EoW January 2010

Extruding – machinery & equipment

NewTPEs A new series of Elexar ® thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds for wire and cable, from the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex Company, provides a combination of RoHS compliance, UL-V0 flame retardance, and excellent performance over a wide range of end use conditions. The Elexar high-performance FR series includes six grades, with Shore A hardness ranging from 58 to 85, upper use temperature from 105ºC to 125ºC, low-temperature flexibility down to -50°C, excellent UV resistance, and good oil resistance. For applications where appearance is critical, the compounds provide excellent colourability and non-blooming surfaces, according to Keith Saunders, market manager. “Elexar HPFR compounds embody a hard- to-find combination of outstanding end-use performance and compliance with the stringent standards required in the global marketplace,” said Dr Saunders. “Conventional flame retardant TPEs not only fail to comply with the RoHS directives but are more limited in terms of flame test ratings and service temperatures. In addition, their flame retardant formulations often present the problem of blooming or surface staining.” Threesixty Extrusion Technology designs, manufactures and installs continuous rotary extrusion equipment, tailored to meet specific production requirements from solid aluminium conductors through to aluminium clad steel wire (ACS wire), powder processing and large copper busbar. There are five standard continuous extrusion machines in the Threesixty range, to cover most product sizes and applications: The RX-320 for simple profiles in • copper or aluminium up to 60mm The higher throughput capacity • RX-425 for products up to 120mm The RX-530 for up to 200mm diameter • The entry level TX-320 for sheathed • products up to 20mm The state-of-the-art TTX-320 with • Threesixty’s patented extrusion shoe positioning technology Threesixty Extrusion Technology – UK Fax : +44 1202 862446 Email : enquiries@360extrusion.com Website : www.360extrusion.com Comprehensive extrusion range

Elexar HPFR used for a typical cable ▲ ▲

Teknor Apex suggests evaluating Elexar High-Performance FR compounds for use in insulation and jacketing for automation and control cables, fibre optic cables, low-voltage power cables, appliance wire, and flexible cord. The new Elexar compounds meet standards specified under UL 1061 and unlike conventional TPEs, pass the UL VW-1 vertical flame test for cable jacketing. Teknor Apex Company – USA Fax : +1 401 728 5680 Email : tpe@teknorapex.com Website : www.teknorapex.com

Cross-head for XLPE and thermoplastics HFFR compounds

The extrusion head is among the components that ensure and maximize the functionality and potential of an extrusion line. The quality of an extruded material is directly and exponentially proportional to the proper functioning and design of the extrusion head. The size of the axial and distribution channels is important to ensure the regularity of the flow and avoid high kinetic differences in the material which cause localised overheating of the material, and also to avoid degradation or thermo-stress of the material, ensuring the right conditions for both melt and mixing. Equally important is the assembly, sizing and centring of the tools to be used. For this reason an extrusion head has been developed that allows balancing of the piezo-kinetic effect for sensitive materials (HFFR, LSOH, XLPE cross-linkable by monosil, visico and sioplas processes). Pressure and temperature transducers detect the condition of the processed material to avoid overpressure and heat strokes, as in the case of halogen-free materials. To optimise the system, a pair of special semi-compression tools were developed. During production it is possible to vary the pressure and temperature of the molten material by adjusting the axial position of the tip or die. As a result of that procedure, it is possible to improve the adhesion of polymer on the cable, so avoiding defects such as surface vibrations, micro-crack, localised overheating and shark-skin effects. Eurotek Srl – Italy Fax : +39 0872 711978

Email : info@eurotek-italy.com Website : www.eurotek-italy.com

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EuroWire – January 2010