WCA March 2015

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8 Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2015
Industrynews
World’s largest machine
for armouring of
offshore power cable
❍ The MKVD 96x800+112x800 from Sket
Graphics bigstockphoto.com Artist Eky Studio
SKET Verseilmaschinenbau has scaled
new heights related to the output of
the company and the size of the
machines it has designed and
delivered.
During recent months the company
supplied the largest tandem cage
type-stranding machine in the world to
a Scandinavian cable producer for the
armouring of offshore power cable with
a diameter up to 350mm.
The machine, a type MKVD
96x800+112x800, is 150m long, not
including the turntables at the input
and the take-up ends. It consists in the
main of two stranding cages arranged
to accommodate 96 and 112 bobbins,
respectively. The bobbins have a
flange diameter of 800mm and are
suitable for up to 7mm diameter steel
wire.
The stranding cages can be operated
either with 100 per cent or with zero
per cent back twist in single or tandem
mode. The machine is suitable for the
stranding of galvanised or plastic
insulated round or flat steel wire and
copper and aluminium alloy wire.
A particular technical feature of the
machine is that each of the cages is
fitted with a single cradle which can
accommodate bobbins with a flange
diameter of 1,000mm, suitable for fibre
optic conductors. These bobbins are
arranged to operate with a single
reverse twist.
The stranding system is completed by
tape wrapping heads suitable for the
application of four tapes, jute applicators
for up to 72 copses, special die boxes
and pre-form heads and a number of
band haul-offs. Semi-automatic portal
cranes are provided for loading and
unloading of the bobbins.
With the fulfilment of major contracts
for leading wire rope and cable
producers worldwide, including
General Cable, NKT, Bridon, Kiswire
and Brunton Shaw, Sket has
demonstrated its ability and reliability
as a supplier.
Sket Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH –
Germany
Website: