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MARKING
TECHNOLOGY
WIRE CHINA
WRAP-UP
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WRAP-UP WIRE DÜSSELDORF
UPDATE
wire Düsseldorf 2020 CANCELED At press time, word came that the event would not be held.
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Marking Technology Suppliers asked to discuss aspects of their business—from the “Big Picture” to their product lines—share their thoughts. The feature also includes a timely preview of a new WJI section (The Fundamentals) that will start in January, and a patented slice from another WJI section.
Gem Gravure: business during a pandemic At Gem Gravure, we always keep the best interests of our customers and employees in mind. During a global pandemic, it has been challenging to satisfy both of these imperatives at the same time. In March, when Massachusetts issued a mandatory shutdown of non-essential businesses, we made the tough but necessary decision to stay open as a designated critical manufacturer. This was the best way to continue supporting our customers, many of whom provide infrastructure services throughout the world. Through a continually dedicated staff, we have been able to keep both our Massachusetts and Missouri manu-
Gem Gravure has focused on providing customer-friendly solutions.
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facturing facilities open every day since the beginning, with a combination of people working on site and remotely. Our on-site operations haven’t missed a single beat, and we continue to prioritize the safety of our people. While everyone at our four facilities settled into the new Paul Gemelli routine seamlessly, there was a unique set of challenges for our outside staff. Plant shutdowns and inconsistent travel restrictions made it difficult for departments like sales and technical support to continue serving our customers, so we had to get creative. An easy transition to video conferencing helped our sales team stay in touch with their contacts, but our service team still had occasional trouble visiting plants. Without a way to consistently dispatch on-site support and maintenance, our national technical service manager and applications and projects manager were able to devise a way to help those customers who we weren’t quite able to reach, or those who weren’t allowed to bring outside contractors into their plant. As a result, GEM is now happy to provide remote service and maintenance support, through a partnership with TeamViewer Pilot. Our technical support dispatchers can now connect you with a Gem technician who can support you virtually. With a quick download and an appropriate WiFi connection, our world class support is accessible
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with just a few clicks of a button. The process is simple, reliable and allows face-to-face support when needed. It’s a great alternative to our traditional support and can save our customers both time and money. We believe it will be a great asset for Gem and our customers as we look forward to 2021. www.gemgravure.com. Paul Gemelli, executive vice president, Gem Gravure, Inc.
W. Gillies Technologies/RSD Group: specializing in contact/laser technology Ink jet manufacturers offer systems to diversified markets, whereas companies like W. Gillies Technologies, LLC focus heavily as a supplier to the wire and cable industry. As a consequence, Covid-19 had an initial direct impact on our operation that required some adjustments. The industry is resilient and we are experiencing steady growth. The rule of thumb—one shoe does not fit all sizes— applies when it comes to marking and printing on wire
and cable. Whereas ink jet is the predominant method for marking wire and cable, our expertise is in the manufacture of indent wheels, engraved print wheels and contact printers for printing directly on insulated wire and cable jackets. Our specialized engraving settings and machines provide the ability Mark Spencer to print a diverse range of cable sizes and substrates: 28-gauge PTFE; THHN at production line speeds; longitudinal stripes; consumer driven cable jackets that require precise print quality; and logo generation without distortion utilizing a variety of ink colors, just to name a few. Continuing with our focus on the wire and cable industry, as part of the RSD Group, we have successfully designed and launched a high-speed, laser marker for marking on cable jackets at line speeds up to 500 meters per minute.
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The only ‘good vibes’ for cable marking are those that are muted Figuratively taking a page from WJI’s Patent Report, a very recent patent for marking optical fiber granted to Corning Incorporated reflects the challenges and the solutions that evolve. Below is the abstract and edited excerpts of one focus from the patent description. Of note, while the claims description here is quite brief, the full patent explanation is impressively long (12,775 words). Apparatus and methods for high-speed marking of optical fibers U.S. Patent No.: 10,801,883 Patent date: Oct. 13, 2020 Filed: Aug. 28, 2019 Assignee: Corning Incorporated, USA Inventors: Steven Dunn, et al. The apparatus and methods include moving an optical fiber over a fiber path that includes a marking location at which resides a printer unit. The moving optical fiber has an amount of undamped fiber vibration that can exceed a fiber vibration tolerance at high fiber speeds. The printer unit is configured to dispense ink onto the optical fiber to form wet ink marks along the optical fiber as it moves past the marking location. The wet ink marks are dried and counted for quality control. The marked optical fiber is then covered with an overcoat to protect the ink marks. A position sensor measures an amount of vibration of the optical fiber substantially at the marking location. One or more vibration dampers disposed along the fiber path are used to reduce the fiber vibration below the fiber vibration tolerance. This allows for high-speed marking of the optical fiber. W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G
The claims Optical fiber requires a coding scheme so the individual fibers can be identified. Present-day methods and apparatus used to perform the marking are relatively slow ... in part due to the vibration of the optical fiber that is created when moving them at relatively high speeds through the marking apparatus. A part of the patent claim is an apparatus wherein the printer unit has at least one vibration damper that makes contact with the optical fiber as it passes through the gap. The first vibration damper is adjacent to the ink-jet printer head, and a second vibration damper can be positioned for further control of the unmarked fiber. The apparatus and methods are useful for fiber speeds from 2 m/s to 10 m/sec. The maximum speed is 25 m/sec. The ink is dispensed in droplets of diameters of 40 to 80 microns, a small size that allows for faster marking. An experiment showed that unmarked fiber at a speed of 14 m/s experienced vibration from 55 to 60 microns. With one damper, the same results were about 35 microns, and with two dampers, it was about 10 microns, a vibration level that was very satisfactory for optical fiber. N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W I R E J O U R N A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L
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wire Düsseldorf 2020 CANCELED © Photos: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
At press time, word came that the event would not be held.
wire Düsseldorf update There are many unknowns about wire Düsseldorf on Dec. 7-11, but one certainty is that it will be unlike any prior staging. The Covid-19 backdrop of travel restrictions and safety concerns has uprooted the traditional structure that attendees are used to at the Fairgrounds. Already once postponed, it was slated to be held, albeit on a smaller scale. This update, in normal times, would focus on expectations of huge crowds and halls full of the latest equipment, but the reality in 2020 will be different. To put the situation in context, it is appropriate to start off repeating comments from two industry trade associations. “All sides are trying to find their way back to a normal process despite existing corona measures and risks,” said Dr. Uwe-Peter Weigmann, CEO of WAFIOS AG and president of the VDKM. “We are certain that a personal conversation and a demonstration on the machine at a trade fair cannot be replaced by video conferences. ... Since Messe Düsseldorf showed at the CARAVAN SALON that it is implementing the necessary hygienic measures in order to keep the risk for exhibitors and visitors low, WAFIOS would like to send the signal by participating: it will go on, even in times of Corona.” Machinefabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co KG CEO Ralf Kappertz, president of IWCEA, said that it was important to keep close to customers. “We want to prove this part-
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nership also in difficult times like these ... by making a convincing appearance at the trade fair in Düsseldorf ... even if different from previous trade fair years. ... We will now be doing our utmost to also make this wire and Tube— despite being held under special circumstances—what they have always been: the communication and business platforms of the wire, cable and tube industries.” In other words, business, if it can continue, should. After meeting with industry exhibitor groups, the Messe later announced that the event would go forward, with a heavy focus on safety. At press time, conditions had not improved, and outbreaks of higher Covid-19 rates were reported for many countries. Some prominent long-time wire Düsseldorf exhibitors, most recently Maillefer, have bowed out, citing safety concerns, travel restrictions and the loss of customers from outside Europe. “After the first wave of cases, we saw encouraging signs toward a return to the norm,” stated Maillefer EVP Lars Fagerholm. “Now, an undesirable climb confirms a second
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onset and leads to uncertainty for what lies ahead. In view of the current situation, Maillefer has decided to cancel its participation.” Given that backdrop, WJI asked a range of wire Düsseldorf exhibitors why they would or would not be there. At press time, some companies were still not sure, especially those outside Europe that faced travel restrictions. Below is a sampling of the responses. Troester. “wire Düsseldorf is a great event for the cable industry and usually the most important international exhibition for Troester. With regard to the current situation with Covid-19, many of our customers had expressed their concerns and given the signal that they will not attend the exhibition at this time. After careful deliberation and with heavy heart, we finally decided not to participate this year and look forward to welcoming our customers again on wire Düsseldorf 2022 or at any time before in our company in Hannover, Germany. Fil-Tec, Inc. “Fil-Tec is exhibiting at wire 2020 because: a) this is the largest exhibition of its kind for the industry; b) we want to support the industry and let our customers and prospects know that we are there to help them; c) we want to connect with other suppliers and network with them; and d) we want to reach out to potential customers in regions that would not usually come to exhibitions in the U.S.” Gimax Srl. “Due to the current trend of the Covid pandemic, Gimax has decided not to participate. This has been a hard decision to take since Gimax has never missed participating at the wire show in the past 30 years. However, our main concern is above all the security and health of our employees upon which depends the continuity and future of our company. We know that you understand, and so we invite you to meet again at wire Düsseldorf in 2022.” Cimteq Ltd. “As of this moment, we are planning to attend wire Dusseldorf, travel restrictions allowing. wire Düsseldorf is our biggest and most important exhibition. We do understand that a great number of our customers and visitors will not be able to travel to Düsseldorf. To that end we are, in parallel, teaming up with other exhibitors to provide a virtual platform to exhibit our products and services through webinars. Other exhibitors interested in this alternative plan can contact us ali.shehab@ cimteq.com. We can investigate how we can cooperate.” Rainbow Rubber & Plastics, Inc. “We are planning on going if they lift the travel restriction. We believe it is important to be available for our customers during these difficult times.” Lamnea Bruk. “We have decided to cancel our participation in wire Düsseldorf 2020. It was a tough decision to make, but looking at the current developments and increasing cases in Europe, we feel that cancelling is the safest and right call to make.” AIM. “AIM has been exhibiting at the Düsseldorf wire trade show for the past 30 years. Despite the pandemic, we feel obligated to support the organizers for their efforts, and we are hoping that we will be able to meet a fraction of what was expected. wire Düsseldorf has been one of the most prominent trade shows worldwide and has been the catalyst for our worldwide growth.” RichardsApex Inc. “Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and overall health concerns, RichardsApex made a difficult decision not to attend wire 2020 after review of available information pertaining to the pandemic. We look forward to joining our industry again when we return to wire 2022. ... We are ready to answer your needs as we adapt to the ever-changing global landscape of doing business. Our 118 years of experience have taught us how to survive anything that is thrown at us. Be safe and healthy!”
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wire 2020 INFORMATION Show name: wire 2020, International Wire and Cable Trade Fair Dates: Dec. 7-11, 2020 Location: Düsseldorf Fairgrounds, Germany Venue: • Halls 10 to 14: wire and cable • Hall 15: mesh welding and spring machinery • Halls 16-17: spring and fastener making technology and products • Hall 17: meet China’s expertise Show hours: 9 am – 6 pm, Dec. 7-10 9 am – 4:30 pm, Dec. 11 U.S. contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America info@mdna.com; www.mdna.com Industry partners: International Wire and Cable Exhibitors Association (IWCEA) IWCEA France Austrian Wire & Cable Machinery Manufacturers Association (AWCMA) International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA) Association of Wire & Cable Machinery Manufacturers, Germany (VDKM) Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association (ACIMAF) Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA) N. American Pavilion organizer: Messe Düsseldorf North America North American Pavilion sponsor: Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA) Admission: (online only) 1 day: 60 euro | 42 online 5-day pass: 100 euro | 82 online Show program Separate Wire/Tube: 33 euro Bundle Wire/Tube: 60 euro
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