WCA January 2011

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Technology news
Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2011 38
Compounds for severe
conditions
A new material blend from S&E Specialty Polymers, featuring extreme toughness
and resistance to severe environmental conditions, is being used by a leading
custom cable manufacturer in the USA for wire jacketing for wind turbine
applications around the world.
The blend, designated Tufflex 2200 series, is a chlorinated thermoplastic
elastomer (TPE) compound that is flame retardant, UV resistant, oil resistant and
extremely temperature resistant.
Tufflex 2200 series meets the requirements for (UL) type WTTC and CSA type
CIC cable products and is suitable for installation in the tower and nacelle of wind
turbines, where it is exposed to extreme conditions that include cold, heat and
vibration. The finished electrical cables are used for control and service power
for the wind turbines. They are critical components for the operation and
maintenance of the tower and nacelle.
S&E first developed compounds for wind turbine producers in 2005. Ilia Charlat,
S&E’s vice-president of engineering, commented: “The specifications have
evolved and become much more stringent since then as the use of wind turbines
has expanded significantly around the world.”
S&E Specialty Polymers LLC – USA Fax: +1 978 537 5310
Email: Website:
The nacelle at the top of m m
the wind turbine tower
True sequential footage gives precision
Cerro Wire LLC, a manufacturer of copper electrical building wire and cable, has
introduced True Sequential Footage™, a sequentially printed cable reel that
provides accurate wire length with each cut. True Sequential Footage prevents
the need to carry excess cable inventory, providing precision length, accurate
footage, and cost control.
True Sequential Footage uses a footage mark to document remaining wire,
beginning with zero at the bottom of the reel and ending with the finished length
at the top. The accurate footage mark allows for quick identification of the
re-order point, guaranteeing the full purchased wire length and reducing random
lengths. This better controls end-of-reel scrap. The need to carry excess
inventory is reduced with the precision cutting allowed by True Sequential
Footage. Wire normally lost on each cut made with less accurate cutting systems
(3 to 8%) is said to be saved when True Sequential Footage’s precision footage
marking system is used.
Cerro Wire LLC – USA Website: