and steel products to provide for Southeast Asia’s rapid economic development, particularly Indonesia with its massive infrastructural and industrial development activities in the pipeline.” With robust domestic demands and escalating manufacturing output catered for export needs, Indonesia is on track to become the region’s leading producer of steel and metal products.

General Cable announces sale of interest in Phelps Dodge General Cable Corporation announced that it has completed the sale of its interest in Phelps Dodge International Philippines, Inc. (PDP) for cash consideration of USD 67 million. The company sold its 60 per cent interest to its joint venture partner, A. Soriano Corporation (Anscor). Proceeds from the sale will be used to reduce outstanding borrowings on the company’s North American and European asset-based revolving credit facility. The company previously announced on October 29, 2014 its intent to divest all of its manufacturing operations in Asia Pacific and Africa in order to simplify its geographic portfolio and reduce organisation complexity.

John E. Welsh, III, Chairman of the Board, said, “We are pleased with the efficient and timely execution of this meaningful transaction which represents a significant initial step in simplifying our portfolio. Our team has effectively completed this sale while continuing to advance our divestiture plans for the remaining assets within Asia Pacific and Africa.

We continue to believe these actions will enable us to optimise our asset base and sharpen our strategic focus on our core assets in North America, Latin America and Europe. We remain focused on our restructuring program and delivering improved returns from our core strategic markets as we strive to better leverage economies of scale and capitalise on our leading positions across key markets where we have built long-standing customer relationships, efficient supply chains and offer a wide range of products.”

Prysmian secures contract for submarine power cable project Prysmian Group has been awarded a contract by the Filipino grid operating company NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) worth a total of around Euro 90 million for the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of a submarine power cable link to connect Negros and Panay islands in the Philippines.|WB

WORLD-CLASS WIRE ROLLING MACHINES MADE IN GERMANY

FUHR GmbH & Co.KG P.O. Box 1230 D-32834 Steinheim | Germany Email: office@fuhr-wire.com

www.fuhr-wire.com Precision | Productivity | Professional After-Sales Service | User-Friendliness | Modular Assembly & Convertability

JANUARY 2015 | 5

INTERVIEW

K S Rao, Chief Operating Officer | Sterlite Technologies Limited Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) develops and delivers products, solutions and infrastructure for telecom and power transmission networks, globally. STL is among the global leaders in all its business areas of optical fiber, fiber optic cables, power conductors and HV / EHV power cables through its operations in India, China and Brazil. As the most integrated optical fiber company in the world, STL is pioneering Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployment in the country to enable high-speed broadband connectivity. The company is also developing several transmission infrastructure projects spanning over 5,000 circuit kilometers across India. Excerpts from an interview with K S Rao, Chief Operating Officer (COO): Could you provide an overview of Sterlite Technologies’ presence in the fiber optic segment?

Sterlite Technologies is ranked amongst the top 10 biggest global independent companies producing optical fiber and optical fiber cable. We have been producing optical fiber in India for over two decades traversing from a production capacity of about half a million fiber KM in 1994 to over 20 million fiber KM currently. Our growth contributions largely come from a healthy market mix of both domestic and international markets’ expansion and deployment of fiber optic cables. Sterlite is today associated with top 10 telecom operators globally and all operators in India.

Greater than 40 per cent of the recent massive rollout of 4G/LTE services by the country’s leading operators in the form of fiber deployment is being done by Sterlite. As one of the largest backward integrated manufacturers of optical fibers in the world, Sterlite offers a complete ITU range of optical fibers for a variety of applications like long haul, regional, metro, access and FTTx networks. Supported by fully integrated manufacturing facilities, R&D center, network simulation lab and a dedicated center of excellence, Sterlite’s range of optical fibers deliver superior performance in data transmission and performance reliability.

What is the company’s product portfolio and who are your main clients?

Sterlite’s end-to-end offerings portfolio includes products and customized solutions for high-speed data transmission. The product portfolio comprises optical fiber, optical fiber cables, data cables, and services like system integration and telecom neutral networks. The state-of-the-art telecom Center of Excellence at Aurangabad is one of its kinds in India where we work towards improving the quality of our products through research and development.

The center lays quality improvement focus on each step of the development of fiber starting from silica and glass preform to the network. The center’s objective is also to bring in world-class and next generation telecommunication technologies to India.

Sterlite’s optical fiber business spans more than 89 countries in five continents with top echelons of global telecom operators in various geographies being our esteemed customers. Our product portfolio strengths

6 | WIRE BULLETIN

lie in the ability to customize the fiber and cable design specific to the application needs envisaged by our customers globally.

What path-breaking technologies has the company been working on in the past one or two years?

We believe that a competitive and comprehensive product portfolio is essential to providing our customers consistent, predictable and sustainable solutions to their growing business needs. A central mission of the team at the Center of Excellence has been exceeding global competitive specifications across all our products – a ‘best of the best’ directive. In early 2013, well in advance of key competitors, a market benchmark was set with the introduction of Micro Bow-Lite, a reduced diameter optical fiber that enables nearly 40 per cent reduction in the cross-sectional area of optical cables, thus enabling lower cost, lighter weight and higher transmission capacities.

Six optical fiber product introductions followed in rapid succession with significant enhancements to our flagship optical fiber category OH-LITE (E). Fully compliant to the ITU-T G.652D standard, OHLITE (E) reduces optical loss, improves bend sensitivity and has demonstrated significantly improved loss performance when cabled alongside tensile strength – a winning combination for both our cable customers as well as the end-user telecom operator. Additionally, a family of products under the Bow-Lite family has been refreshed to serve the growing market for fiber to the home or any premise (FTTx).

Supporting best-in-class specifications, these products significantly exceed international standards and competitive specifications, and have led to interest and order commitments in global markets for bendinsensitive fiber.

Driven by our key accounts and our engagement on-site, challenges faced in the installation of optical cables were addressed with this portfolio advance. A first in India, our easy-strip micro-module indoor cables have found traction across our major international customers. Lower diameter micro-cables and reduced weight across the entire family has helped our customers lower their installation times and increase their network capacity and thereby improve their time to market. A major technology advance was accomplished this year with the introduction in India of Sterlite’s 288-fiber count ribbon cable. An unqualified success helping our customers reduce installation times, this leading-edge product is now expected to be instrumental in the rapid deployment of metropolitan wire-line broadband as well as accelerate the availability of advanced 4G mobile broadband access in the country.

At the Center of Excellence, this journey is well under way. In 2013, a breakthrough demonstration for the first time in India was accomplished with over 8 Terabits per second data transmission over Sterlite’s optical fiber. This speed record was also accompanied by a distance record of 1,840 kilometers of optical fiber at our labs and it positions us uniquely across the globe in helping our customers understand and plan their networks as they migrate to ever increasing speeds. Indeed, it is believed only a small handful of corporate labs across the world possess this capability.

What kind of scope exists for the company in the telecom sector in the coming years?

Both the Indian subcontinent and international markets represent growth for Sterlite in the years to come. The first bil-

lion fiber KM took ten years to deploy and the next billion half that time. We firmly believe that the next billion fiber KM will be rolled out in the next three years. This represents a significant opportunity for Sterlite. From an India market perspective, there is the demographical advantage.

India’s online population is significantly younger when compared with other BRIC nations with 75 per cent falling under the age of 35. India has the intrinsic strengths for a broadband revolution and data consumption behaviour transformation in this internet ecosystem comprising consumers, entrepreneurs, enterprises and driven by India’s young internet-savvy population.

In terms of broadband and GDP, since a 10 per cent increase in internet and broadband penetration can add 1 per cent to the GDP of the country, there is significant support for the broadband worldwide, including in India with the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN). In order to reap maximum benefits broadband can bring, most governments are targeting highspeed broadband, with subscriber download speeds in excess of 10 Mbps. With the increase in the penetration of smartphones, mobile subscribers could get high-speed broadband. The appetite for user digital consumption is increasing multifold year on year and the underlying broadband infrastructure is unable to cope up with the quadrupling bandwidth demands.

This requires significant optical fiber cable network deployment and Sterlite’s unique positioning presents a strong growth opportunity for us. Globally the demand for high-speed data traffic over fixed or mobile broadband networks is the prime driver of fiber optic network deployment. In addition to this, various international governments are bringing broadband to every rural and urban household as a mandatory initiative. Sterlite continues to be a part of this initiative with our cables being deployed in such initiatives globally directly or through the ecosystem of our partners.

What is the production capacity and is there a plan to augment it in the coming financial year?

We have been producing optical fiber in India for over two decades traversing from a production capacity of about half a million fiber KM in 1994 to over 20 million fiber KM currently.

To which countries does STL export to and what is the company’s future export strategy?

Sterlite’s products are exported and deployed in more than 85 countries across all seven continents, particularly in regions across SE Asia, Europe, Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific. We have a joint venture operation in Brazil for cable production and in China for fiber production to serve the markets in these regions.

Going forward, we would be focusing on countries where there is a lot of focus on national broadband plans for increasing broadband penetration. We believe that these countries will benefit from our experience in creating a national optical fiber backbone for rural connectivity in India. Our future markets’ strategy will also be based on our philosophy of ‘growing profitably’ and in regions where we find sustainability and predictability of growth with our existing customers and prospective markets.

How does the production of fiber optic cable in India compare with the rest of the world?

