WCA March 2024

Exhibitors at wire 2024

engineered; from payoff to take-up, the product is guided through every line component. Extruded busbar is an expensive product, sold not by weight, but by the metre. Manufacturers may not feel comfortable using dated technology, particularly if it can affect bottom-line figures or instigate customer claims. Supplying by length also means defining the price to pay. Proton will present its new length measuring equipment for insulated busbar hairpin conductors, meeting in full the requirements of the EU Legal Metrology Directive for “Legal Material Measures of Length” 2014/32/EU. Proton Products Europe NV www.protonproducts.com PWM Ltd 09 B41 British company PWM, which celebrates 40 years of service to the wire and cable industry this year, will launch a new cold welding machine at wire 2024. The company’s full range of products, including the P1500 cold welder for rod up to 30mm, will be on show. The new TR45 cold welder is designed specifically for non-ferrous trapezoidal wire used in the build-up of subsea cables. The machine has a small footprint of 750 x 610mm and is mobile, so it can be moved easily to the work area. Powered by an advanced air/ hydraulic system, the TR45 will weld trapezoidal material up to 45mm².

It aims to meet the objectives of its partners in terms of social responsibility and decarbonisation through the development and improvement of its organisation, methods and machines. Pourtier will exhibit within the SETIC stand. Showcased products will include “digital immersion” in a range of larger DC cables (rigid stranders for 127/156/171 wires, up to 5,000mm²) and longer AC cables (opened cradle drum twister 55T). Pourtier www.setic-pourtier.com Proton Products Europe NV 11 J60 Extruded busbar is a new product. Unlike most traditional wire and cable products there are not yet any well-defined measuring and testing regulations for electric busbar, but these may come soon. At wire 2024, Proton will present three new measuring and testing devices designed for the extrusion process of extruded busbar.

In the last three years, the company has established a technical centre in the UK, with professional engineers using structural design software. Increased spending on SAP systems and CRM enables Pentre to measure all key aspects of the business. This year, it will focus on developing its IT systems to further improve efficiency. Investment in four CNC machining centres is evidence of the company’s in-house approach to the entire manufacturing process, and its commitment to efficiency. Pentre Group www.pentregroup.com Pourtier 10 F59 Pourtier produces heavy-duty rotating machines – rigid and planetary stranders, single twist cablers and drum twisters – to produce all types of power cable, including overhead, low- to extra-high-voltage power cables, and submarine cables. Rising demand for clean energy has resulted in new market challenges. Pourtier has advanced solutions to meet these challenges for sustainable clean energy and infrastructure. The company offers heavy-duty stranders, cablers, screening and armouring lines. Its high-efficiency multi-wire concentric stranding line is used for low and medium energy cables. Pourtier states that all of these machines are designed and manufactured to high standards for the production of all types of high-voltage and extra-high voltage power cable, from overhead cable (including ACCC™, ACSS-TW and ACSR-TW) to AC-type submarine or land cables (using Milliken conductors) or DC-type (using large, round compacted conductors or profiled “Keystone” wires).

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Proton’s metrologic integer guide for busbar can handle flat cable and occasional rounds

Dimensional geometry: a new scanner (patent applied for) that rotates around an extruded busbar. The measuring data on thickness/width is taken from the rotating scanner by telemetric non-contact principles. The power transmission to the rotating scanner is also non-contact. Insulation testing: a busbar entails a “large core” and is surrounded by quite thin insulation. This will represent an electric conductor with a fairly high capacitive load. Due to the breakdown resistance of, for example, polyamide or PEEK, the breakdown voltage is quite high. Proton has designed a spark tester for busbar with a soft brush electrode; the needle ends of the brushes point in the travel direction of the insulated busbar. These needle-shaped “micro spheres” result in a good electrical coverage. Extruded busbar non-contact length measuring technology: a busbar or hairpin extrusion line is precision

PWM’s P1500 rod welder

PWM’s P1500 machine offers wire and cable manufacturers a quick way to weld large non-ferrous rod. The machine is energy efficient, being driven by three hydraulic pumps and only requiring electrical power for the 11kW pump motor. The clean, quiet and user friendly P1500 produces permanent welds stronger than the parent material, helping manufacturers save resources and minimise waste. EP500 pneumatic cold welder for 5 to 15mm rod is equally energy efficient. The company’s best-selling

Pourtier rigid stranding line

The company continues to expand its range with higher numbers of wires (up to 156 for rigid stranders), together with pulling capstans up to 80 tons, and XL Drum Twisters up to 55 tons.

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March 2024