EuroWire July 2023

Focus on UK

Developing niche cable products for the market Permanoid is a British cable manufacturer based in Manchester. One of the few independently owned cable manufacturing companies in the UK, Permanoid has been producing cables for more than 70 years. The company’s experience in cable design, manufacture and polymer technology has enabled it to develop a wide range of standard and bespoke cables used throughout the electrical, electronics and construction industries. These range from small equipment wires to complex multi-core cables, such as BS5308 control and instrumentation cables used in the oil and gas sector. Permanoid also supplies and continues to develop niche products in fields such as audio, medical, EV automotive, agriculture and aviation. Commercial director Oliver Hingston said, “We continue to work with cutting-edge companies in existing and emerging industries looking for bespoke cable products. These are typically highly specialised products with lower volumes which cannot be made elsewhere.” One growing market is EV automotive, where global sales for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are expected to grow by 35 per cent in 2023. This is set to

Permanoid tests cable in-house, as well as sending samples to approvals bodies to ensure standards compliance

Permanoid’s flexible in-house production facilities enable it to develop bespoke products and offer a comprehensive service to customers both in the UK and worldwide. A three-acre plant in Manchester allows Permanoid to provide a substantial manufacturing capability. The company’s quality system is certified to the requirements of ISO 9001, and all cable is inspected at every stage of manufacture. Many products are covered by third-party certifications such as BASEC, UL and CSA. Cable is tested in-house and samples are regularly sent to the approvals bodies to ensure compliance with the relevant standards. Permanoid Ltd www.permanoid.co.uk

continue to rise as such vehicles become cheaper to own and more cost effective to run. “We see an increase in the need for cables for the internal wiring of vehicles, charging leads and EV charging stations over the next five to ten years,” said Mr Hingston. In the medical sector, the Covid-19 pandemic caused an increase in demand for specialised products, including internal wiring for ventilators and bespoke products used in medical laboratory testing. Demand in this sector has now quietened. Conversely, the aviation sector, which was hardest hit during Covid, has now bounced back, with projects underway for the upgrade of airfield lighting systems.

Tape forming technology TapeFormers Ltd is based in the UK’s Midlands, in a factory specifically designed for the manufacture of its products.

tape overlap direction and smooth longitudinal tape forming. TapeFormers Ltd https://tapeformers.com

The most recent development is the USA Building Wire TapeFormer, designed for forming the paper tapes during the manufacture of NM-B cable with a single tape former. The company manufactures a range of tape formers for use in braiding machines.

The company manufactures all of its tape formers to order, and stocks a wide selection of laser-cut and pre-machined parts, so that its skilled team can produce tape formers to customers’ specific requirements. The standard TapeFormer range is for tape widths from 5 to 480mm wide, but the company offers many designs, and works with the customer to create the best tool for the application.

These are usually located in the shaft just before the braiding point, to accurately form the tape longitudinally around the cable just before braid- ing occurs, and ensure

USA Building Wire TapeFormer

39

www.read-eurowire.com

July 2023