In the global market for fiber optic

cables, Indian manufacturing and Sterlite’s portfolio in particular exceed industry benchmarks both in performance and value to our end customers. While well-developed industry standards exist, our production capabilities far exceed these standards.

More interestingly, as an emerging markets’ manufacturer we are able to articulate solutions best suited to conditions such as in India and similar economies to support requirements as they arise. In addition, R&D capabilities have begun to augment manufacturing output in a structured and sustainable fashion.

Advanced programs involving next generation fiber are well under way as also a futuristic approach towards expanding transmission capacity and capabilities to support ultra-high-speed connectivity and to serve more subscribers. Technology development towards extreme low-loss fiber, low non-linearity, multi-core fiber, few mode fiber, multi-mode fiber are in progress in India and have the potential to scale transmission capacity far beyond the present state-of-the-art – with indigenous skills and technology.

What is the Indian government’s policy on improving broadband connectivity in the country and how has STL aligned its growth plan to contribute to it?

The government’s initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide and improving broadband connectivity and these are playing a major role in driving OFC demand.

With the Indian telecom sector entering the next phase of growth characterized by data revolution, the demand for optic fibre cable (OFC) is picking up. Investments in OFC networks are being driven by the process of strengthening backbone networks, growing demand for broadband services, rural penetration of telecom services, fiberizing of tower sites, proliferation of nextgeneration broadband technologies like 4G/LTE, and increasing deployments for last-mile connectivity, etc.

The National Telecom Policy 2012 envisions reliable, affordable and high-quality converged telecommunication services for socio-economic development. It aims at achieving the goals of providing broadband-on-demand by the year 2015 and to achieve 175 million broadband connections by the year 2017 and 600 million by the year 2020 at minimum 2 Mbps download speed and making available higher speeds of at least 100 Mbps on demand.

These factors are going to drive the demand for bandwidth to an insatiable level.

What is the company’s vision and mission for the next five years?

Sterlite’s vision is to connect every home on the planet. Our approach as an organisation over the next few years would be to be an integral part of India’s broadband growth through optical fiber networks deployment; to be a value adding partner to our government’s ‘Digital India’ initiatives; to contribute to technology improvements and enhancements in product development initiatives of optical fiber industry globally as an Indian player; to get closer to our customers in different regions as a part of our fulfillment strategy; and to jointly develop marketing and positioning campaigns with our customers globally as a part of our ‘think global act local’ initiatives.|WB

INTERVIEW

Gaurav Ahluwalia, Managing Director | R&M R&M India is a known name when it comes to cabling solutions for communication networks.

With its copper and fiber optic systems, R&M has contributed significantly towards ensuring operational reliability in voice, data and image transmission – worldwide. It also provides maximum installation and maintenance convenience. R&M solutions stand out by virtue of their maximum availability combined with cost-effective network operation. Its high level of product quality and forward-looking system design ensure that the networks are sustainable and the investments safeguarded. These cabling solutions are used in office buildings and homes by network operators and in industry. In this interview, Gaurav Ahluwalia, the company’s managing director, elaborates about the parent company’s interesting evolution and India operations.

Could you provide a background about the company?

R&M was founded by Hans Reichle and Renato De-Massari in 1964 as a two-man business. The two employees of Switzerland’s telecommunications company came up with the idea of a new, easier-to-install telephone outlet, which to this day is known as Reichle-Connector in Switzerland. The garages and homes of the Reichle family in Wetzikon and of the De-Massari family in Pfaffhausen served as offices, workshops and warehouses. The wives worked MDA146E-witu15-Wire10x6.70-FA.ai

1

actively alongside their husbands. There was soon a dual cause for celebration: Swiss PTT, the national postal, telephone and telegraph authority, issued a license to R&M and the first order arrived. In 1968, the registered office of the business was moved to Uster. The attic was renovated and offices were set up in it.

The first two employees joined the original duo of founders to form a quartet. A year-end surprise occurred when the Directorate General of PTT sent an invitation to participate in a project competition for developing connector boxes with 40-pin connectors. The first T+T outlets were soon delivered. Originally R&M was set up to develop a telephone outlet and market it throughout Switzerland. The company then broadened its range of products and services to cabling technology for data and voice networks as a whole, based on copper and optical fiber cabling. R&M then started expanding geographically across continents.

When did the company expand into the international markets?

In 1993, R&M took its first steps into the Eastern Europe market with the founding of Reichle & De-Massari Polska Sp.z.o.o. in Warsaw. RJ45 became increasingly wellestablished as a new connector standard for generic cabling systems. R&M developed its first connection and distribution modules in keeping with this trend. Easy Lock, a tool-free connection technique, gained international attention as a result. A strain relief sleeve and the coding system known as Data Safe Lock ensured increased security and reliability. The development of a main distributor frame for optical fibers set new standards in terms of compactness and handling. The newly developed VS Standard distribution system supplemented the range with an export-oriented

19/12/14

12:39 pm

product. Five years later, expansion abroad proceeded at a rapid pace. Further subsidiaries were established in Dubai, Austria and Hungary. The number of employees worldwide hit 438, with 333 of them working in Switzerland.

What about India?

In 2006 the export markets developed quite positively. By this year, R&M was making 75 per cent of its sales abroad. The market organisation in India thus got off to a lightning-fast start. With offices in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, R&M now began serving the booming IT market in India. It put a flexible wiring duct, DRM45, Plug&Lock, SLIM and HTU (home termination unit) on the market.

What does the company’s product portfolio consist of?

One of R&M’s core products is its Cat.6 module for Ethernet networks, which is widely used in networks all over the world.

R&M designs solutions for private networks, data centres and public network carriers. Private networks are used by companies of all sizes and include everything from office cabling to industrial networks. Due to the difficult conditions in which industrial cabling often operates, the components employed need to meet the highest standards of reliability and stability. The company offers its customers the installation of complete solutions through certified partners.

What are the infrastructure facilities and technology used in production?

The manufacturing of R&M’s products uses the latest technology. Majority of our plants are almost completely automated and we are very unique in the sense that we individually test all our products to make sure that they are up to the quality mark.

Innovation is the core of the R&M business; almost 10 per cent of our employee

base is into R&D. We look to constantly keep innovating to make sure that our customers have the best possible future-proof network available.

Cat. 6 What about your expansion plans?

We were able to ambitiously expand in 2014 with the acquisition of the business activities and operating assets of AFS in India. AFS has been an R&M-certified assembly partner for the E-2000TM connector for several years. This will not only increase our employee base but also strengthen our position in the market and also allows us to become even more competitive in the Indian market. Thus, 2015 will be a big year for us.

Contact Details: R&M India P Ltd., 90/4, JP Royale, 3rd Floor, Outer Ring Road, Marathahalli, Bangalore - 560 037.

Tel.: 080-40792603. E-mail: ind@rdm. com. Website: www.rdm.com.|WB

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

JANUARY 2015 | 7

COMPANY PROFILE GMP Reels India Coming closer to customers GMP Slovakia, a company globally reputed for making reels, drums and handling equipment, has set up a production unit at Nashik in India to not only serve its Asian customers but also attain its goal of making this another global hub for all its products.

In a region famous for its sprawling vineyards and wine producing units, industrialisation has never been a concentrated effort. In fact, it is rather incongruous to find some manufacturing sheds in a place called Janori which is on the outskirts of Nashik even as the autorickshaw bumps its way ahead on a potholed road fringed by fields and the typical rural dwellings as found in Maharashtra. And yet it is here that a globally renowned company that makes spools, reels, drums and handling equipment for the wire and cable industry, among others, has set up base. GMP Slovakia’s primary plant is located in the Slovak Republic in the heart of Europe close to Ukraina, Hungary, Romania, and Poland.

There it has a 30,000 sqm facility with CNC lathe machines up to 1.600 mm diameter, CNC drilling machines, automatic welding systems, balancing machines, laser cutting machines, et al.

And now Leardo Ruggenenti, Vice President, GMP Reels India (P) Limited, would like to replicate their European facility in India to not only take the reel and drum market by storm but also make India its second global hub. The India plant was inaugurated on February 17, 2014 and covers a surface of 3,000 sqm. Its production facility has been installed with state-of-theart machinery to manufacture high-quality products. This includes production machinery that has especially been imported from Europe. “That’s because we want to supply the same kind of quality that we do from our Slovakia plant. Not only that, the Indian operators have been trained by the Slovakian staff so that the benchmarks are maintained,” Leardo says.

Leardo Ruggenenti The company’s range of products includes different types of reels for steel, copper and aluminum wire or for cable and rope. The reels are designed both for process and for transport. “We not only supply standard items but also customized products for special applications. The company also supplies all the necessary equipment to handle reels and coils by way of lifters and tilters for horizontal and vertical handling and dolly bases or skid rolls. All these products are designed by our technical staff together with the sales department in order to satisfy customer requirements,” Leardo states.

8 | WIRE BULLETIN

ISO 14001:2004 certification

Some of the products that are now being manufactured in India include the single wall reel, the double wall reel, the heavy duty reel, the fully machined reel, structural drum, corrugated drum and tyre cord spools, etc. “While these are standard products, we also do a lot of work in tune with our customers’ specific requirements.

One of such is the DW or the double wall reel which is highly in demand across the world. It has a wide range of applications and can be used for drawing, bunching and stranding of steel copper or aluminium wire. The reel is usually supplied with a machined barrel and it is dynamically balanced. The standard speed is around 30 metres per second but it can be balanced for higher speed also. The reel is protected by oil to prevent rust problems during transport, especially if overseas. The surface is painted fully or on the outside flanges as per the customer’s requirements. And some of the options include full machining, reinforced barrel, changeable bushings and a wide range of dimensions apart from the standard flange of 400, 560, 630, 800 or 1,000 mm,” Leardo informs.

Elaborating about their choice of Nashik over the other growing industrial regions in India, Leardo reveals that some of the primary factors included the cost of land and the weather. “We did a reconnaissance of several places such as Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Pune, etc. but realised that the investment in land and infrastructure would be very high. Finally, we zeroed in on Nashik because it still in the developing stage. This way, we have been able to lease a huge plot of land that will also enable us to expand our production facility with ease,” he says. India, in fact, had always been a first choice when the company decided to spread its footprint outside Europe. “We have many existing customers here and it becomes easier and more costeffective to deliver from here than ship the reels from our Slovakia plant. Also, we see huge scope for selling our products in India where apart from the wire and cable industries, we can also target customers in the rope and tyre industries. Europe is now in a stage of stagflation and it is Asia that we see as a prime market,” Leardo adds. If not India, the company had a back-up plan to start operations in either China or Brazil.

Over the long term, GMP Slovakia has a grand plan in place. Even though only about 80 per cent of its total range of products is right now being made in its Nashik plant, the objective is to gradually install more sophisticated machinery and equipment to be able to supply the entire portfolio of its products. “We are eventually not looking at India to just cater to customers in this part of the world. We want this plant to be a global supplier too. To be able to do so, the quality parameters have to be the same as our mother plant and moreover we have to be very competitive in terms of pricing because the competition is severe and aggressive,” Leardo informs.

With its initial investment of about ` 8 crore, GMP Slovakia is currently testing the waters to see how deep they run.

“The response so far has been very good.

Our customers are very happy that we can deliver the reels and drums faster and at a lower cost and now that we are actually here, it becomes easier for us to understand what our customers require. This helps us customize all the more,” Leardo says.

The company already has in place a wide network of agents in India and elsewhere to take care of after sales service and inquiries. “Reels and drums are not products that require sophisticated technology but what is important is that they serve well the function they are made for. We are therefore very particular about the sustainability of our products,” he adds.|WB

GMP Slovakia recently announced that they are now certified to the ISO 14001:2004 standard for environmental management systems. “This certification confirms our commitment to minimise environmental impact in our day-to-day operations. GMP is already certified ISO 9001:2008 standard for quality management systems since year 2010,” a press release states. This certification is essential for customers who need a supplier which can give them the assurance that all services and products supplied respect special specification during the realisation of the product. The realisation of products is followed step by step, from the purchasing of raw material to manufacturing of the product, and all these steps can be coverable and verified.

Contact Details: GMP Reels India Glat No. 590/2, Janori Highway Road, Taluka Dindori, Nashik. Tel.: 0255721800. E-mail: sales@gmp-slovakia.com.

Website: www.gmp-slovakia.com.

Positively Engaged. Absorbed. Informed.

WAI MEMBERSHIP Align yourself with WAI members and be recognized in the company of the industry’s most dynamic leaders.

Join our network today at:

www.wirenet.org

The Wire Association International, Inc.

www.fenn-torin.com

TO:

Our Customers

FROM:

Paul Uccello, President, Fenn LLC David Somers, CEO, Quality Products Inc.

Rich Past, Bright Future at Fenn...

For Fenn, 2014 represents an exciting year of positive change. Ownership of our 114 year old company was acquired by Ohio-based Quality Products, Inc. from SPX Corporation. This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together. With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines right here in Connecticut, USA. As a strategic owner, QPI brings their long term commitment and vision of creating a family of customer focused manufacturers that employ sound engineering knowledge and skill, innovative ideas, and continuous improvement processes.

As Fenn transitions into a new partnership with Quality Products, Inc., we want to introduce our customers to QPI. QPI operates in two segments: the Machine Tools and Aircraft Ground Support Equipment. QPI’s Machine Tools segment consists of Multi-Press, Pacific Press and Fenn. With roots tracing back to the 1920’s, Multi-Press is a respected provider of hi-tech hydraulic and electrical control presses including a full line of bench, floor model, and 4-post configurations. Pacific Press is known as a leader in hydraulic press brakes, shears and presses in North America, manufacturing a broad range of metal forming equipment that promises reliability and durability. In the Aircraft Ground Support Equipment category, Columbus Jack has served the aviation industry for decades, providing ground support equipment to commercial, military and civilian aircraft clientele.

Over the next several months, you will notice several changes including a soon to be launched new website and a modernized brand. And while we are excited about our future and the innovations that come before us, we continue to remember our roots and our history. Fenn will continue to produce custom engineered machinery to our customer’s specifications, whether it be rolling mill, wire flattening and shaping, drawbench, or turks head applications. In addition, Fenn will also continue to proudly offer its industrial line of products including Torin spring coilers, swagers and impact cut off machines. Along with these product lines, we are committing to a renewed focus on machine service and spare parts support.

Today, as a QPI company, Fenn will work to continue its tradition as the industry’s leading provider of metal forming solutions. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to many more years of delivering extraordinary value to you and your business.

Sincerely, Paul Uccello President, Fenn LLC

David Somers CEO, Quality Products, Inc.

JANUARY 2015 | 9

FEATURED CONCEPTS Keep cables safe from rats and insects

C

HDPE and nylon used in cable sheathing and insulation.

ables as well as other polymeric applications are in grave danger from pests like rodents and insects. Rodents gnaw at cables causing power outages and network shutdowns. Aggressive species of termites and other insects like fire ants can also damage cable insulation. Now, C Tech Corporation has launched non-toxic, non-hazardous polymer additives for rodent and termite resistance which can be incorporated into Non-toxic solution base polymers and plastics.

All of us at some point may have experienced a sudden power outage or network failure. Rats are characterised by a pair of ever growing incisors which need to be kept trimmed. To achieve this they gnaw at anything and everything. As such, polymeric applications like wires and cables form the ideal bait as rats are attracted to the smell and colour of plasticizers.

To give an idea of the damage they can cause, a cable company has reported that up to 17 per cent of their cables were damaged by rodents like squirrels in 2013, having already caused 28 per cent damage the previous year. In that same year, the US reported 50 power outages in 24 states in just three months - all of them the handiwork of rodents! The great BlackBerry blackout in 2011 in Scotland was blamed on rodents as they chewed through fiber optic cables laid down by Virgin Broadband, putting broadband, phone and cable TV services in a tizzy. In a similar incident in 2012, it was reported that colonies of rats were sinking their teeth into the USD 36 billion National Broadband Network in Australia.

10 | WIRE BULLETIN

More recently in India, rats were the cause of chaos as they chewed through cables of electronic voting machines during one of the most anticipated and important national elections.

Rodents’ obsession with wires continues even in potentially dangerous places such as an unstable nuclear reactor. In the year 2013, there were reports of rodents propelling an already unstable nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan towards further instability. Rats reportedly gnawed through a switchboard resulting in the cooling of fuel rods being suspended for 29 hours.

To complicate things further, the operators were forced to halt the cooling of a spent fuel pool in order to remove two dead rats.

It was the third time in five weeks that critical cooling equipment had been forced to go offline at the plant in northeast Japan due to rodents. What is more dangerous is that cables gnawed at by rodents are extremely vulnerable to attack by other insects like termites and ants. They secrete a very potent chemical called formic acid which can dissolve even hard plastic like

That there is significant damage has made the industry stand up and take notice.

It is time we find a permanent, long-lasting and highly effective solution to this persistent and incessant problem. As such, Rodrepel™, Termirepel™ and Combirepel™ - a range of non-toxic and non-hazardous anti-rodent and anti-termite/insect additive masterbatches developed by C Tech Corporation, India have been evaluated in various applications. These products are compliant with RoHS, RoHS2, and REACH, and are FIFRA-exempted. Unlike conventional pesticides, they are designed by a unique manufacturing process which provides high temperature stability of up to 400 degrees Celsius and even beyond. Thus these products can be extruded on any extruder at elevated temperatures, making them ideal masterbatches suited for polymeric applications.

These products act through a series of highly developed intricate mechanisms ensuring that insects and rodents are kept away from the target application. Rodrepel, for instance, makes use of the sensory mechanisms. Ferocious species of animals and rodents are deterred from biting the ap-

plication by advanced mechanisms like dermal irritation, extremely pungent taste and sensory stimuli modification, thus conditioning their response towards the Rodrepel containing products. Rodents being social animals communicate the unpleasant experience to their population in the vicinity.

Termirepel acts in a similar manner by creating an unpleasant reaction within the insect trying to feed on the application. Destructive species are further deterred from attacking by mechanisms such as growth cycle inhibition thus modifying their response towards the Termirepel containing products, and keeping them away. Combirepel works by a mechanism that combines the effects of both Rodrepel and Termirepel. It can be used for successfully deterring rodents, animals, as well as insects from the application. Termirepel and Combirepel are also aptly equipped for dealing with even the most aggressive species of insects like fire ants, crazy ants, termites, etc.

These products are environment-friendly, implying that they do not leach out of the polymer matrix besides exercising their basic function of keeping the target species away. They are effective in low dosages and have low vapour pressure - thus posing no problems of fumes in the air, and they have a long life action of 5-40 years depending upon the application. These products are available in the form of polymeric masterbatches compatible with all kinds of thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers.

The masterbatches can also be customized depending upon the target, application, and region.

For further details, contact Ms Prajakta S Dhamorikar, Technical Marketing Services Department, C Tech Corporation. Tel.: +91 2265550092, +91 2265550093. E-mail: prajakta.d@ctechcorporation.com|WB

The best way to deliver an encore is to add to the cast.

Aluminum joins copper for WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum April 27 - 30, 2015 | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | With Interwire 2015 Join a renowned ensemble of continuous casting practitioners, raw material suppliers, and equipment manufacturers on an educational journey from ore to more at WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum.

Shared sessions. Independent technical tracks. Unalloyed networking. All focused on saving money through performance-based casting technologies. www.castingforum15.com.

s

P

o

n

s

o

r

s

:

Platinum: Continuus-ProPerzi sPA | riChArdsAPex, inC. | sMs-Meer GMbh | southwire sCr teChnoloGies Gold: AsA sAr ArC rCo llC | rAuto AutoMeA eAd eA Ad ltd. | uPCAst oY | Silver: hAzelett A -striPP CAstinGG | houGhton internA nternAtion AtionA tionAl Al inC. | sAint A -GobA obAin Ain

The Wire Association International, Inc. 71 Bradley Road, Ste. 9 | Madison, CT 06443-2662 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

JANUARY 2015 | 11

FEATURED CONCEPTS Assuring quality of data transfer in optical fibers

Gauge head after coating

his technical paper from Sikora AG elaborates on how the integration of its measuring, control and testing technology in the optical fiber drawing process ensures a constant high quality of optical fibers.

After the fiber has received the coating and has gone through the UV drying process, a further FIBER LASER 6003 measures again the diameter of the optical fiber. After the coating, the diameter measures usually about 250 µm.

T

Whether sending e-mails, making phone calls, watching TV or being online - with a possibility of 95 per cent the data is being transferred via the international subsea cable network. More than one million kilometers of optical fiber cables are laid in subsea cables in the oceans. Therefore, subsea cables are the main carriers of the international data transfer. The transferred amount of data can be sometimes up to 1 terabit per second, which exceeds even the performance of communication satellites.

Subsea cables often lie in great water depths of several thousand meters and have to be especially robust as well as built to a high quality standard due to the extensive technical maintenance. Damages which, for instance, occur because of breakdowns due to contaminated material, can easily cost several millions. For this reason, manufacturers of subsea cables have extremely high demands on cable production.

The aim is to produce long cable lengths of high quality whenever possible in one piece to avoid joints under water, which are prone to disturbances. The demand on quality already starts at the production process of optical fibers, which are built into a subsea cable for data communication. Every fault found during production of optical fibers which, therefore, does not reach the customer, contributes to the reliability of the product.

For this reason, the continuous quality control of the optical fiber is already ensured during production of the fiber in the drawing tower by the use of innovative measuring and control technologies at different production stages.

At the beginning of the production of an optical fiber is the preform. The preform is created by means of chemical vapour deposition and is available as a glass rod with a diameter of 30-200 mm. In the first step, the preform is heated up to a temperature of 2,100 degrees Celsius in the drawing tower, at the lower end. From the melted glass, the optical fiber is drawn. At this point, the fiber typically has a diameter of 125 µm. After cooling down, the optical fiber is coated with an acrylate layer and hardened under UV light. The coating protects the optical fiber from mechanical damages. For further processing, the fibers are wound on to reels.

During the fiber drawing process, Sikora measuring devices, in connection with display and control devices, are used in different positions to control the optical fiber parameters.

Gauge head after the preform Typically, a first gauge head, the FIBER LASER 6003, is installed below the draw furnace to measure the diameter and position of the uncoated fiber. The gauge head calculates the tension from the vibration of the fiber with Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT). The single values of the fiber position are graphically visualised by the processor system FIBER ECOCONTROL in the form of a scatter plot and are available by Ethernet. The LASER measuring process ensures a measuring accuracy

12 | WIRE BULLETIN

of 0.05 µm at a repeatability of 0.02 µm.

As many as 2,500 measurements per second, with high single-value precision and a short exposure time of 1.2 µs, guarantee constant accuracy at the highest level.

Gauge head after cooling / before coating A second LASER-gauge head measures the cold diameter of the optical fiber and the spinning after cooling and before coating. A control is done either by the hot or cold gauge head. Additional devices also detect airlines in the optical fiber and give information about the temperature of the optical fiber.

Lump detection at the end of the drawing process In addition to diameter measurement, lump detectors are used for a continuous quality control in drawing towers. After the coating and at the end of the drawing process, the 3-axis FIBER LUMP 6003 measures reliably lumps with a length of 500 µm. Due to the growing quality requirements on the optical fiber market, Sikora offers additionally the FIBER LUMP 6003 MICRO. The device detects faults from a length of 50 µm on the optical fiber surface up to 100 per cent. This performance is achieved by the use of six measuring axes. Both gauge heads detect faults from a height of 5 µm. Lumps are analysed in regards to height, length, amount and position. All lump detectors feature the outstanding double sensor technology which ensures highest detection reliability.

Visualizing and controlling of production data

The FIBER LASER 6003 measures the diameter of the optical fiber in the drawing tower.

Gauge heads for the detection of airlines and measurement of the optical fiber temperature There is a risk during production of the preform that air is being trapped and which, when drawn, becomes stretched air pockets, so called airlines. These airlines damage the quality of the optical fiber and, therefore, must be detected. Conventional diameter measurement devices can only detect the outer contour of the fiber but not the airlines inside. This is why Sikora has developed the FIBER LASER 6003 AIRLINE. With 2,500 measurements per second, this device detects reliably, airlines in the fiber with a diameter from 0.5 µm.

Before the acrylate layers are applied onto the fiber during the coating process, the exact measurement of the optical fiber temperature is important. In order to achieve an optimal bonding of the coating and the fiber, the temperature of the fiber should be between 40 degrees Celsius and 75 degrees Celsius. Manufacturers use the inert gas helium for cooling. The amount of helium that is used is calculated by means of experience.

Often manufacturers use more helium than necessary to ensure that the fiber is not too hot for the coating. However, helium is a very expensive gas and, therefore, manufacturers of optical fibers want to reduce the usage to a minimum. At his position, Sikora offers the FIBER LASER 6003 TEMP, which measures precisely and reliably the temperature of the optical fiber after cooling. With the information about the fiber temperature, the optical fiber manufacturer can use the exact amount of helium that is needed.

With the display and control system FIBER ECOCONTROL, the data of the connected gauge heads and lump detectors is displayed graphically on a 15" TFT monitor. A special control module ensures the continuous control of the diameter by controlling the line speed. Alternatively, a hot

or cold gauge head is used for controlling (before or after cooling).

After the drawn fiber has been proof tested and wound onto reels, the fiber is being coloured in a separate step and subsequently processed to an optical cable in a loose tubing or tight buffering line.

Conclusion The integration of Sikora measuring, control and testing technology in the optical fiber drawing process ensures a constant high quality of optical fibers. At different production stages the technology monitors and controls the entire drawing process and thus increases the efficiency of the production.

About the company Sikora AG was founded in 1973 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013. Today the company is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of measuring and control technology for the wire and cable, hose and tube as well as optical fiber and plastic industry. With 200 employees worldwide, 13 offices and more than 30 regional representatives all over the world, the company provides customers with innovative product solutions and individual service. The measuring and control systems are exclusively made at the headquarters in Bremen, Germany. Innovation, product quality and customer satisfaction defines the daily activities at Sikora.

Contact: Sikora AG, Bruchweide 2, 28307 Bremen, Germany. Tel.: +49 421 48900-0, Fax: +49 421 48900-90, E-mail: sales@sikora.net, Website: www.sikora. net.|WB

CONVENTION: APRIL 27-30, 2015

EXPOSITION: APRIL 28-30, 2015

A meeting this productive shows up every other year.

Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA Industry leaders are following www.Interwire15.com for details on the largest wire and cable meeting place and marketplace in the Americas. Decidedly the most valuable use of your time...until 2017.

Wire & Cable Making Machinery | Live Demonstrations | Supplies & Equipment New Trends & Products | Global Networking | Educational Focus: Dust Control, Raw Materials, Processing, Applications, Recruiting & Retention, Manufacturing Workshop | Plant Tour: Southwire SCR Also with WAI’s 2nd Global Continuous Casting Forum Corporate SponSorS: PLATINUM | Sonoco ReelS and SpoolS • WiRe & plaStic MachineRy coRp. GOLD | continuuS-pRopeRzi S.p.a. SILVER | BaSF • caRRiS ReelS inc. • GeM GRavuRe co. inc. • nexanS • niehoFF endex noRth aMeRica • SikoRa inteRnational coRp. BRONZE | RichaRdSapex inc.

Supporting SponSorS: BauM’S caStoRine co. • cheMSon • coMMiSSion BRokeRS inc. • heRitaGe WiRe die • lloyd & BouvieR inc.

