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Cable
production
After more than a century as a workhorse of the industry, coaxial cable –
or coax – offers as good an example as any of the importance of the
speciality reviewed here.
Its two conductors share an axis. The first, central, conductor will be a solid
wire or a bunch of fine stranded ones, most commonly of copper. A layer of
insulation separates it from the second conductor: normally a copper mesh
or braided layer. This serves a grounding purpose, essentially absorbing
high voltages that might otherwise damage the structure. In addition to its
shielding function this is the transmitting layer. The outer ring is a tough,
impermeable, durable insulator.
That is the basic design. As sound now as it was when introduced in 1880,
it has also supported the development of variations (Siamese, Quad Shield,
Monster Satellite) that have brought electrical connectivity to a pitch of
perfection taken very much for granted by demanding industrial customers
worldwide. To the companies profiled in this section, cable making – of coax
and a host of others – is a high endeavour that happens also to be all in the
day’s work.
Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2011
76
Photo credit – GMP Slovakia
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