Author: WCTI

ArticlesFeatured

Cutting-Edge Heat Stabilizers for PVC Wire & Cable

WCTI 1342 Views

In the past, most heat stabilizers for PVC wire and cables were lead-based. As awareness of safety and health issues grows around the world, health and environmental regulations are becoming more and more stringent every day. The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) notes in a risk management option analysis (RMOA) that lead and lead compounds are classified under the CLP Regulation as category 1A substances toxic to reproduction, toxic following prolonged and repeated exposure, and hazardous to aquatic life. Lead stabilizers are therefore now banned for various applications in many countries and have been replaced by alternatives

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ArticlesWHCC

Turning Recycling into Circularity

WCTI 1431 Views

In the 1960s, with no environmental requirements, nor regulations, NKT A/S, located in Brøndby, Denmark, pioneered the first methods to recycle cable scrap. And for more than 50 years has developed best practice processes for cable scrap recycling. And the legacy of cable scrap recycling continues at NKT to this day, ensuring the re-use of materials along with the sustainable disposal of nonrecyclable cable components.
The need for recycling of production scrap from power cables has increased steadily over the years, reflecting our society’s increased focus on re-use of the resources

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ArticlesEmphasisHeating & Surface Treatment

Rod Wire Pickling & Phosphating

WCTI 1994 Views

The steel material phosphating process has the purpose to produce a surface conversion layer, at thin and compact thickness strongly anchored on the surface, in order to facilitate the cold deformation or the further drawing operations. It exists with different types of phosphate. For rod wire, the most frequently used is the zinc phosphate. After phosphating, an opportune covering with lubricating layer on the phosphated surface is necessary

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ArticlesEmphasisEquipmentMarking & PrintingShowcaseSpotlight

Spotlight on Marking & Printing

WCTI 1694 Views

As printing and marking are functions that are used in almost every industry, this sector of wire and cable manufacturing and processing benefits from economies of scale in research, development, manufacturing and service. There are many excellent suppliers to the industry, and state-of-the-art methods, machines, materials and services are available to improve the way you mark and print on wire and cable

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ArticlesEmphasisHeating & Surface Treatment

In-Line Annealing Process – As Important as the wire drawing process itself

WCTI 2070 Views

Considering the downstream process from rod to fine wire, be it single or multi-wire production, the in-line annealing process is as important as the wire drawing process itself, because it must ensure the required mechanical and electrical properties (elongation, mechanical strength and conductivity), maintain the wire diameter and roundness defined by the final die, and for metal-plated wires, ensure the integrity of the wire coated surface

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ArticlesFeatured

Shielded vs. Unshielded Cables in Power Over Ethernet

WCTI 1331 Views

The study described in this article, was carried out on different types of cables with different conductor sizes and bundle sizes. At the end of the article, some interesting observations and findings are included. One test for PoE takes approximately 16 hours of time, which is huge in the day in and day out work for the development and quality engineers to spare for each cable. So during this study, a simulation model was generated, which predicts the temperature rise for different types of cables, bundle size and conductor size for the given environmental conditions. This article also gives some insight on the validation of the model versus actual measured temperature for the given test configuration.

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ArticlesTech Briefs

Production of Micromasterbatches to Improve Dilution Process in the PVC & Cable Industry

WCTI 1574 Views

The micromasterbatch is a type of masterbatch with a reduced pellet size, applicable in both PVC and polyolefins, which provides better control and optimal color homogeneity. A key bet in the sector in order to make cable manufacturing cheaper, speed up production, gain efficiency and guarantee the highest possible quality. And the fact is that the reduced size of the Delta Tecnic masterbatch ensures a faster dilution, as it melts and incorporates the compound earlier

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ArticlesWHCC

Webinar Explores Wire Harness Assembly in Mexico

WCTI 1609 Views

Hourly direct labor rates can be as low as $2.30 per hour in Mexico, according to Entrada Group, which is co-hosting a webinar with Wire & Cable Technology International (WCTI) magazine on May 12, 2021. “This makes Mexico the most cost-competitive location in the Americas for wire harness assembly,” according to Entrada, which has more than two decades experience guiding wire harness-makers in setting up and running their own operation in Mexico

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ArticlesFeatured

Wire Breaks and the Role of Drawing Machine Operators

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Wire breaks can occur during the wire drawing process. They are the undesirable result of unfavorable interactions of forces, tensions and other physical phenomena in the wire material which exceed its tensile strength. The consequences are increased machine down times and scrap production.
One of the main types of wire breaks are called “cup-andcone” breaks because one end of the broken wire is conelike and the other end is deepened like a cup or like a crater. These breaks usually occur when the wire passes through a drawing die

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