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New-Tech Magazine Europe l 57
frequently being used for the download
of films to tablets and smart-TVs, the
majority of digital information being
transmitted for multimedia applications
is via cable. Typical applications can
be seen in sport centres, airports and
conference centres, and for high-
end applications in media centres,
radio and TV stations, live shows and
musical productions. Here, these cables
have to perform with high precision,
maintaining stable impedance values
and low dielectric loss.
For optimum transmission quality,
Flamar develops and manufactures
braided and wrapped shielding in plain
copper and tin. The use of very fine
copper wires (0.10 mm) in combination
with a high performance abrasion
resistant outer jacket material, which
can be also water and UV resistant,
gives a range of products for high-end
professional use.
Cables for Industrial
Automation
Growing automatization in the industry
and the support of robots, automation
systems and process control to assist
manual production processes makes
this range of cables one of the most
important ones. A comprehensive
range of cables for Sensors,
Measurement, Controls, Robotics and
Drives applications, assuring excellent
performance, quality and durability for
this industrial sector, is available from
Flamar.
Sensor cables are used to measure
weight,
temperature,
pressure,
flow position, level, vibration, and
movement and can be terminated to
M8 and M12 connector systems. A full
range of sensor cables suitable for fixed
and moving installations, for a broad
spectrum of applications ranging from
those found in the hygienic food and
medical industries to oil & gas and other
hazardous environments, is available.
Suitable for fixed and occasionally
moving installations, control cables are
mainly used in control and measuring
equipment such as assembly line tools,
conveyors, control panels and generally
where connectivity is required. Ranging
from 0.50 mm2 up to 2.50 mm2,
control cables are constructed in a way
that they are easy to handle, to strip, to
cut and to terminate.
Flamar uses copper and tin-plated
copper braid, aluminium polyester foils
and combinations of these to screen
against the effects of EMI. In addition,
flame retardant PVC, polyolefin
compounds and a wide selection
of polyurethanes can be used in
combination to achieve a small bending
radius,
high-flex
characteristics,
low friction and mechanical stress
properties and resistance to oils and
chemical substances at a suitable price/
performance level.
Cables for Drag Chains
Drag chains or cable chains are special
chains designed to protect and guide
flexible cable or hydraulic and pneumatic
hoses connected to moving automated
machines and equipment. Typical
applications include machine tools,
cranes, car wash equipment, medical
and laboratory equipment, automatic
warehousing, forklifts, industrial robots
and offshore oil rigs. The purpose of
these chains is to reduce wear and
stress on the cables and hoses, as well
as give them good protection against
the operating environment and to also
help improve operator safety.
For these applications, Flamar offers
flexible and hi-flex cables that meet the
highest quality levels and are available
with UL/CSA approvals. A normal flexible
cable might withstand 10,000 to 50,000
cycles, whereas a drag chain cable
can handle between 1 and 5 million
cycles. A key factor for these cables is
that they are rigorously tested to prove
operational reliability, which meets all
applicable standards and directives.
To achieve these high performance levels,
plain and tin-plated copper wires with
pitch and stranding optimised for a longer
life time are used. PP or TPE extruded
insulation reduces cable dimensions and
improves the mechanical properties.
Special & Hybrid Cables
Designing and manufacturing custom
made hybrid cables, suitable for
applications with low voltage and
power conductors, together with coax
data and transmission elements is one
of the key characteristics Flamar is
known for. In addition to combinations
of copper conductors, these cables can
also contain a large number of other
components such as pneumatic and
hydraulic hoses that integrate aramid
fibres for mechanical reinforcement.
The integration of many different
components into one hybrid cable takes
less space and allows a faster installation
than traditional individual elements.
Future Developments
As well as developing, manufacturing
and supplying custom cable, the
company will now offer a range of
standard cables. One such cable is
the Flamar-Flex cable. Designed for
dynamic applications, the cable can
operate reliably and safely in extremely
small bending radius applications – as
tight as 5x outside diameter.
Flamar-Flex cables are designed with
performance in mind. Rather than have
the insulation applied under pressure
it is instead extruded over the copper
strand. This makes the insulation easy
to strip – especially for larger cross-
sections (4 or 6mm2). The special
extrusion technique allows space
between each copper strands compared
to insulation applied under pressure,
which typically is very thick and difficult
to strip. An additional benefit to the
“tube” extrusion technique is that less
insulation material is used, making it
cheaper, more lightweight and flexible.
These cables are tested and proven to
more than 5 million cycles.
Another new concept of this cable is
its outer jacket, which uses a new type
of polyurethane. Typical UL/CSA outer
jackets are rated for temperatures up to
80°C, however this new TPU is rated up
to 90°C. The new type of polyurethane
outer jacket of the Flamar-Flex cable
has been tested to temperatures of
at least 90°C - the cable is UL/CSA
approved (style 21209 / 21757) for
temperature ranges of -50 to +90°C. In
addition, it is oil-resistant (EN 50363-
10, VDE 7472-803/B and UL1581/758),
flame-retardant (IEC 60332-1, VW1,
FT1, UL Vertical Flame Test) and
Halogen-free (IEC 60754-1, EN 50267-
2-1, VDE 0472-815).