EoW July 2008

english technology news

Current issues at Cables 2008

in operation the HP100 auto requires only a supply of compressed air and an electric power source. Steve Mepsted, managing director of PWM, said: “The HP100 has been one of our best-selling models for the last five years. It's economical and can be wheeled to the weld area. “In automatic mode, the machine provides wire and cable manufacturers with an effortless way of welding copper and aluminium wire and strip. “Ideal for high cycle welding, the HP100 auto can be used to recycle short lengths of wire that might otherwise be discarded because they are too time consuming to weld, so helping manufacturers to reduce wastage and material costs.” PressureWelding Machines – UK Fax : +44 1233 820847 Dr Susanna Lieber of the Melos/Borealis team talked about the design of bedding compounds, which lie between the insulating compound and the cable sheath. Compatibility is important and factors that effect long-term performance, such as plasticiser migration, have been studied. She went on to describe how advanced bedding compound design can improve flame retardancy. Dr Gunter Beyer of Kabelwerk Eupen has been working on nanocomposite flame retardants for the cable industry. In his 30 years of experience, layered double hydroxides have a major synergistic effect with halogen and non-halogen flame retardants. They appear to act by altering the degradation pathway and imparting barrier properties. Daniel Calveras of General Cable, among the largest cable extrusion companies, followed up by describing General Cable’s use of nanofillers in high performance medium voltage power cables. Cables 2009 has been scheduled for 2 nd to 4 th March 2009 at the same venue. Applied Market Information Ltd – UK Fax : +44 117 311 1534 Email : rm@amiplastics.com Website : www.amiplastics.com

cable, including highlights of their superior heat resistance. He commented on the synergistic effect of flame retardants, a topic also addressed by James Innes, president of Flame Retardants Associates of the USA. Dr Rainer Sauerwein (Nabaltec) went on to examine trends in new metal hydrate flame retardants for high process temperatures. Materials differ in different global regions and include optimised metal hydrate blends. His paper examined potential future trends in flame retardants for cable applications. New materials for cables were introduced at the conference including high performance polymers for the cables industry (Evonik Degussa), co-polyester resins for demanding cable applications (DSM Engineering Plastics), and recyclable polypropylene wire for automotive applications (Dr Lee, LS Cable Ltd of Korea). Dow Wire & Cable is developing new polyolefin compounds to meet the needs of the international cables industry. Innovation challenges in the wire and cable market were discussed by Robert Tarimo, market manager from Dow Europe in Switzerland.

Pressure Welding Machines (PWM), manufacturers of high-performance cold welding equipment and dies, launched a new version of its best-selling HP100 air/ hydraulic cold welder at wire 2008. The new HP100 auto model can be used in either normal or automatic mode. In normal mode, the operator loads the material and then presses the foot pedal four to six times to activate the multiple upset process and complete the weld. In automatic mode, the operator simply loads the material, presses a button and the machine does the rest. In either mode, the HP100 auto guarantees consistent high quality welds on non-ferrous materials within a range of 1.00mm to 5.00mm (0.039" to 0.197"). The powerful solid steel welding head is mounted on an ergonomically designed trolley with a sloping platform that gives the operator a clear view of the weld area. Power consumption is minimal, and The 8 th AMI international conference, Cables, held from 15 th to 17 th April at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, was applauded as “the most successful ever.” AMI Consulting‘s Kerry Satterthwaite presented an overview of the European cable industry, concluding that restructuring in the European cables extrusion industry has paid off with a dramatic improvement in profits for 2007. Primary focus of the conference was flame retardant performance under the new European Construction Products Directive (CPD). Wire and cable is now considered a building material under new EU legislation which classifies cables by their fire safety performance. being established, explained Terry Journeaux of Prysmian Cables & Systems. The challenge is to develop repeatable and reproducible standards, and he detailed the European reaction to fire classification of cables under the CPD in 2008. Many kilometres of cable are used in modern buildings and cars and, as electrical failure can be a common cause of ignition, cable fire performance and flame retardancy is critical. Dr Andreas Bacher of Wacker Chemie gave an overview of new silicones for wire and Testing protocols are still

Cold welding went automatic at Düsseldorf

Email : pwm@btinternet.com Website : www.pwmltd.co.uk

The welding head of the new HP100 auto air/ ▲ ▲ hydraulic cold welder

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EuroWire – July 2008