The Wire Association International, Inc. | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | www.wirenet.org JANUARY 2015 | 13

TECHNOLOGY Reliable and rodentresistant solar cables Dr. V K Tikku, who has a doctorate in Nuclear Physics and has been a visiting scientist in the US and Canada, presents a paper on how Apar Industries Ltd. (Unit: Uniflex Cables) has successfully developed rodent-proof solar cables using electro beam irradiation technology Traditional fossil fuels are increasingly facing depletion and their harmful effects, both through usage and extraction, have been identified as the key reasons of environmental and ecological damage across the globe. These reasons have compelled industries and governments to look for alternative fuel solutions that fulfill the twin objective of being widely available besides having little to minimal impact on the environment.

The Solution: Solar Power

This is an infinite source of energy available naturally. Diligent research over the last few decades has yielded sophisticated technology to harness solar energy. The successful use of this technology depends on two critical components viz. the solar panels for generating photovoltaic power and the cables to transmit it. The solar power plant requires cables to: • Transmit from solar panels to invertors DC cables.

• Output of invertors to transformer input in the substation - LT power cables.

• Output of transformer to busbar connected to power grid - HT cables.

Out of these, DC cables are in the open, exposed to UV rays of the sun and with easy access to rodents and squirrels, and

14 | WIRE BULLETIN

laid up in trays to inverter input. LT power cables may be buried or laid in trays. These DC cables transferring to inverter DC power at low voltage through junctions/array boxes have certain main features as: • Cables to have 25 years of life: This matches with the life expectancy of solar modules so that a solar firm can operate for 25 years without any disruption due to cable failure. However, damage due to rodent and squirrel biting needs to be prevented. We have successfully designed and commercialised rodent-resistant solar cables (described later) for the first time in India.

• Unique properties: The cables are to be UV and ozone-resistant and also should have zero halogen and low smoke properties.

• Contact resistance: Contact resistance at both ends is to be minimum to prevent loss of power.

Apar Industries Ltd. (Unit: Uniflex Cables) has successfully developed such a cable variant, using in-house developed special polymeric compounds and electron beam crosslinking technology that meets all of these exacting requirements. A product that is unquestionably far superior to the inefficient substitutes that are lining the domestic market, and in fact, completely on par with similar cables that are manufactured and used in some of the developed countries. Also, considering that MNRE, the nodal agency promoting sustainable energy in India, is looking for reducing dependence on imported items and looking forward to Indian manufacturers to come up with indigenous products, AIL’s effort is a response to this natural demand. The salient features of these electron beam solar cables are as below:

DC solar cables for on-grid/off-grid

This is a flexible single core cable with flexible electroplated tinned copper conductor insulated with special electron beam (EB) crosslinked halogen-free copolymer, low smoke zero halogen EB crosslinked polyolefin-sheathed, UV and ozone-resistant. Fig. 1 shows the cables undergoing the process of crosslinking under electron beam. Available in black and red external sheaths, the cable is able to satisfy the latest requirements for PV systems as per TUV Spec No.2 Pfg-1169/08.2007 reference standards and technical characteristics given below.

These are suitable for mobile and fixed installations, connection between photovoltaic panels to junction box / inverter, indoor and outdoor use in dry, damp and wet situations, on trays, and in ducts open or closed.

They also meet the weather–UV test; exceed the thermal endurance test as per EN IEC 60216 for +120 degrees Celsius (temperature index); 20,000 hours at 120 degrees Celsius; and have an estimated life greater than 25 years at 90 degrees Celsius.

Construction

• Conductor: Electrolytic annealed electroplated tinned copper conductor, class 5: EN 60228/ IS 8130.

• Insulation: Halogen-free electron beam crosslinked thermosetting elastomeric extruded as solid and homogenous.

• Outer sheath: Halogen-free fire-retardant electron beam crosslinked thermo setting elastomeric outer sheath, with smooth finish in red or black color.

Rodent-Resistant

A thin corrugated laminated mild steel tape is provided between the insulation and sheath to prevent damage to solar cable and

Technical Characteristics and Standards Features Requirement / Standard Rated voltage 0.6/1 KV or (nominal) Uo /U 0.9/1.5 KV/DC Maximum voltage 1.8 KV/DC Ambient operating -40°C to +90°C temperature range Maximum core +120 degrees C temperature (for 20,000 hours) Maximum short circuit 250°C temperature (max 5 seconds) Test voltage in water 6.5 KV AC/15 KV DC (5 minutes) Minimum bending 5 x cable dia radius (fixed) No flame propagation IEC 60332-1-2 No fire propagation IEC 60332-3 cat C Gases corrosively IEC 60754-2 (pH>4.3) Conductivity < 10µ S/mm Smoke density IEC 61034-2 light transmittance > 60% Halogen free IEC 60754-1 (HCL content < 0.5%) Ozone resistance IEC 60811-2-1 and IS6380 Chemical and oil IEC 60881-1 resistance Weather resistance UV EN-ISO 4892 Estimated life 25 years 90°C IEC 60216 disrupt its operation. We can also provide, as an alternative, glass yarn envelope applied longitudinally between the insulation and sheath. Both of these constructions have been tested in an external laboratory and found to be effective in resisting rodent damage successfully. (See Fig. 2.)

These cables have undergone TUV testing to specification TUV 2 Pfg-1169/08.2007 and are available commercially.|WB

PRODUCTS AEI Compounds Limited HFFR silane-crosslinkable compounds AEI Compounds Ltd., a market leader in wire and cable polymer compound solutions, launched its high-performance range of HFFR, silane-crosslinkable compounds intended for use in oil and gas, marine, and railway applications at Wire China in Shanghai. There were over 100 visitors to the AEI stand representing 57 cable manufacturers from more than 10 countries. Visitors to the AEI stand expressed strong interest in SX-0620, a silane-crosslinked HFFR compound that is highly flexible, oil-resistant and formulated to meet the strict regulatory requirements of cables made to IEC 60092-359 SHF2 and EN50264 EM104.

SX-0620 can now be specified by cable manufacturers operating within the OGP, marine and rail industries to produce tougher and more durable oil resistant cable sheathing needed in harsh, exposed offshore environments. Visitors also showed strong interest in TP-0851, a ceramifiable sheathing compound that when exposed to serious fire situations forms a very strong char which protects fire alarm and circuit integrity cable constructions. The use of TP-0851 as a ceramifiable jacketing material permits the cable manufacturer to redesign fire alarm and circuit integrity cable and eliminate the need for mica-tapes.

Sioplas technology has also been used to develop SX-0650, an HFFR compound which meets the latest requirements of EN50618 and TÜV 2 Pfg 1169/08.2007 for PV solar applications. To meet UL® PV solar cable standards, AEI Compounds’ parent company, Saco Polymers, has launched Pexidan® V/T-2UV, which is a silanecrosslinked, RoHS-compliant flame retardant compound system, UL-bulletinized to meet UL4703. Insulation made with this system may be marked SUNRES or ‘SR’ in all colours and in all sizes per UL44.

This product is also CSA listed for RW90, RWU90, RPV90, RPVU90 and CIC, ‘SR’ and –40°C rated.

For the EI-5 building wire and conduit cable markets, AEI Compounds launched SX-0612S, which is a silane-crosslinked, easy process and high output insulation material complying with BS7211 & BS EN 50525-3-41:2011. SX-0612S processes at high production speeds, is highly resistant to pre-cure in extruders and ambient curable. AEI Compounds Ltd. received multiple product sample requests in the OPG/ oil-resistant, EI5-insulation, NEK 606 and PV TUV solar areas. To get more information on any of the new products, please get in touch by e-mailing sales@aeicompounds.co.uk.

Ajex & Turner Vitrified nanocrystalline technology Ajex & Turner have come up with a new revolutionary concept of wire drawing/ compacting and stranding copper, alumin-

ium, aluminium alloy, high/low carbon, CO2, stainless steel and brass. This is called Vitrified Nanocrystalline Technology which is set to completely change the traditional way of wire drawing. “The prospects of vitrified nanotechnology will definitely create a huge impact in the near future and will save material and manufacturing costs for cable companies around the globe,” the company’s press note states. The company’s R&D team has developed state-ofthe-art VNT dies and extrusion tooling for multiwire, bunching, compacting copper and aluminum, multi-wire strands for electric cables and high/low carbon and stainless steel wire of any size.

“These dies are made with multi-layer coatings of nanocrystalline diamond composites on PCD/hard metal which provide extremely smooth surface with immensely low friction. Our VNT dies can give production of 20,000 to 30,000 km of aluminium and copper. The thickness of the vitrified nanocrystalline diamond layer is remarkably thin - about 25 to 35 microns.

In all cases, the benefits which VNT dies bring begin with very low friction and the extremely hard die surface. Depending on the process and care of the dies, you may save up to 2.4 per cent of the total aluminium required to manufacture fully compliant cables,” the release adds.

This technology provides much harder and compact surfaces in comparison to ordinary PCD and is in process to develop re-sizing and re-polishing above 29 mm up to 42 mm. There are numerous advantages over ordinary PCD. The structure of the vitrified nanocrystalline diamond surface is extremely unique with individual diamond particles aligned in a unidirectional structure. This is what gives the VNT die surface its extraordinary hardness which is about 3.5 to 4 times harder than an ordinary PCD surface.

quickly. Not only a great deal of valuable time is saved but also material and energy.

Conventional type changes always require hours of downtime and piles of scrap material, but type changes with CTC requires only minutes and nearly non-existent cable loss,” a published report states.

