WCA September 2022

Technology News

Stand-alone gauge head for measuring optical fibre tension

include optical fibres being processed into premium optical fibre cables, for which high requirements and standards exist. The integrated measuring method is based on the principle of birefringence. The Fiber Tension 6003 can be used for both hot and cold measurement of the bare fibre, independent of production influences such as the position of the fibre in the measuring field, the production speed and the vibration or oscillation of the fibre.

In increasingly digital and networked societies, the fast and lossless trans- mission of data over long distances using optical fibre cables is essential. In order to ensure optimum optical fibre quality, a variety of measurement and control technologies are used in the drawing process. Tension is a decisive influencing factor for fibre quality. Sikora’s Fiber Tension 6003, with a measuring rate of 10 kHz, offers robust and precise tension measurement for validation as well as control of this important parameter. Using a measuring principle based on the refractive properties of glass, the self sufficient Fiber Tension 6003 measuring system will be of particular interest to manufacturers of high-end solutions where the drawing process is controlled by the tension. Expected applications Cable manufacturer Cables RCT pro- duces millions of kilometres of cable each year. At its site in Zaragoza, Spain, it operates 14 production lines, producing hundreds of varieties of wire. As part of an ongoing improvement programme, the company recognised that it could increase output by addres- sing some of the complexity presented by coding and marking its products. The aim was to find a solution that maintained, or even improved, the speed of production, while enhancing code quality and minimising error. “The wire extrusion industry presents interesting challenges,” explained Julio Berdun, South Europe sales manager at Markem-Imaje. “In the first instance, production lines are getting significantly faster and accuracy is a critical metric.

The Fiber Tension 6003 measures the tension of optical fibres in the drawing tower

Installed before or after cooling, the system generates reliable and stable measuring values to enable immediate control of the tension. Sikora AG www.sikora.net Achieving speed, quality, legibility and durability in marking and coding

Display of measuring data during optical fibre manufacturing, including information on tension

20 different colours of cable produced by the company, the printers are set up with black, blue or white ink for the best contrast. The company also recently introduced Markem-Imaje’s new silver ink, which is suitable for most substrates and colours. The printing, however, was not the complete solution. “Cables RCT was the first company in the wire industry to use our CoLOS® software,” Mr Berdun explained. “With so many extrusion lines, substrates, customer-code recipes and wire types, print management is essential. CoLOS connects seamlessly with the company’s SAP system and automatically feeds the correct print parameters and content to the individual machines based on the work order, removing the opportunity for mistakes in what can sometimes be long character arrays.” Instead of manually inputting text, the operator simply scans the barcode on the production order and the correct information is automatically sent to the printer. Markem-Imaje https://markem-imaje.com Cables RCT www.cablesrct.com

Product variation then complicates matters further, with various wire and cable diameters, a multitude of insulation materials and, of course, a variety of colours.” Cables RCT wanted to evolve its current use of continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers for coding-and-marking operations based on the demands of modern manufacturing. Enrique López, director of planning at Cables RCT, said, “There is a huge variety of possible combinations for wire codes. Plus, the information has to be readable for as long as the cable is in use, whether it’s buried, aerial, exposed to harsh industrial conditions, etc, so the mark needs to be stable and resistant.” The installation of Markem-Imaje’s CIJ 9450 E printers, which were specially designed for the extrusion market, became the foundation around which a solution was developed. The system can achieve speeds of up to 1,000m/min on wire harnessing and even optical fibre as narrow as 1mm. It can also optimise ink consumption and print quality on clear or dark substrates. Seven of the production lines at Cables RCT are now equipped with ten CIJ 9450 E printers. To accommodate the

Markem-Imaje provided the solution for Cables RCT

30

www.read-wca.com

September 2022