EuroWire January 2020

Technology News

Red-hot for silicone

IN recent years, silicone has been increasingly used in the automotive sector, but now it is being found in more applications. Due to its many positive attributes, silicone is a popular material for cable production, and has played a major role in the continuous development of Rosendahl’s lines. Rosendahl developed its first silicone extrusion line with infrared curing several years ago. Since then, new lines have been installed worldwide, and existing lines have been expanded by updates from Rosendahl. extruders, crossheads and curing tunnels make effective and reproducible results from one provider possible. In the automotive cable market, silicone has established itself as an isolation and jacketing material for cables and high-voltage cables for electric and hybrid cars. The high flexibility of the material does not change, even at various temperatures. With its high temperature resistance, silicone enables a reduction The special matching

▲ ▲ Rosendahl’s RN-Z silicone line

in conductor cross-sections and the minimising of cable weight.

strict guidelines, Rosendahl focused on developing production facilities for this field. The standards that need to be fulfilled for integrity (DIN 4102-12) and insulation (IEC60331, EN50200 and BS6387) are met by each cable produced by Rosendahl.

In addition to the automotive sector, there are several other popular applications for silicone, for example in medical technology or robotics. As the fire resistance of cables in public buildings, such as airports or hospitals, is subject to particularly

Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH www.rosendahlnextrom.com

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January 2020