CTC is already widely used in XLPE medium-voltage cable production around the world by several cable makers. To serve an even broader clientele Maillefer is now developing CTC for rubber-insulated medium-voltage cables. And the first steps have been truly successful. A series of test runs have been made, including three changeovers with a 20 kV cable. The test series was initiated with a conductor cross-section area of 240 square mm and concluded with a 50 square mm conductor. The cables were cured in nitrogen atmosphere.

A good example of the CTC benefits is a medium-voltage cable calculation. Based on an average of recent insulation material price levels, type change costs without CTC can be up to Euro 5,000 per change and with CTC works out to only Euro 75.

For example, the monthly costs with three type changes per week without CTC can go up to Euro 60,000 compared to the very moderate costs of only Euro 900 with CTC. There also are profits gained from the production time savings which can amount to an even greater value. “CTC can seriously reduce the overall downtime when frequent type changes need to be done in cable production. The other good news is that CTC does not require heavy investments and is nevertheless a very effective tool for improved productivity,” the report states. To read about the company’s entire product portfolio, visit: www.maillefer.net.

measurement applications. But the increasing production line speeds and uncontrollable rotation and vibration of products still pose measurement challenges. The need to precisely measure the diameter and ovality of cylindrical round products to ensure they meet tight design and quality specifications is of paramount importance to cable manufacturers. Any error in the diameter or roundness of the conductor or insulation in coaxial and twisted-pair LAN products directly impacts the cable’s performance characteristics - rendering it useless for the designed application. This unusable product winds up being scrapped, increasing manufacturing costs,” a press note states.

The new Beta LaserMike AccuScan 6012 four-axis gauge solves this problem by providing more comprehensive measurement coverage than two and three-axis gauges and an ultra-fast scan rate. This combination of advantages now makes it possible to achieve a more accurate average outer diameter and ovality measurement at higher line speeds and for off-line applications. For more information, visit www.betalasermike.com.

Sikora Comprehensive product portfolio Sikora now has a complete product portfolio of inspection and sorting as well as measuring and control technology for online quality assurance of energy cables.

Purity Scanner: The purity of XLPE pellets as they are used for the insulation of medium, high, and extra-high voltages cables as well as for on and offshore cables is a decisive characteristic for the quality of the end product. Damages caused by breakdowns due to contaminated material can easily be running into the millions.

Therefore, the production of highly clean material as well as the continuous detection and sorting out of contaminated pellets before they get into the extrusion process is of essential importance.

With the Purity Scanner, the company

NDC Technologies “The layer of diamond is 100 per cent unlike in PCD which is mixture of cobalt/ ceramic and other hard matals. Therefore dies coated with VNT do not develop wear ring throughout their working life; hence save cost on re-polishing which means tolerance will remain the same. The cost of VNT coating does not increase the price but increases the life and quality of the wire. VNT dies can be re-cut like PCD dies from 1.15 mm to 29 mm in microns with special equipments. We are in the process for re-cutting above 29 mm,” a company spokesperson informs. For details, write to: sales@ajexturner.com. Website: www. ajexturner.com.

Four-axis 12 mm diameter gauge NDC Technologies, a leading global provider of precision measurement and control solutions, announced the availability of the highly anticipated Beta LaserMike AccuScan 6012 four-axis diameter and ovality gauge. Built on the proven and widely deployed AccuScan series platform, the new AccuScan 6012 is the industry’s first fouraxis gauge for measuring products up to 12 mm. This advancement enables communication cable manufacturers to measure product diameter and ovality with higher accuracy than two and three-axis gauges for added quality assurance and bottomline savings.

Maillefer Continuous Type Change (CTC) Would you like to significantly cut costs in your medium-voltage rubber cable production? With Maillefer’s Continuous Type Change (CTC) it is possible. The principle idea of CTC is to change tooling for the next product without stopping the line. “It is well known that type changes take time when they are done in the conventional way. By installing CTC into your crosshead, type changes can be carried out

“Over the years, manufacturers of highperformance communication cables have relied on two and three-axis diameter and ovality gauges for their online and off-line

CV and VCV-line with Sikora inspection and sorting as well as measuring and control technology for reliable quality assurance during production of energy cables. provides an unrivalled system for 100 per cent online inspection and automatic sorting of PE pellets. The Purity Scanner intelligently combines X-ray technology with an optical system. This allows the detection of metallic and organic impurities of 2 mil (50 μm) in the pellet itself and on its surface to 100 per cent. Contaminated pellets are detected and sorted out in order to ensure that they do not get into the extrusion process. “The application of both technologies is unique, and is exceeding previous solutions on the market. Due to the specially developed X-ray technology, the Purity Scanner is the first system that inspects transparent and coloured (e.g. black) pellets as well as semi-conductive XLPE material for impurities and sorts them out automatically. continued on p.16

JANUARY 2015 | 15

PRODUCTS CSS 2: In a CV-line, for example, a CSS 2 (cleanliness scanning system) is installed for real time monitoring and detection of impurities of the polymer melt. The flow channel between the main extruder and the crosshead is equipped with sight glasses and an optical CCD colour camera system which inspects the insulation material. The CSS 2 detects contaminants down to a size of 20 μm and distinguishes between metallic contaminants, scorches and ambers of selected sizes. It provides information as to when the production may start after bleedoff, respectively as to when it is necessary to stop production, because of an extensive number of detected contaminants.

UltraTemp 6000: Sikora’s product range for energy cables also includes the UltraTemp 6000, which measures the temperature of the PE melt during extrusion on a non-contact basis between the extruder screw and the crosshead. Besides temperature determination, the product detects inhomogeneities in the melt. Early crosslinking after screens which may lead to ambers or scorches in the material can be avoided by this reliable ultrasonic temperature measurement. The device optimizes the output of a planned production time.

X-Ray 8000 NXT: The X-ray measuring system, X-Ray 8000 NXT is installed in the moving part of the telescopic tube directly after the crosshead for precise measurement of the wall thickness of all the three layers (concentricity, diameter and ovality) directly after the triple crosshead.

Measuring values for centering and control are therefore available immediately after starting up the line. The system is used in catenary and vertical lines.

X-Ray 8700 NXT: While the X-Ray 8000 NXT provides information for fast centering and direct control, the X-Ray

16 | WIRE BULLETIN

8700 NXT supplies precise quality data of the final product. It measures the diameter, wall thickness and eccentricity and is suitable for all cable types with solid, stranded or Milliken conductor and with single, double or triple layer insulation. With the use of the X-Ray 8000 NXT at the beginning of the line for collection of the hot measuring values and the X-Ray 8700 NXT at the end of the line for measuring the cold values, three shrinking values are analyzed for every insulation layer of the cable. Consequently, an optimum process is assured.

For details, contact: Sikora AG, Bruchweide 2, 28307 Bremen, Germany. Tel.: 0421 48900-0, Fax: 0421 48900-90, E-mail: sales@sikora.net, Website: www. sikora.net.

Teknor Apex Halogen-free jacketing compounds New halogen-free flame retardant jacketing compounds for data center cables, control cables, energy cables, and other deProperties of Halguard® 58300 Halogen-Free Flame Retardant (HFFR) Compound Property Hardness, Shore D Specific gravity Tensile strength, psi (IMPa) Elongation, % Flexural modulus, psi (MPa) Brittle point, °C Oxygen index, %O2 Vertical flame rating (1/32 in.)

Cone calorimetry @ 75 kW/m2 Peak heat release rate, kW/m2 Total smoke released, m2/m2 Avg. specific extinction rate, m2/kg Deformation @ 121 °C (0.06 in. thick specimen), % Dielectric constant @ 1MHz Dissipation factor @ 1 MHz Volume resistivity Ohm-cm, @ 23 °C (@50°C)

Test Method ASTM D-2240 ASTM D-1.62 ASTM D-638 ASTM D-638 ASTM D-790 ASTM D-746 ASTM D-2863 UL-94

Typical Value 49 1,950 (13.4) 170 36,700 (253) –22 53 V-0

ISO-5660 ISO-5660 ISO-5660 UL-1581

105 481 86 0

ASTM D-150 ASTM D-150 ASTM D-257

3.34 1.64 x 10–2 4.9 x 1014 (4.1x1012)

manding applications exhibit a higher level of flame retardance than other high-performance HFFR materials without compromising physical or electrical properties, it was announced today by Teknor Apex Company. These will be introduced at the IWCS conference and exhibition (Booth 213). Halguard® 58300 Series HFFR compounds with limiting oxygen indices in the 53-56 per cent range enable cables to pass the stringent UL1685 vertical tray test (CSA FT4 / IEEE 1202) and achieve a UL94 rating of V-0 with test specimens as thin as 1/40 in. (0.635 mm).

The compounds provide this outstanding flame performance while exhibiting the same physical and electrical properties of other high-performance HFFR materials (see table). Available grades are in the 48-52 Shore D hardness range. Teknor Apex recommends Halguard 58300 Series compounds for data centers and other applications requiring exceptional flame retardance. One example is the extensive ‘server farms’ operated by internet companies. “We believe that Halguard 58300 Series compounds are the most flame-retardant HFFR products on the market,” said Michael Roberts, industry manager for the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex. “While modifying HFFR compounds to enhance their flame performance often involves sacrificing other properties, Teknor Apex has developed formulating and compounding innovations that avoid this tradeoff.”

The Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex Company is a leading manufacturer of compounds based on PVC, including ApexÒ flexible and rigid vinyl, FlexalloyÒ vinyl elastomers, FireguardÒ lowflame, low-smoke compounds for wire and cable, and BioVinyl™ compounds with bio-based plasticizer. The Division is an in-

ternational supplier to the appliance, automotive, construction, medical device, wire and cable, and other industries. Address all mail inquiries to Teknor Apex, 505 Central Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02861, USA. Tel.: 1-401-725-8000. From US: 1-800554-9892. Fax: 1-401-729-0166. E-mail: vinyl@teknorapex.com.

Troester Spool winders For use in insulation and sheathing lines for cables, cores and conductors, Troester offers a wide range of machines which significantly increase the efficiency and productivity of a line. These include the driven pay-offs SAB and take-ups SAF. This winder type is rated for a maximum line speed of 800 m/min. The spools are raised and lowered by electrically driven lifting arms which are adjustable to the spool size also in width. Easily replaceable pintles are employed to accept different spool sizes.

For easy handling, the lifting arms can be separately adjusted on each side.

For details, contact: Dirk Schmidt, Sales Director Cable Machinery Division, Troester GmbH & Co KG, Am Brabrinke 1-4, 30519 Hannover, Germany. Tel.: 49-51187040, Fax: 49-511-864028, E-mail: info@ troester.de, Website: www.troester.de|WB

TECHNICAL ARTICLE Processing technology of high dimensional accuracy shaped wire drawing for spring wire This paper provides information about the two-pass drawing using shaped dies from circular wires to prepare shaped wires used for springs and the winding of shaped wires to form springs.

By Kazunari Yoshida1, Kenta Suga2*, Keita Nakazima2, Kotaro Watanabe3, Koji Umezu3

1. Introduction Recently, springs used in automobiles and machine tools have been required to have a light weight, high strength, and long lifetime.1) Accordingly, springs with a rectangular cross section are preferable to those with a circular cross section because of their requirement of less space and their capability of storing greater energy.2) Springs with a rectangular cross section are manufactured as follows. Shaped wires are prepared by drawing using shaped dies, coiled into springs by winding, then subjected to treatments to improve the quality of the materials, such as annealing and shot-peening. The number of drawing passes carried out to obtain shaped wires used for springs should be decreased to as few as possible to reduce the production cost. It is also necessary in drawing to produce shaped wires with high dimensional accuracy and no defects.3) In this study, we examined two processes: (1) the two-pass drawing using shaped dies from circular wires to prepare shaped wires used for springs and (2) the winding of shaped wires to form springs. First, finite element analysis (FEA) of the drawing process was carried out to determine suitable drawing conditions. Subsequently, drawing was experimentally performed to examine the conditions resulting in successful or unsuccessful drawing and the shape and dimensional accuracy of the obtained shaped wires. Moreover, the winding process was also analyzed by FEA to predict the cross-sectional shape of springs obtained by winding and compare the analytical results with experimental results.

We also investigated the mechanical properties of the springs and determined the optimal processing conditions to obtain highperformance springs.

2. Experimental and FEA Methods SAE9254 spring steel was used for the specimens in this study. MSC.Marc, a software package for nonlinear elastoplastic FEA, was used for analysis. A 1/2 analytical model was used to shorten the analysis time. The cross-sectional shapes of dies used for the first (intermediate) and second (finishing) drawing passes are shown in Fig. 1. The die half-angle (α) was 6, 8, 10, or 12°. The reduction per pass (R/P) was 15, 20, 25, or 30%. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the mechanical properties of the specimen and the analytical conditions, respectively.

Mechanical condition for wire Material SAE9254 Young's modulus 206GPa Poisson's ratio 0.3 Work-hardening curve σ = 1406.6ε0.27 Table 1. Material property for FEA. Reduction Die half-angle Friction factor

Middle die Finish die 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% α = 6~12° α = 14° 0.1

Fig. 2. Effect of 1 pass reduction on profiles and Equivalent strain distributions of drawn shaped wire by FEM.

Table 2. Drawing conditions for FEA.

3. Experimental Results and Discussion 3.1 Effect of R/P on dimensional accuracy In drawing using shaped dies, shape defects in drawn wires result in a fatal failure.

Here, the drawing of mother wires with different diameters using the intermediate die with α = 10° was simulated by FEA (R/P = 15, 20, 25, and 30%). Figure 2 shows the cross-sectional shapes and the distribution of the total equivalent plastic strain of the wires drawn using the shaped die obtained

by FEA. The filling ratio in the figure is calculated by dividing the cross-sectional area of the drawn wire by that of the die hole. When R/P = 15 and 20%, the die hole was not completely filled by the drawn wire. This means that there are defects in the drawn wire, and the surface of the wire section not in contact with the die may be rough owing to plastic deformation. The results indicate that, in drawing using shaped dies, the greater the value of R/P, the higher the dimensional accuracy; however, wires may break during drawing when R/P is excessively large. Therefore, the optimal R/P was found to be approximately 25% when using the intermediate die.

3.2 Effects of die half-angle α on dimensional accuracy and drawing stress The FEA of drawing using the intermediate die was performed by fixing R/P at 25% and setting α to 6, 8, 10, or 12°. The dimensional accuracy of the drawn wires was investigated, as shown in Fig. 3. For smaller α of 6 and 8°, the wire easily ran in the drawing direction, resulting in the

Fig. 1. Cross sectional die shapes for shaped drawing and FEA model.

Fig. 3. Effect of die half angle on profiles and equivalent strain distributions of drawn shaped wire by FEA.

Fig. 4. Drawing stress with various die half angle.

Fig. 5. Heat treatment condition for annealing.

Fig. 6. Cross sectional shapes of drawn shaped wires by FEA and experiment. increased occurrence of defects. The results of calculating the drawing stress from the FEA results (Fig. 4) indicate that the drawing stress increases with increasing α.

During drawing using the die with α = 12°, the drawing stress was high and was close to the tensile strength of the material, indicating a very high likelihood of breakage.

From the above results, the optimal α was found to be approximately 10°.

3.3 Drawing experiment

Steel wires with a diameter of 9 mm were prepared as mother wires and annealed under the conditions shown in Fig. 5. The annealing temperature was 760°C. Two-pass drawing was experimentally performed using the intermediate and finishing dies. As determined in section 3.2, the intermediate die with α = 10° was used and R/P was set to 25%. In this experiment, we examined whether wires used for springs can be successfully obtained under these drawing conditions. The value of α for the finishing die was 14°. Figure 6 shows the

experimental and FEA results. The crosssectional shapes of the drawn wires were in good agreement between the two results.

4. Winding Conditions for Springs The shaped wire obtained by drawing using the shaped die under the abovementioned conditions was coiled into a spring by winding, which was simulated

by FEA (Fig. 7). The pitch angle β was 6° and the inner diameter of a turn was 15 mm (Table 3). For reference, wires with circular and square cross sections of the same area as that of the shaped wire were similarly subjected to winding. Figure 8 shows the cross-sectional shape, the distribution of total equivalent plastic strain, and the distribution of hydrostatic stress for these wires after winding.

Upon winding, the outer side of the spring was subjected to tension, resulting in the reduced diameter of the wire and the increased strain on the outer side. The continued on p.18

JANUARY 2015 | 17

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Fig. 7. FEA model for winding of shaped drawn wire. shaped (almost trapezoidal) wire examined in this study deformed into a rectangular wire upon winding. Springs with a rectangular cross section have high strength and a large allowable displacement. The square wire was coiled into a spring with the outer side thinner than the inner side by winding.

The circular wire was coiled into a spring with an elliptical cross section. The shaped wire was also experimentally coiled into a spring by winding, confirming the reliability of the FEA results. Figure 9 shows the cross-sectional shapes of the springs obtained in the experiment and by FEA. These results were in good agreement. The mechanical and fatigue characteristics of the experimentally obtained springs were found to be good.

Mechanical condition for spring Inner diameter D 15 mm 6° Pitch angle β Cross-section area A 38.3 mm2 Cross-section shape Circle, Square, Shape Table 3. Material property for FEA.

Yoshida

Nakazima2

Umezu3

Fig. 8. Cross-sectional shape, distributions of equivalent strain, and distributions of hydrostatic stress for these wires after winding.

Fig. 9. Cross-sectional shapes of the springs obtained in the experiment and by FEA.

5. Conclusions We examined whether shaped wires can be successfully fabricated by two-pass drawing using shaped dies and the optimal drawing conditions. The winding of the shaped wire to form a spring was simulated

by FEA to predict the cross-sectional shape of the spring. The findings are summarized as follows.

1. Shaped wires used for springs can be fabricated from circular wires by twopass drawing.

2. The dimensional accuracy of drawn shaped wires and their drawability can be predicted by FEA. 3. The optimal drawing conditions for shaped wires used for springs are R/P ≈ 25% and α = 10o.

4. The cross-sectional shape of springs obtained by winding can be predicted by FEA.

References 1. Norio Kamiya, Eisuke Kita: J. of JSME (A), Vol.56, no.529 (1990), pp.20262031.

2. Japan Society of Spring Engineers: Design, manufacture, and reliability of springs (2001), pp6-8, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. [in Japanese].

3. Kazunari Yoshida, Munechika Maejima: Proc. of 12th JSME conference no.04-15 (2004), pp.433-434.

Watanabe3

Biographical information Department of Precision Engineering School of Eng, Tokai University 1117 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka,Kanagawa, Japan,259-1292 Yoshida@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp 2 Graduate Student, Tokai University 3 Tama Spring co., LTD.|WB 1

www.sikora.net/fiberseries6000

» First class optical fibers are the benchmark! « Holger Lieder Sales Director SIKORA AG

Online quality assurance of optical fibers The FIBER Series 6000 from SIKORA is sophisticated equipment for continuous process control and online quality supervision of optical fibers in the drawing tower by: • Diameter measurement before and after coating • Determination of the fiber position, vibration frequency, tension and spinning • Airline detection • 100% lump detection • Temperature measurement • Concentricity evaluation

See us at Interwire, Apr 27 - 30, Atlanta GA, USA, Booth 812

18 | WIRE BULLETIN

Suga2*

ASK THE EXPERT Ask the expert

continued from p.1

Peter Stewart-Hay Principal, Stewart Hay Associates & WAI Life Member

Q: What are ceramifiable compounds and where can I purchase them?

A:

Definition: Nexans Olex (Australia) defines a ceramifiable sheathing compound as: One that “hardens into a protective ceramic shield when exposed to fire, maintaining circuit integrity and life-saving essential services such as emergency and exit lighting, pumps and fans in the event of a fire”. This thermoplastic compound is halogen-free and fire-retardant (HFFR).

The early years The ceramifiable plastic sheathing compound was a concept by Olex Cables (July 1973), now Nexans Olex (Australia), in November 2006.

Initial research was started before the Nexans’ acquisition and was undertaken through the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers (CRC) and Olex Cables. They set a multidisciplinary team consisting of:

“Monash University (Ceramics expertise) University of New South Wales (Polymer and other materials expertise) Defence Science and Technology Organisation (Fire performance) Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) (Polymer expertise extending the technology to non-cable applications).

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Fire science and engineering, polymer and ceramics science) Olex Australia (Project direction, product definition, and evaluation) Plus conducting cable testing at Olex production facilities. Olex was also defining demand through its marketing and sales groups. )” The cable design and materials had to allow the cable to: • Survive a 1,000+ degree C fire and maintain normal circuit integrity and thereby provide life-saving essential services.

• Generate no smoke in the fire.

• Generate zero halogen and no corrosive gases in the fire.

• Have standard cable flexibility and toughness so that the cable installation is not different or difficult.

• Reasonably easy to process with standard extrusion equipment.

• Be the same or nearly the same size as a similar, standard fire retardant cable.

Olympic Cables Ltd. was purchased by Nexans (France) in November 2006 and the ceramifiable research continued.

The first viable thermoplastic ceramifiable compounds Nexans Olex (Australia) reported that it took more than ten years to develop the first commercially viable compound. It consisted of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheathing compound

joined with a ceramic material. It was patented worldwide.

The highest ratings today utilise silicone rubber insulation on the conductors.

At Wire 2014 (April 07 to 11, 2014) in Dusseldorf, Germany, AEI released its commercial ceramifiable-based sheathing compound (http://www.aeicompounds.com/applicationwire-and-cable/view/137). AEI designated this wire and cable compound as as TP-0851 and have advised that their compound meets the following international standards:

A third thermoplastic based ceramifiable compound is manufactured by the AlphaGary Corporation in the United States (http://www. alphagary.com/) but they have published no data about this sheathing compound.

“BS5839-1: 2013 Code of practice BS7629-1: 2008 BS6387: 1994 CWZ BS EN 50200: 2006 PH30,120 BS EN 50200: 2006 +Annex E BS8434-2: 2003 +A2:2009” AEI also stated that TP- 0851 meets the following test requirements: “An operating temperature from –25°C to +90°C Zero halogen, no corrosive gases Circuit integrity” You can read about this ceramifiable compound at: http://www.aeicompounds.com/upload/files/ tp0851_january_2014.pdf Because the ceramifiable portion of finished cables is just the sheath, the core can be insulated with various compounds depending naturally on the specification requirements of the finished cable. The Nexans Olex ceramifiable HFFR sheathing compound was designated as HFS-90-TP and they market three different grades of cable but all use the HFS-90-TP sheathing compound: (http://www.olex.com.au/eservice/Australiaen_AU/navigate_289423/Fire_performance. html ) • Alsecure® Envirolex® Flat • Alsecure® Premium Flex Ceramifiable® • Alsecure® Premium Multicore Ceramifiable®

Thermoset ceramifiable compounds There are also a number of silicone rubber ceramifiable compounds manufactured by various companies such as: • Shenzhen Anpin Silicone Material Co., Ltd. (http://www.apsi.cn/enindex.php) (China) • Wacker Chemie AG (Germany) http:// www.wacker.com/cms/en/www_archive/ www_2007/www_17/17_editorial_ news/17_meldungen/svisit.jsp • Dow Corning Corporation (USA) Dow Corning Corporation (USA) (http://www. freepatentsonline.com/4774312.pdf) None of these silicone rubber ceramifiable compounds however may be appropriate for the wire and cable industry so the reader will have to do much development in conjunction with the manufacturer to learn if these compounds are indeed suitable and easily processed.

Ceramifiable processing at this point in time Today, if we were going to manufacture ceramifiable cables of various grades, we would be very cautious and employ the AEI thermoplastic sheathing compound or perhaps the AlphaGary Corporation sheathing compound along with the cable core insulations appropriate to the specification in question. At the same time, we would start development on the silicone rubber ceramifiable sheathing compounds appropriate to and compatible with wire and cable industry specifications.|WB

ad_green_wji_1-4_1112_Layout 1 12/4/12 9:21 AM Page 1

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY, HIGH PERFORMANCE WIRE & CABLE COMPOUNDS

Just what you (and the planet) are looking for.

RoHS COMPLIANT REACH COMPLIANT FDA COMPLIANT

CHOOSE FROM:

Apex® BioVinylTM FireGuard® Flexalloy® Halguard®

PVC compounds for insulation and jacketing bio-based PVC compounds compounds for plenum cables UHMW PVC elastomers for extreme temperatures and environments halogen-free, flame-retardant low smoke compounds

Compounding Creativity With Technology WEB: www.teknorapex.com

EMAIL: wirecable@teknorapex.com

JANUARY 2015 | 19

AD SHOWCASE

I n du s tr y N e ws | Tech Trends | C orporate Focus | Gl obal Ne ws | C al e nd a r | D i gi t a l A rc hi ve

Even if you’re on the last page keep reading

WIRE BULLETIN ONLINE. Register FREE today: www.wirebulletin.net

OCG – extending the life of your overhead line conductors ™

OCG™ is a world-beating range of cold-applied greases for the protection of overhead line conductors. Fully compliant with all international specifications, the range delivers unrivalled protection against fretting, multi-metal corrosion and high temperature oxidation.

OCG™ greases deliver significant cost savings, extending conductor life and delaying the need for the costly renewal of infrastructure.

Global specialists in high-performance lubricants Metalube Brazil Tel: + 55 11 6188-7088 vendas@metalube.com.br

Metalube China Tel: + 86-(0)21-5489 2146 sales@metalube.cn

Metalube India Tel: +91 22 2545 9338 sales@metalube.in

Offices in Manchester, Mumbai, São Paulo and Shanghai

Metalube UK Tel: +44 (0)161 775 7771 post@metalube.co.uk

www.metalube.co.uk

WIRE BULLETIN Publisher | Steven J. Fetteroll • Editor | Huned Contractor • Contributing Writer | Mark Marselli • Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications | Janice E. Swindells Graphic Artist | Avinash Arts • Advertising Sales | Robert J. Xeller & Anna Bzowski Printed and published by Huned Contractor on behalf of WAI Wire and Cable Services Private Limited and printed at K. Joshi & Co., 1745/2, Sadashiv Peth, Near Bhikardas Maruti Temple, Pune – 411 030.

Published at Regus, 6th Floor, Pentagon P-2, Magarpatta City, Hadapsar, Pune – 411 013, India.

Editor: Huned Contractor. MAHENG11350.

WIRE BULLETIN is published quarterly by WAI Wire and Cable Services Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Wire Association International, (WAI) Inc. ©2015 by WAI Wire and Cable Services Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document or related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial, and circulation to WIRE BULLETIN, E-402, Kumar Pragati, Off NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Pune – 411 048, India, Tel.: 9881084202. Individuals on the WIRE BULLETIN team may be contacted by e-mail using first inital and last name @wirenet.org.

The publisher of WIRE BULLETIN assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein and cannot attest to the accuracy of the included information. Subscription rates: ` 125 per year, India. Single copies: $6 in the US; all other countries $7. Periodicals postage paid at Guilford, CT 06437, USA. WIRE BULLETIN grants photocopy permission to libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, USA, for a fee of $0.50 per article. Payments should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders or reprints should be sent to WIRE BULLETIN, E-402, Kumar Pragati, Off NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Pune – 411 048, India, Tel.: 9881084202.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WAI Wire and Cable Services Pvt Ltd, Regus, 6th Floor, Pentagon P-2, Magarpatta City, Hadapsar, Pune – 411 013, India.

20 | WIRE BULLETIN