WCA January 2011

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Dies
Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2011 60
Cable compacting and
stranding dies
Sanxin Nano dies, for compacting and stranding operations, are manufactured
from a tungsten carbide die, to which a very thin layer of nanocrystalline diamond
particles is applied to the working surface of the nib.
The particles are in the nanometre size range and all the particles are the same
size, locked together in a pattern to produce exceptional hardness and strength.
Tungsten carbide and PCD dies continue to wear until they go out of tolerance;
Nano dies hold +0 tolerance for their entire working life. When a Nano die finally
fails it is due to the collapse of the diamond surface, caused by metal fatigue in
the tungsten carbide foundation material.
In compacting and stranding applications, the +0 working life of a Nano die might
be as high as 1,000km, but typical die life is in the range 500-800km.
The Nano die +0 tolerance offers savings in raw material. For example, if
compacting a 240mm copper cable at 18.4mm diameter, a comparison may be
made between a tungsten carbide die which opens out by 0.1mm in 100km of
cable compacted, and a Nano die which holds +0 tolerance.
The Nano die is said to have the potential to pay for itself in the first few kilometres,
and to continue to save raw material costs over 600 or 700km.
Nano dies are thought to impart a better surface finish on the cable than TC dies.
Furthermore, less energy is required to run compacting and stranding machinery
when using Nano dies, due to the extremely smooth working surface.
Sanxin Wire Die Inc – USA
Email:
Website:
Die Saver finisher
Die Quip has released the Die Saver line of die finishing machines for tungsten carbide wire drawing dies. The line comprises
three models, said to be capable of grinding or polishing dies in either manual or automatic cycles to meet the requirements
of any die shop. All models are of a heavy-duty construction, with simple controls and Die Quip’s sine bar angle setting for
accurate angles and faster polishing times.
The HDF-100 is the starting machine, designed mainly for high speed polishing but capable of grinding small numbers of dies
per day with its 9,000rpm spindle. The MGF-200 is a semi-automatic machine with a high-speed spindle to meet the needs
of most wire mills, and the SGF-300 (with the largest die holding capacity of 100mm) has the most powerful grinding spindle
and automatic cycle.
For large production of dies the MGF or
SGF machines can be combined with
Die Quip’s Die Flex line of calibrating
and polishing machines.
Die Quip’s machines are designed to
produce tooling in-house to improve
material delivery times, reduce
tooling costs and provide productivity
improvements by increasing die
life through better design, but the
company also offers extensive training
programmes, with on-site training,
detailed manuals and the exclusive
Die Making handbook.
Die Quip Corporation – USA
Fax: +1 412 835 6474
Email :
Website:
Die grinding machine from Die Quip ❍ ❍