WCA September 2014

Technology news

Stranding machine for the manufacture of AC and DC offshore energy cables

THE requirement for very long offshore power cables having a diameter of up to 350mm led to the development and market availability of systems designed to meet the demands of modern production. During this development process, in addition to the conventional stranding of three-phase AC cables on cage-type stranding machines with back-twist, the principle of the vertical stranding machine, which had been used for many years in various areas of cable and rope production, pushed its way back to the forefront of consideration. This principle makes possible the particularly cost effective and efficient manufacture of AC power cable. In a second subsequent process, the stranded energy cable cores are armoured with one or two layers of steel wire armour and provided with additional optic elements, tapes, yarn and bitumen. SKET Verseilmaschinenbau and its partners have been among those companies meeting the requirements of the market in this way for over ten years. At the end of 2013 two further vertical stranding machines were supplied to customers in Europe and Asia. Since then, the machine installed in the European cable works has successfully completed trials and has produced its first cable contracts for the offshore power cable market. The machine supplied to a leading Japanese customer has already successfully produced its first test and acceptance cables and is just about to go into production. SKET presented its latest development at the wire 2014 international trade fair in April, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The company exhibited a model of a vertical stranding machine, attracting great interest. Many visitors from both domestic and foreign markets used their visit to the stand to inform themselves concerning the advantages of and the applications for vertical stranding machines. These machines are customised to the particular

requirements of the individual customer. The next machines for customers in Asia are already in the planning stages. In production at SKET during the fourth quarter of this year is a two-cage type stranding machine which is additionally designed to apply over 200 armouring wires together with several optic elements to AC or DC offshore power cables. SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH – Germany Website : www.sketvmb.de ❍ SKET MVD type vertical laying-up machine for making submarine cables with a maximum diameter of 300mm

Optimising costs with the launch of new tester

not least, 3D technology has allowed us to integrate mechanical parts more extensively than ever before,” said product manager Poul Knudsen. Visually, the compact instrument is an example of Danish quality and sharp industrial design. The instrument measures wire samples up to 350ºC and handles both round and flat wire. DSE Test Solutions A/S – Denmark Website : www.dse.dk

Adapting the dynamic direct heating technology from the top model TD5, it has become possible to achieve a level of repeatability of the measurements not currently available anywhere in the market at this price level for tangent delta testers. “Intensive use of the latest 3D technology in prototyping has not only reduced the end price, but has also proven to be a great tool for testing and development of new ideas and, last but

DSE Test Solutions, a global provider of instruments for curing measurement in the production of enamelled/magnet wire, has added a new tangent delta tester to its expansive product portfolio. In the development of the new TD3 tangent delta tester, DSE has focused on reducing the number of mechanical parts with the aim of optimising costs as well as reducing the need for spare parts.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2014