EoW January 2012

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EuroWire – January 2012 11
News
Corporate
Draka has developed two new
radiation hardened fibres, Super
RadHard single-mode fibre
(SRH-SMF) and Super RadHard
multimode fibre (SRH-MMF), said
to offer substantially improved
performance.
Draka SRH-SMF and SRH-MMF
radiation hardened fibres are built
using fluorine as a dopant in the core
region, replacing the germanium
used in previous versions of RadHard
fibre. Fluorine greatly improves the
radiation induced attenuation (RIA).
For the SRH-MMF the refractive
index profile still has graded-index
design, combining high bandwidth
(even during and after irradiative
circumstances) with low radiation
induced attenuation.
For over a decade Draka has been
active in the area of radiation
hardened optical fibres. A series
of RadHard single-mode fibres
(RH-SMF) and graded-index
multimode fibres (RH-MMF)
have been approved by the USA
Department of Defense (DoD)
complying with MIL-PRF-49291
specifications. The Draka Eindhoven
fibre plant is MIL-790 quality
assurance certified.
As well as military applications,
Draka regular RadHard fibre has
been used in other irradiative
environments, including CERN’s
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) where
over 1,500km of RH-SMF is installed
inside the LHC tunnel, and in the
LHC ATLAS detector.
Draka Communications –
Netherlands
Email:
Website:
ABB has completed its acquisition of the Trasfor
Group. Trasfor is a leading producer of dry-type
transformers and inductors for low-voltage and
medium-voltage applications.
The company makes specialised products for
drives, railway rolling stock, offshore wind
power and other renewable energy based
power generation and for a range of industries
including marine, oil and gas.
The acquisition strengthens ABB’s transformer
business, broadens the customer offering and
extends the company’s market presence.
ABB Ltd – Switzerland
Fax : +41 433 174 420
Email :
Website:
Radiation hardened fibres Trasfor acquisition
is completed
Fainplast Srl – a leading company in the
field of plastics with a strong vocation for
innovation – has been investing in the
field of renewable energies, an area in
continuous expansion thanks in no small
part to government subsidies.
The company has developed a wide range
of crosslinkable halogen free compounds
(XLPO-HFFR) with high thermal and
mechanical properties that are used in
the production of solar cables intended
for solar panels and for those applications
requiring low emissions of toxic fumes in
case of fire (railways, ships, airports, etc).
These materials, besides guaranteeing
high flame, abrasion and moisture
resistance and very low fumes emissions,
offer very long lasting performances, even
though they remain exposed to all types
of weather.
The added value that Fainplast gives
to this type of compound lies in the
crosslinking method, the so-called Sioplas
method. The crosslinking process begins
by adding a catalyst in a percentage
varying from one per cent to seven per
cent during extrusion.
The Sioplas method is not only
synonymous with effectiveness but
also with efficiency. In fact, it does
not require large investments for
manufacturers and can be implemented
through a normal PVC production
line. For customers this is therefore an
excellent solution, cheaper than other
cable production methods.
In addition, several companies have
already obtained important international
certifications using Fainplast halogen
free compounds, such as the German TÜV
and VDE. Besides these certifications, this
material allows certification to the French
UTE and the Italian CEI 20–91.
Fainplast Srl – Italy
Fax: +39 0736 403 807
Email:
Website:
Fainplast leading player
in renewable energies
▲ ▲ The Fainplast head office