WCA May 2012

Technology news

Niehoff stranding in high tech mode

With Niehoff’s high-speed rotating machines and numerous other production equipment, application-spe- cific lines can be configured to manufacture all types of data and special cables, including LAN cables in all categories – current, under development and future – with the utmost precision. In order to remain competitive, cable manufacturers need quality production equipment that saves energy and reduces raw materials and consumables consumption. The data and special cable stranding technology developed by Maschinenfabrik Niehoff meets these requirements. Niehoff has been building bunching and stranding machines for the last 50 years. During this period, these machines have undergone continuous development resulting in the D series double twist bunching machines. The successful concept of the D series bunchers is used as a basic platform for the DSI type double twist stranding machines. The double twist stranding machines DSI 631 and DSI 1001 are built for a maximum strand diameter of 8mm and 15mm, respectively. Energy efficient drives, wind tunnel optimised bow profile, single-bow design and the use of other energy-saving components result in considerable operational energy savings. Compared to

▲ ▲ DSI 631 double twist stranding machine

twist stranding process. In this configuration the stranding speed and therefore the production capacity can be increased considerably and – as a consequence – production costs can be reduced further. Depending on line configurations, up to three foils can be applied in-line on the cable under controlled film tension (multi-taping). Because of the modular concept, these lines can be adapted to increasingly changing cable designs and specifications. A DSI 631 stranding machine is capable of pairing insulated conductors into UTP and FTP cables Category 5e and 6 with a bow speed of 4,200-4,800tpm. In case of the triple twist process, line speeds up to 6,000tpm can be reached. S/FTP cables Category 6 to 8e can be paired with a bow speed of 3,200 to 3,500tpm (with film). Further processing on a double twist stranding machine type DSI 1001 or a double twist bunching machine type D 1001 can be achieved with a bow speed of 2,500 to 3,000t/min (Cat. 5e and 6) or 2,000 to 2,500t/min (Cat. 6-7).

conventional stranding systems energy savings of 20% to 30% can be achieved under the same operating conditions. The machines built in left and right-hand versions can be combined with additional ancillary equipment like tangential pay offs, double twist back twist pay offs, longitudinal tape pay offs, pre-twisters and diverse spooling units to create stranding lines for specific applications. For advanced data cable applications a double twist back twist pay off capable of generating back twist ratios from 0%-100%, or even higher if required, is available. Optionally the double twist back twist pay offs can be used to enable a triple

Maschinenfabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co KG – Germany Fax : +49 912 297 7155 Email : info@niehoff.de Website : www.niehoff.de

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2012