WCA March 2018

wire 2018

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• Super-absorbent polymer (SAP) coatings – developed for yarns, tapes and cable filling applications. The benefits of SAPs allow cable designers and manufacturers to incorporate particulate-free, water-swelling coating technology in their products, allowing alternative cable water-blocking opportunities to be exploited • Cable accessories – compounds for joint boxes, terminations and cable coating in HV and MV applications H&R also plans to launch a low-smoke cable compound product at the show. This new synthetic elastomer has been specifically formulated with flame-proofing chemicals and mineral additives. The technology brings a number of benefits, including flame-retardant properties and good adhesion within the cable structure. This in turn allows cable designers and manufacturers to offer low-smoke and halogen-free cables as part of their product offering. The Radyne induction tempered spring wire line, designed and manufactured by Inductotherm Heating & Welding Ltd in the UK, is at the forefront of advances in the hardening and tempering of spring wire. Radyne lines heat treat a single wire at high speed, providing a consistent quality wire for cold coiling. These modern lines offer the efficient and clean technology of induction heating, together with safe and environment-friendly clean water quenching systems. Radyne induction harden and temper lines produce material to a consistent specification. The benefits include: • Very little decarburisation due to the extremely short heating times • Minimal grain growth during heating • The ability to heat treat the more exotic alloy steels that require higher hardening temperatures H&R ChemPharm – UK Website : www.hur.com Inductotherm Group Stand: 09C66

• In some cases to produce material with higher tensile strength whilst maintaining ductility • High efficiency, environmentally friendly heat treatment process The PLC/PC control system utilises modern communication techniques to ensure ease of installation and reliable operation, minimising the number of interconnections necessary for running the line. A PC memory allows multiple wire setups to be stored for downloading to the PLC when required. The PC also operates a monitoring system that continuously takes and stores running data from the line, either for immediate viewing or historical review. Radyne lines are designed to produce between 1.5 and 3 tonnes of wire per hour, in diameters up to 17mm. Process materials include carbon steels, chrome silicon and chrome silicon vanadium, such as SAE9254, EN10270/2 (2001), 55CrSi and wire to A229 specifications. More recently the lines have been developed to cater for alloys with nickel additions, and in smaller diameters up to 7mm. An important aspect of the Radyne line is its ability to run continuously, without slowing or stopping to change the feed coil at payoff or remove a coil at take-up. The operator welds the end of the first coil to the beginning of the second coil whilst the line is running. Control and tension of the wire is achieved using pinch rolls that pull the wire off the payoff and through the straighteners. The wire is pulled through the heat treatment part of the line by a third set of pinch rolls. At all times, the wire tension is tightly controlled to ensure that the diameter of the material is not taken out of specification by stretching. Over half of the Radyne spring wire lines have been supplied with an inline drawing block, allowing the customer to load the payoff with rod or wire. Up to 30 per cent return on assets can be achieved with a single inline drawing block, and drawing inline, compared to offline drawing, can reduce the risk of handling damage to the wire. The heat treatment stage involves first heating the wire to around the Curie point (700°C) and then up to the desired hardening temperature (between 900°C and 1,100°C, depending on the material). The wire is quenched using water at a controlled rate so as to obtain the correct austenitic structure, and without cracking the wire surface. Once hardened, the material is tempered back to achieve the final, fully tempered, martensitic material specification by heating to the correct temperature (400-600°C).

The wire is cooled by water quench before being sent to the take-ups. After the final set of pinch rolls a protective coating is applied to the wire which then passes through a hydraulic shear that cuts out the weld. A divert system guides the wire to the correct take-up. Inductotherm – UK Website : www.inductotherm.co.uk Keir Manufacturing Inc Stand: 9C69 Keir Manufacturing will display its high-purity 99.8 per cent alumina ceramic guides, the Frontiersman™ line of air wipes, and its composite flyer bows for the global wire and cable industry. The company is dedicated to making products that enable manufacturing processes to run more efficiently and productively through the application of leading edge materials, with solutions focused on continuous process improve- ment, energy savings and longer operating life. Keir’s patented SureShot and SplitShot air wipes provide an effective drying method without depending on high-volume air consumption. An efficient design yields effective drying using a very low volume of compressed air and lasts longer due to the rugged ceramic insert lining the wire path. This equates to an over 25 per cent reduction in compressed air usage and an operating life of years rather than months.

❍ Spring wire from Inductotherm

❍ BackBone bow from Keir

The company’s triaxially braided composite standard and BackBone™ flyer bow constructions have greater durability than layered or laminated designs, allowing them to take more hits and endure higher stress and providing increased operating life and decreased machine downtime. The more aerodynamic BackBone design functions at lower power consumption

16 th – 20 th April wire 2018

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