WCA January 2012

Braiding, knitting, weaving & welding

Efficient and economical Niehoff braiders: the BMV series

Typical applications of the braiders include the manufacture of data, control cables, coaxial cables as well as automotive hybrid drives cables, in which tapes must be inserted before and after braiding. Further applications are hollow braids for battery cables, stranded braids, mechanical reinforcements for pressure hoses and medical catheters. The BMV braiders are equipped with the latest technology energy saving drives, energy optimised components and new spool carriers made of precision-machined high-grade aluminium. The braiders feature an automatic central lubrication system, an infinitely variable electronic line speed and braiding pitch control as well as a quality control system from the cable inlet via single and bundle-wire control to the take-up of the braided cable. Also an automatic empty bobbin detection system can be integrated in the machine: this device stops the machine before a braiding bobbin is completely empty, while minimising the residual wire on the braiding bobbin. The operational safety can still be increased using slide track temperature monitoring and control which varies the track lubrication frequency and quantity to avoid overheating and which stops the braider when a limit temperature is exceeded. Thus BMV braiders can operate unattended and with minimum operator intervention. The BMV machines can be combined with either longitudinal or central taping devices designed to apply tapes of different materials onto the cable, before or after the braiding point. Because the working process is integrated in one machine, work and storage spaces are reduced requiring considerably smaller equipment footprints. Moreover, the product quality is higher than before because of the elimination of the intermediate rewinding process and the in-line braiding and taping operations are completed under constant and uniform haul-off tension. Therefore, braiding and subsequent taping of a cable in one step results in considerable operational advantages and cost savings. The BMV braiders are part of the modular Niehoff machinery programme which covers all operational steps from rod wire drawing to fine wire drawing and to data and special cables manufacturing. The “Hacoba System” bobbin rewinding machines, also built by Niehoff, play a key role in enabling the BMV machines to work efficiently at their full potential.

About ten years ago, Maschinenfabrik Niehoff started to develop the BMV type braiding machines together with the data and special cable stranding machines of the DSI series. The 12, 16 and 24-carrier lever arm rotary braiding machines are mainly designed to apply an EMC shielding onto cables. At wire 2012 trade fair, another BMV model will be introduced. Because of its precise tension control system and the simplicity of its wire path, the industry proven BMV braiders can process a multitude of wire material and types eg bare or plated copper wire, aluminium wire and stainless steel wire with a single-wire diameter of 0.05 to 0.3mm (44–28 AWG) as well as artificial yarn and fibres. The machines’ sophisticated design allows the processing of the different material copper, textile and steel wire braids without the need of extensive and time consuming setups and changeovers.

❍ ❍ BMV 16-carrier lever arm rotary braiding machine (BMV 16)

Maschinenfabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co KG – Germany

Fax : +49 9122 977 155 Email : info@niehoff.de Website : www.niehoff.de

62

Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2012