EoW March 2008

wire 31 March-04 April

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Solvay Specialty Polymers can provide materials with outstanding performance to guarantee all the standards required. In the company portfolio there are fluoropolymers and crosslinkable LS0H technopolymers to cover all the needs of this market. Fluoropolymers deliver more stable electrical performance when exposed to thermal cycling and humidity than traditional wire and cable polymers, while technopolymers show good mechanical, thermal and flame retardant properties. of fluoromaterials, Hyflon®, Halar®, Solef® and Hylar® also has a unique balance of the highest chemical resistance, extreme temperature performance, and high mechanical and flex strength. This, along with a tailored processability, makes them a natural choice for cable designers to meet their demanding require- ments in diverse markets such as automotive, avionics/military, consumer electronics, as well as oil and gas. Solvay's long lists of patents include innovative technologies from cross-linkable PVDF to a foaming and smoke suppressant packages. In telecommunications, two of the most important factors in cable design are electrical and signal performance. The dissipation factor, dielectric constant and dielectric strength of the polymer selected for insulation determines the cable’s ability to transmit an electrical current or signal. But not all fluoromaterials provide equivalent performance. The Hyflon F series such as MFA 1041 offers enhanced electrical perfor- mance over FEP as it is more crystalline, thus imparting a lower dissipation factor. From the fire safety side, fluoropolymers offer the highest fire protection for fire codes in Europe, USA, and the developing codes in Asia. In high occupancy buildings such as a school or hospital where a higher level of fire safety is desired the Construction Product Directive B1 class is the best option. The B1 classification cannot be met without fluoropolymers. Algoflon® PTFE is used in high frequency telecommunications, automotive, and aerospace applications. Where increased flexibility with chemical resistance and high temperatures is required, Tecnoflon FKM fluoroelastomers are an ideal choice for power cables, appliance wire, electrical interconnect solutions, and as a replacement for silicone elastomers. The technopolymer portfolio offers Cogegum® GFR/325, a new reference for single and multicore H07ZZ and fire resistant cables, and Cogegum GFR/340, which is used for heat resistant flame retardant cables, thanks to its high thermo mechanical resistance. Solvay Specialty Polymers’ family

It allows high flexibility, high extrusion speed on conventional extrusion lines and fast ambient curing. Other materials are Cogenum GFR/365, a new generation of cross-linkable LS0H compound for sheathing and insulation purposes, used in applications like railway rolling stock, off-shore platforms and shipboard wiring and Polidiemme® G/450, an extra flexible elastomer-based crosslinkable compound, ‘ambient curing’ and environment-friendly for power, special and very flexible cable insulation and sheathing, used in industrial, immersion water pump, EPDM and EPR cables.

To weld steel with high carbon content at horizontal pay-offs there are butt- welding machines movable on flange wheels and rails However, if there are several welding stations along the line of a horizontal pay- off, it is recommended to consider having a buttwelding machine with a platform parallel to the line, as well as on the platform itself, both motions on flange wheels in matching rails. Here the welder can be brought close to coil rings, eg wire ends to be joined, and out of the line, again after the welding process. For not having to straighten the wire ends prior to welding, the welders’ design allows hydraulic clamping of the material in the coil radius. Depending on the requirements of the individual steel quality, the machines can be equipped with different annealing options, eg programmable microprocessor-controls for stepless adjustment of capacities and times for welding and annealing, etc. •

Solvay Specialty Polymers – USA Fax : +1 713 525 7891 Email : info@solef.com Website : www.solef.com

August Strecker GmbH & Co KG 10 A21

For 75 years August Strecker GmbH & Co KG in Limburg, Germany, has beenmanufacturing buttwelding machines for the wire and cable industry.

August Strecker GmbH & Co KG – Germany Fax : +49 6431 44221 Email : info@strecker-limburg.de Website : www.strecker-limburg.de

An example of the wide-spread production programme includes electric buttwelders for ripped bars, as well as other steel grades up to high carbon steel or alloyed steel, suitable for joining the ends of hanging wire coils. There are different machine executions which allow easy mobility of the welder. In case there is only one work station for welding in the line, there are two options: To weld re-bars at special horizontal pay-offs it is possible to use a slewable welder fixed to a column (see picture) • The Type 3a slewable buttwelding machine, mounted on a column ▲

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EuroWire – March 2008