EuroWire September 2021

Focus On UK

Solution for pushing cable drums As part of the cable and wire manu- facturing process there are several stages that require moving cable drums where it is neither appropriate nor possible to use overhead cranes, for example between winding stations, in and out of test chambers, and around storage and dispatch areas. Safe cable drum handling is part of work- place health and safety management and risk assessments to minimise workplace accidents. Nu-Star’s Super Power Pusher® electric tug allows one pedestrian opera- tor to safely push cable drums.

Proving trials and demonstrations are available at BWE’s headquarters in Ashford, Kent. The company’s research and development department will consider and prove any new application prior to investment. BWE also manufactures and supplies a complete range of cold welders and dies for welding non-ferrous materials, from fine wire to round rod. BWE Ltd www.bwe.co.uk The Power Pusher cable drum pusher is fitted with a roller attachment that can be easily adjusted to suit different drum diameters. It is compact and agile, for use where space is restricted. Being battery- powered, it produces no emissions or no noise, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The supplied batteries are sealed-for-life, maintenance-free and IATA-approved, enabling spares to be air-freighted globally by any of the major freight forwarders. All of the drum pushers have on-board, multi-voltage input battery chargers, which can be connected to local electrical supplies anywhere in the world. The battery/charger combination allows ‘opportunity charging’ at any time to maximise machine availability. All machines in the range are fully CE- approved and certified with a 12-month warranty. Nu-Star Material Handling Ltd https://nu-starmhl.com

The Nu-Star range of battery-powered Pushers are not subject to LOLER regula- tions as they are not lifting devices, and may be operated by anyone over 18 years of age who has been suitably trained. The Power Pusher electric tugs are designed to produce a high starting

Historically, drums have been pushed by hand or ‘flicked’ using the tines of a forklift truck – both potentially dangerous activities – and the cable can be subject to expensive accidental damage from the forklift tines.

torque (required to overcome the rolling resistance of a stationary cable drum), and maximum push forces range from 4,800N to 16,700N to effortlessly push up to 60 tonnes on a flat surface.

The dual-motor Super Power Pusher

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Continuous extrusion technology BWE Ltd is a British engineering company specialising in continuous extrusion machines and cold pressure welders. BWE continues to develop new products, and a new Conform machine will be supplied to the UK’s Sheffield University in 2020.

Conform™ and Conklad™ are established continuous extrusion technologies in the non-ferrous, cable and tube industries. Typical applications for Conform include copper and aluminium rectangular wire (magnet wire for transformers), solid aluminium conductor (SAC for cables), copper busbar, trolley wire and other shaped conductors, round refrigeration tube, and multiport or PFC tubes in different alloys. Conklad technology is available for applications such as AS wire, OPGW, CATV, sheathed composite cores, reinforced aluminium wire and similar products requiring an aluminium sheath or non- ferrous cladding. BWE’s SheathEx™ technology is a solution for seamless aluminium sheathing of high-voltage cables. ‘Corrugated’ (helical or annular) or ‘Smooth’ options are available. The SheathEx process provides a continuous and seamless aluminium sheath with no weld. The aluminium sheath has good conduc- tivity and environmental properties, and is light in weight.

Following extensive and successful trials at BWE, the university will use the machine to continue its development of processing titanium powders into solid wire or strip profile for automotive springs. Other applications include wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), which is becoming a more attractive way of 3D printing metals.

▲ A BWE Conform 550 installation for copper busbar and sections

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September 2021