EuroWire May 2015

News Corporate

Ajex and Turner has introduced a new concept of VNT dies which are a completely new type of diamond dies. The cable being compacted passes through the hardness of diamond, but the cost of the VNT dies is less than the cost of a solid diamond nib. Here, lower cost does not indicate low quality; what matters is the raw material being utilised by cost-effective model technology. Moreover, VNT dies run cooler because they have lower friction than other dies, so they do less damage to the microstructure of the conductors during the compacting process. This results in significantly lower electrical resistance in the cable conductors. Hence, conductors may be bright while maintaining fully compliant cable. These dies are made with multi-layer coatings of nanocrystalline diamond composites on PCD/hard metal, which provides an extremely smooth surface with very low friction. The VNT die can be used for compacting copper, aluminium or aluminium alloys. It is well known that the quality of a PCD die deteriorates over time due to two related factors. The relatively soft filler materials like cobalt and tungsten wear out, exposing the jagged edges of the diamond particles and increasing surface friction. As this process continues, the work piece begins to ‘pull out’ bits of diamond material from the PCD material and this is what causes the bore diameter to increase. By comparison, a VNT die holds a +0 tolerance during its entire life. This is due to the extreme hardness of the nanocrystalline diamond surface. When a VNT die fails, it is not like a tungsten carbide or PCD die in which a process of steady wear causes the die to go out of tolerance. A VNT die typically holds its diameter +0.00 for 600-900km of cable compacted. In some cases, the die will run for 1,000km of cable compacted. The VNT die working life is between 15 and 20 times longer than carbide dies. The surface finish of the drawn conductor is also superior compared to carbide dies. Ajex and Turner – India Website : www.ajexturner.com VNT dies for cable manufacturers ▲ ▲ The VNT die from Ajex and Turner

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May 2015