WCA September 2016

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34 Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2016
Industrynews
Over the past ten years, the turnover of Melos GmbH has
almost tripled and the number of employees has doubled to
more than 200. The company ended the 2015 business year
with a turnover of €80.5m.
The company also started the new business year strongly
with a 14.2 per cent increase in turnover, compared to the
first five months of the previous year, and is preparing itself
for the future by building a state-of-the-art development
centre with a total investment of €3m.
Markets and customer needs have changed greatly over the
last few years, and Melos’s standard B2B business has
become increasingly demanding. Today, the company offers
a wide range of solutions rather than just being a supplier of
components.
Aside from the strategic orientation, the company’s
infrastructure is being improved. Melos GmbH focuses 100
per cent on the production site at Melle, Germany, and will
be investing extensively in expanding its development,
production and logistics in the coming years.
The building of a competence centre for research and
development – with advanced analysis and experimentation
systems, new laboratory buildings and associated offices –
represents the next step for the company. As one of the
main drivers of positive development at Melos GmbH the
industrial compounding product sector, in particular, will
benefit heavily from these investments.
A further construction project is the ‘Melos Village’ open-air
showroom. Here, Melos’s sport and leisure products can be
experienced and enjoyed in an entertaining atmosphere
across an area of around 1,800m2.
Melos GmbH – Germany
Website:
SURFACE cleaning and degreasing is
an important part of the wire
production process. Traditionally this
involves mechanical or wet, chemical
processes that are potentially harmful
to the operator and the environment.
One way to turn production
chemical-free is to use plasma surface
cleaning, which is a dry surface
treatment.
PlasmaCleaner is a plasma surface
treatment machine designed for
surface cleaning, degreasing or oxide
removal on ferrous and non-ferrous
wire. Plasma treatment is a dry process
that requires no rinsing or drying.
Plasma treated surface can be used for
removal of wet lubricant or fine oxide
layer removal.
Whilst the material is kept in an inert
atmosphere, the material surface is
cleaned and activated, allowing for
effective surface coating (good coat
adhesion) or strong intermetallic layer
creation between the material and
surface coating.
PlasmaCleaner can be used in
conjunction with polymer coating/
extrusion (PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE or
Teflon), cladding, spray coating, taping,
enamelling or magnet wire, or for
production of power and signalling
conductors for various cables (solid,
rectangular, braided or bunched).
PlasmaCleaner can also be used as an
efficient and accurate preheater.
Plasma is ineffective when it comes to
removal of large quantities of soaps
and scale, where conventional cleaning
processes such as ultrasonic cleaning
can be used as pre-cleaning in
combination with fine, dry plasma
treatment.
After cooling in an inert atmosphere
the material can also be led to ambient
air where a fine oxide layer is formed
on the processed material surface. This
results in a high degree of surface
passivation, which will protect the
surface by slowing down subsequent
surface corrosion.
Plasmait GmbH – Austria
Website: ❍ Plasma treated copper wire
New development centre for Melos
Cleaning and degreasing wire the Plasmait way
New president at the helm
Magnetic Analysis Corp (MAC) recently promoted Dudley M Boden to president
and chief executive officer.
Having spent 15 years as MAC’s vice president – sales & marketing, Mr Boden
brings an in-depth understanding of the company’s test systems and customer
inspection needs. He is now focused on broadening the firm’s product offering in
order to take advantage of new opportunities that have arisen.
“Boden’s work in expanding overseas operations and strengthening the sales
force and office procedures is providing a firm basis for future successful
initiatives under his leadership,” said MAC’s chairman, William S Gould 3rd.
Prior to joining MAC, Mr Boden was a director and general manager of Minolta
Corporation’s Instrument Systems Division. While there, he was responsible for
production and sales of quality control equipment. He holds a degree in
Photographic Science and Instrumentation from the Rochester Institute of
Technology.
Magnetic Analysis Corporation – USA Website: