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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2016
Technologynews
New plenum cable compounds with enhanced
flame and smoke performance
New flame retardant and smoke suppressant technologies have enhanced
the performance of wire and cable compounds that were already the leading
PVC-based low-flame/low-smoke products for plenum applications, according to
Teknor Apex Company.
Four new grades in the Fireguard® line of plenum cable compounds exhibit
oxygen indices from 49 to 51.5 per cent. Shore C hardness levels range from 80
to 90.
The new grades are Fireguard 910A-72-NL for jacketing ‘hybrid’ insulation in
Category 5e and Category 6 unshielded plenum cables; Fireguard 910A-76-NL
for jacketing ‘hybrid’ insulation in Category 5e and Category 6 shielded plenum
cables; Fireguard 910A-79-NL for jacketing RG6 coaxial cable; and Fireguard
910A-80 UVF-NL for jacketing indoor/outdoor fibre optic distribution cables.
“In NFPA 262 flame tests, these new compounds generate lower levels of smoke
and flame spread than any generically similar compound in the marketplace,”
said Mike Patel, director of marketing and business development for the vinyl
division of Teknor Apex. “They require no special equipment to process and can
be extruded at the same high rates as standard Fireguard compounds.”
Teknor Apex Company, a privately held firm founded in 1924, produces flexible
and rigid vinyl, thermoplastic elastomers, nylons, colour masterbatches,
speciality chemicals and hoses.
Its vinyl division manufactures compounds based on PVC, including Apex
flexible and rigid vinyl, Flexalloy vinyl elastomers, Fireguard low-flame,
low-smoke compounds for wire and cable, and BioVinyl™ compounds with
bio-based plasticiser. The division is an international supplier to the appliance,
automotive, construction, medical device, wire and cable and other industries.
Teknor Apex – USA Website:
Precision wire EDM
Makino’s HEAT U3 features a split precision V-guide wire system and four-sided
work table, and is said to have the lowest wire consumption in the industry.
Like the Makino U3, the U3 HEAT (High Energy Applied Technology) has five
programmable axes.
“This machine is fast, reliable and requires very little maintenance,” said technical
equipment president Lou Olson. “It was designed to be user friendly.”
The U3 and U3 HEAT feature a new cutting technology called HyperCut,
designed for superior part accuracy and surface finish. HyperCut is capable of
producing a 3umRz surface finish with three-pass machining, and represents a
20 per cent reduction in cycle time and 14 per cent saving in wire consumption
when compared to previous technologies.
Materials for steel and carbide have been developed and support both sealed
and non-sealed flushing applications. The U3 HEAT also features Makino’s
technology for wire EDM machining speed and accuracy in parts featuring poor
or difficult flushing conditions.
The U3 and U3 HEAT contain a comprehensive cutting condition library, with over
2,200 settings for many material types and flushing conditions from 0.004" to
0.012" diameter wire. These settings include optimised conditions for standard
hard brass wires, high-speed coated wires and high-taper soft wires.
The depth and versatility of the entire cutting condition library ensure that all
applications can be machined at optimum productive levels.
Makino – Japan Website: