EuroWire January 2019

Dies, cones and die maintenance

VNT technology from India

Quality driven and cost- effective • The dies enable a process with lower friction, resulting in better copper and aluminium use, as well as better surface quality, including high and bright surface finishes Ajex & Turner manufactures advanced VNT dies, trapezoidal/sector dies, and shape dies in TC and PCD, along with various others. Its advanced wire drawing and compacting vitrified nanocrystalline technology (VNT) dies continue to be used as replacements for solid PCD dies. VNT can control diameter through- out its life and does not require any rework; on the other hand, a PCD die’s hole gets enlarged after use and requires re-polishing and re-grinding, which is not the case with VNT dies. VNT dies also are superior to tungsten carbide dies as those have concerns with dust accumulation in the die and wire breakage and scratches on the conductor. Below is a list of advantages that VNT dies offer for drawing wire or tube and compacting: • They can be used to draw copper and aluminium for stranding/compacting/ rod breakdown sizes, sector shapes, etc; aluminium alloy wire, nickel-silver wire, brass, copper tubes or any metal; and stainless steel/high- and low-carbon steel wire up to 0.6 per cent C, welding wire or any hard/soft wire of any size and hardness

▲ ▲ A range of dies from Ajex & Turner

• For the aluminium and copper rod breakdown process, VNT dies hold tolerances with no metal loss, breaks or scratches • The die casing is made of stainless steel (grade 304) to avoid rust • Costs are 10 to 50 per cent lower than PCD dies (depending on bore diameter) Ajex & Turner – India Website : www.ajexturner.com

• A die range from 0.8mm to 100mm is possible • Use of the dies can result in improvements of two to three per cent in raw material usage and a longer, better life than PCD and tungsten carbide dies • There is zero tolerance for the entire working life for any metal, with no need for either die polishing or re-cutting for any metal • The dies, if properly maintained, are designed to compact as much as 10,000 to 12,000km of aluminium and copper cable. The production ratio also depends on the metal

Die Quip believes making wire dies in-house is the most cost–effective, flexible and quality driven option for a wire mill. The company is proud of its legacy of helping mills achieve this goal by building die finishing machines strong enough for reworking used dies with speed and accuracy. The success of a die shop’s quality directly affects the wire mill’s productivity. This is why Die Quip builds its machines on rigid steel platforms to easily cut dies to meeting points, which controls bearing lengths. By using this system the bearing lengths are controlled mathematically so the results are consistent, repeatable and easily managed by operators. The company states that the angle–setting gauges enable customers to consistently produce accurate die angles better than 90 per cent of industry standards. Die Quip has stand-alone machines for finishing dies or, to keep up with maximum efficiency for larger production, it builds work cells of two or more machines to eliminate downtime from size changeovers. Its approach to a modern die shop brings benefits to the whole production process by implementing a workflow system that sets procedures and incorporates training to maximise each machine’s capabilities. This allows these dies to last longer in production, allowing more wire to be made. Die Quip – USA Website : www.diequip.com ▲ ▲ The MGF-200 Die Saver from Die Quip

39

www.read-eurowire.com

January 2019