EuroWire March 2019

Focus on Germany

Heavy industries such as mining, shipbuilding and materials handling rely on heavy, rugged, industrial cables to ensure continuous power supply or communication. This dependency means the consequences of a cable break are costly, both in terms of lost productivity, and in downtime. For the German cable repair specialist Becker and Hüser, its focus is to get its customers back in business in the shortest amount of time and FLIR thermal imaging is playing a vital role in helping to pinpoint the exact location of the problem. “Repairing a cable is often the most time-e cient option if a replacement is not held in stock, as waiting for the supply of a new cable can sometimes take months,” said managing director Andreas Becker. “We can repair a cable in a matter of days and sometimes even hours and that can really make a di erence if, for example, the fault is preventing a ship leaving harbour.” Cable repair requires a lot of manual labour. The process involves the connection of an enormous tangle of bres, which is both a meticulous and time-consuming task. There is also no instant method of locating a fault inside a cable but Becker and Hüser has invested in a range of technologies to make this process as quick and e cient as possible, and that now includes FLIR thermal imaging. Commonly, the company uses a surge voltage generator for locating and pin pointing high and low resistance faults in power cables. The stored energy of the high voltage capacitors is fed at intervals into the faulty cable. This causes noise at the fault position which can be detected either by sight – a high voltage surge can generate sparks, by feeling with a rubber glove, or even by hearing. This method, however, is not foolproof. When, at a trade show, Mr Becker saw how quickly and accurately thermal imaging can display voltage changes as heat di erences, he decided to invest in a FLIR camera to complement traditional methods. The model he chose was a FLIR E40bx troubleshooting camera because it is easy to use, straight out of the box. It provides a temperature measurement range of -20°C to +120°C with an accuracy of ±2 per cent. Other features that proved decisive in the purchase was MSX thermal image enhancement that allows numbers, labels and other key visual details to be seen in an all-in-one thermal picture. Also important to Becker and Hüser is the camera’s ability to be linked via Wi-Fi to a mobile device or smartphone. This allows engineers to transfer images, add further measurement spots, readjust level and span, change palettes, create reports and email ndings to decision makers or customers. Pinpointing cable faults with thermal imaging

USA outlet for Häfner and Krullmann Wire and Cable Consulting LLC has reached an agreement with Häfner & Krullmann GmbH, Germany, to market and sell its products in the USA. Jan Häfner, CEO, Häfner & Krullmann, said: “Wire and Cable Consulting LLC provides us with the expertise and support we need to directly serve our current customers and to secure new ones in this important US market.”

A spool from Häfner & Krullmann GmbH

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Thomas J Rosen, president, Wire & Cable Consulting LLC, said: “Häfner & Krullmann is recognised in the wire, cable and other industries for its attention to quality and precision. “We will initially focus on large-size packaging options for wire and cable in sizes 16" and larger (400mm-550mm), and our associates in the USA will assist in this enterprise.” Wire and Cable Consulting LLC, formed in late 2015 by Mr Rosen, provides services including market and business development, strategic advising, and sales representation to select wire and cable companies and industry suppliers. The rm also handles strategic account development for Ulbrich Specialty Wire Products Division. Since 1933, Häfner & Krullmann has become a leading European manufacturer of environmentally friendly spools and reels for the wire and cable, medical and other industries. At its manufacturing facility in Leopoldshöhe, Germany, Häfner produces about 1,400 spool variants, ranging from 40 to 1,000mm in diameter, made from materials including PS, ABS, PE, PP and PA. Products are manufactured according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards. Häfner also has its own medical cleanroom that meets the class 8 standard set out in ISO14644 and is certi ed as EU-GMP class D. Häfner & Krullmann GmbH – Germany Website : www.hafner-spools.com

Finding faults with thermal imaging

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“When all our traditional methods of fault detection fail, we know that we can still use our FLIR camera to locate the problem,” Mr Becker continued. “It is particularly e ective on faults at the end of the cable, right at the point of connection, that are di cult to detect by other means. The camera can see the heat di erence without any problem. And it’s also ideal for inspecting the entire length of a cable as it is wound from reel to reel.” He added: “It is an enormous advantage to be able to show the location and nature of the fault and the FLIR camera allows us to do just that. It gives our customers con dence that we are on top of the problem.” Becker and Hüser – Germany Website : www.kabelreparatur.eu

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March 2019