EuroWire May 2022

Exhibitors

include Molyslip and UOP. The company exports 95 per cent of its production to more than 90 countries worldwide. Metalube www.metalube.co.uk Mexichem Specialty Compounds 14 C44 Alphagary/Mexichem Specialty Com- pounds, an Orbia company, is a global supplier of sheathing, insulation and spline compounds for a wide variety of copper and fibre optic wire and cable applications, including voice and data cables, power and control cables, and other speciality cables such as solar panel, railway and electric vehicle. The company’s materials enable cable designers around the world to meet fire safety regulation testing requirements, including those outlined in the European CPR B2 standard.

performance is available), and is designed to help eliminate cross talk. Mexichem Specialty Compounds https://alphagary.com Mikrotek Machines Ltd 09 B66 Mikrotek has designed and launched a new wire-polishing machine for resizing and re-polishing super-fine size diamond dies. With the model WPF-1S, die/wire fixing and releasing are fast and easy. The machine is fitted with a ‘V-type’ self centring and self-locking die holder, which helps work different case sizes. The top wire is fixed to a soft helical spring to blend and work on the die angles and bearing length. The die rotation is continuously variable from 0 to 3,000 rpm. The machine has uniform up and down power strokes. Stroke speed can be varied up to 400 double strokes per minute, which ensures fast cutting and mirror polishing of the die.

With the advancement of wire machinery and the expansion of production capability, Metalube has formulated an advanced range of synthetic lubricants developed to address the objectives of today’s multi-wire machines. Already approved and in use, Metalube’s synthetic Lubricool and Metarol products are claimed to deliver better performance, increased stability and improved cleanliness over mineral-oil based products.

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Metalube uses synthetic technology in advanced lubrication solutions

Synthetic lubricants are stable fluids used in fine wire drawing processing applications where high levels of lubrication and cleanliness are needed to cope with the speed of modern machinery. The lubricants can deliver increased efficiency for wire drawing machinery, and can reduce wire break frequency by 50 per cent. Several factors can shorten the product life of typicalmineral-oil-based lubricants, including poor temperature control, unreliable filtration, a small system or highly pressurised pumps. Synthetic fluids, however, are less reactive and can run cleaner at lower concentrations. They are also better at rejecting contamination, where a soluble oil will naturally try to emulsify into the fluid. The results are improved cleanliness, increased efficiency, better lubricant stability, more consistency in operation and improved component life. Chris Nettleship, technical director at Metalube, explained why synthetic lubricants are more stable: “Mineral oils are prone to changes in particle size, which can lead to instability as the lubricant interacts with ions in reactive copper and hard water salts. The result for the manufacturer is an upset in the overall balance of the fluid, leading to poor detergency, shortened fluid life and the need to add additional cleaning products. Synthetic fluids are less reactive lubricants and so run cleaner for longer, at lower concentrations, eliminating the need for additive products.” Metalube is part of the Bishopdale Group of industrial lubricants brands, which also

A new line in Melton Mowbray, UK

Material selection is determined by the balance of performance standards required for the application, specifically a balance of mechanical, thermal and electrical performance criteria, as well as fire testing requirements. The compound portfolio includes LSHF (low-smoke, halogen-free)/HFFR (halo gen-free, flame-retardant) compounds (Megolon), flame-retardant PVC com pounds (GW series, Polivisol, Sylvin), TPE compounds (Garaflex), urethane alloys (Garathane), compounds designed for plenum spaces (Smokeguard), chlorin ated polyethylene alloys (GCPE series) and semi-conducting cross-linkable com pounds via a partnership with Shakun Polymers (Escontek). New developments for Category 6 data cable applications include thin-wall applications, needing to pass the B2 level of CPR testing (Class D & C). When used as sheathing, the Megolon compound helps to achieve the B2 performance rating (declaration of

WPF-1S wire-polishing machine (with quick die-locking holder shown on right)

Other advantages of the CE-certified machine include low noise and near zero maintenance. It is suitable for sizes from 0.008 to 0.4mm, and is claimed to be 20 to 50 per cent more productive compared to the next best. Mikrotek Machines Ltd www.mikrotek.co.in Mixer SpA 12 E72 Since its foundation, Mixer SpA has manufactured rubber compounds exclusively for the cable industry. In 2021, the company celebrated the 25 th year since its establishment.

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May 2022