News
Corporate
May 2014
24
Two members of the International Wire and
Machinery Association retired from the executive
board at the annual general meeting in February.
Terry Robinson, of XL Technologies UK Ltd, served
as a board member, chairman, treasurer and a
member of various sub-committees. Colin Dawson,
of Whitelegg Machines Ltd, was a former chairman
and elected president in 2012.
Mr Robinson’s decision to retire from the board
was strongly influenced by family duties. “I have
enjoyed serving the association over the years and
will, without doubt, miss the many friends I have
made during my time at the IWMA,” he said.
Mr Dawson’s place on the board has been taken
by his son, Glyn, who will continue the tradition
of Whitelegg Machines being a long-standing
supporter of the IWMA. The company was one of
the original founding members in 1970.
IWMA – UK
Website
:
Dr
Jeremy
Hodge,
chief
executive
of
the
British
Approvals Service for Cables
(BASEC) advises end users and
manufacturers to ensure the
quality of cable sheathing before
use.
Electricians
across
Europe
should check their cable can
be easily stripped before first
fix installation. It is a simple
and worthwhile check that can
save time and cost later. If cable
has been laid and plastering or
decoration has been completed,
when the installer comes to fit
accessories at second fix and the
cable cannot be stripped easily,
there can be serious difficulties
which will cost the electrician
both time and money.
In the cable production process,
a sprinkling of fine chalk or
a silicone spray is applied in
between the cores of a multi
core cable, which enables the
sheath to be easily stripped
from the cores. If the chalk
runs out during production, or
an insufficient amount of chalk
is used, the sheath will stick to
the cores and make the cable
difficult or impossible to strip.
Having reviewed this problem
with installer organisations and
cable manufacturers, BASEC
is treating this problem as
a serious production failure
and is advising manufacturers
to be more vigilant in their
production. Any cable batches
found to have insufficient chalk
should not be sold and should
be returned to the supplier.
Manufacturers are also advised
to ensure the thickness of the
sheath meets relevant standards.
If the sheath is too thin cables
can disintegrate when subjected
to rigorous safety tests. For
example, a cable sheath can
fragment and break in a cold
bending test if it is too thin. This
problem could result in a fire,
short circuit or an electric shock.
Strippability can be readily
checked by the electrician by
feeling the free end of each
reel of cable with a fingernail to
see if the sheath can be lifted
away from the cores. If it will
not come away from the cores
easily, then normal stripping of
the cable should be attempted.
If it is difficult to strip without
damaging
the
insulation
material, affected cable should
be returned to the supplier.
Installers should always make
checks on each reel of cable
used.
If cable has been installed and
then found to be unstrippable
at second fix, the electrician
should advise the supplier of
the particular cable batches
purchased and the problem
they have encountered. This
should then be investigated by
the supplier. With regard to the
installation, ideally the problem
cable should be replaced.
However, if it is necessary to
work around the problem, it is
possible for the electrician to
leave the outer sheathing in
place and separate the cores
by cutting down the centre line
of the cable, being careful not
to damage the insulation. All
necessary electrical installation
verification tests must then be
performed.
Electricians’ priority must be
to ensure quality and safety.
To help safeguard against the
risk of installing cable which is
substandard, electricians should
ensure that the cable supplied
is the correctly specified cable
and always check the markings
on the cable sheath – not just
the packaging. For peace of
mind, you should also insist
on an independent third-party
approved cable with a BASEC or
HAR mark.
It is important to note that the
problem of unstrippable cable
can happen with low smoke
halogen free cables as well as
PVC.
BASEC – UK
Website
:
Check your cable sheathing
Board members retire
▲
▲
Colin Dawson, right, is thanked for his service by chairman
Steven Rika
▲
▲
Terry Robinson, left, is presented with a gift on his retirement
from the executive board
by Paul Wright, board member
25 years
and
counting
for SIF
SIF, founded in
1989, celebrates
its 25
th
anniversary
this year – and
it is thanks to
its research and
development,
innovation
and thinking,
which allows it
to manufacture
quality products,
high value-added
and technological
content.
This was shown
at wire 2014 in
Düsseldorf where
the company
showed its new
iHV product family
– the ‘i’ standing
for innovative,
intelligent,
intuitive, illustrated
and interactive,
and the HV
meaning high
voltage.
Common
elements of these
products are the
GUI (graphical
user interface) 7"
touch screen with
microcontroller
technology, a
menu for the
simple use
of the device
and a group
of peripherals
designed on
function of the
application.
▲
▲
iHV_PST550K15
from SIF
