The 51^st General Meeting of the International Association INTERCABLE took place in Helsinki, Finland on June 13 – 17 of 2016. Within the framework of this Meeting, there was a Scientific & Technical Symposium on the following topic: Improving cable manufacturing processes and the quality of the cable products. There were 12 presentations at the Symposium, addressing the subject.

In a presentation called “Maillefer – delivering customer value in an ever changing world” by Maillefer Extrusion Oy (Finland), cable products are divided into several main categories and suggestions are made as to how to make relevant manufacturing processes more efficient. Specific areas within the manufacturing processes are identified for potential improvement (called “value offering”). The following are the three main product categories:

1) Relatively basic cables.

2) Standard cables.

3) Cable products manufactured to higher standards or special requirements.

Service packages and consultations are offered for each of the above product types (so-called “value drivers”). Among these offers, there is a proposal to make extrusion process more efficient (includes extrudate melting point optimization), a proposal to achieve wall thickness stability at lowest levels possible, update customers’ existing extrusion lines and so forth.

“How to get the most out of your equipment” presentation by Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH (Austria) poses an important question when it comes to deciding on how to make production processes more efficient: “What makes more sense: buying new equipment or updating existing one?” To answer this question, a business and a technical analysis is obviously needed. An example of such analysis is presented, using a loose tube line. The study focuses on the benefits of decreasing tube’s diameter while maintaining the same number of optical fibers inside the tube and offers a comparative analysis of two investment options: an upgrade of an “old”(i.e. existing) line or its complete replacement. Amongst the specific solutions the company offers, the “smart factory” solution (a line management system) stands out. This system helps to save energy when the line is idle: turns off lighting when it’s not needed and etc. “Smart factory” can also help manage potential amount of scrap, collect and process extrusion line technical mode data, collect test reports and etc. at any given time and anywhere where lines are installed.

In its presentation “TROESTER innovations for cable production”, TROESTER GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) presented a number of innovative solutions for catenary CV lines (CCV lines). More specifically, these improvements have to do with a rearranged heat exchanger and gas module location. New instruments are employed to control positioning of a moving cable inside the tube. An improved (variable) end seal system, called TRENDSEAL, requires no pressure rings or seal inserts and allows for an easy changeover from one cable diameter to another on a CCV line. The TRENDSEAL mechanism is based on two eccentric rollers with space between them adjusting to the diameter of the passing cable. Also, the company offers a system that removes inhomogeneous material created when a CCV line is started and stopped. A kind of a “shaving” effect is accomplished by means of six sequential milling heads removing the inhomogeneous material. Instead of focusing on minimizing start-up lengths, this system allows for an optimization of the start-up time.

A presentation delivered by Sampsistemi S.r.I. (Italy) is called “Improving product quality by upgrading existing production lines: examples of Sampsistemi solutions.” The presentation focuses on ways of increasing efficiency of existing lines, which is particularly relevant today, when the economy is going through a recession. When it comes to drawing, the benefits of switching to submerged wire cooling process vs. spray cooling are demonstrated. Some of the new innovative solutions within the wire drawing process include the following: contact rings cleaning device, which increases their service life; new coiler for existing aluminum rod breakdown lines; an annealing machine that can be used in conjunction with aging rod breakdown lines manufactured by Almaty Heavy Machine Building Plant (AHMBP) that are still utilized across CIS factories; a replacement for non-contact moving wire temperature measuring systems that are no longer available on the market.

Other innovative solutions include a new feeder system for an extruder called “Multiplex”combined with an improved screw that has a length to diameter ratio (L/D) of 25 for use in production of cables to high safety specifications (LS0H/HFFR); an improved coloring system called “Chameleon” (stripe / no stripe); a new extruder for chemical foaming lines – when switching from physical foaming (for production of CAT7 LAN cables).

In its presentation “Improving cable manufacturing process by use of high performance PE compounds,” Borealis AG (Austria) presented a comparison between Visico and Sioplas materials. Consideration was given to final product reliability vs. cost of the material and a need to find a balance when evaluating alternative materials. It’s worth noting that sometimes low initial cost of the material is offset by higher costs associated with its use during the manufacturing process.

            In the end, Visico together with Ambicat catalyst reduce production lead time by approx. 20% when compared to Sioplas. Moreover, when Visico is used, the number of stops for line cleaning is reduced. This frees up time and adds four extra days of potential operations per year (as shown in the example with the production of Al 4×16 mm² SIP-4 type of cable). It should also be noted that the reduction in the crosslinking time leads to a reduced number of saunas needed (down to as few as two).

A presentation by SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH (Germany) is called “Latest high-speed tubular stranders. Development, special features and new applications.” The following are the primary design factors that impact the rotor’s rotation speed:

· the diameter of a support bearing is selected according to the following condition: n ×D_m < 100 000, where n is the number of rotations per minute and D_m is the average diameter of a bearing

· the structural strength of the rotor’s tube

· the maximum tension that can be applied on the wire being stranded (starts at 50 N)

When small diameter cable products are being manufactured (LAN cables, special control cables and etc.) and reeled on drums less than 500 mm in diameter, the tension on the wires being stranded is approximately 10 N. The stranding machine gets equipped with special devices for this type of operations.

            The new stranding machines’ designs feature no slip ring. The information is passed via a magnetic field. This eliminates the slip ring wear factor and makes the machine immune to dusty environments. The company also made a note of having delivered an 83-meter long tubular strander to one of its customers.

The presentation delivered by Dow Europe GmbH (Switzerland) in cooperation with Maillefer and Jeddah Cables Company outlines key variables when it comes to evaluating long runs for cables with XLPE insulation (namely degassing and etc). Long runs obviously increase the production cycle; however, how do they affect the quality of insulation, especially towards the end of the cycle?! The presentation notes that there is a potential risk of insulation quality deteriorating during long runs due to the following factors:

· pressure builds up inside the extruder crosshead, temperature increases and scorch forms, leading to a failure

· polymer stagnation areas are formed inside the crosshead due to the extended heating effect, resulting in a failure

The company offers a polyethylene-based compound which provides for an improved heat stability and no pressure buildup during a wide processing timeframe.

Maschinenfabrik NIEHOFF GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) delivered a presentation on “Challenges in aluminum wire drawing and annealing.” The challenges in question arise due to the fact that the annealing temperature for aluminum wire is 420 – 480 ^oC, which is close to its melting point of 600 ^oC. Copper wire annealing, by contrast, does not pose a similar problem (500 – 550 ^oC vs. 1083 ^oC respectively). The contact tube within the inline annealer is made out of nickel (Ni), while aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) not only forms on the surface of the wire, but is sometimes present in the metal itself as an impurity. Consequently, it is difficult to remove aluminum oxide from the wire prior to annealing. Yet, even small inclusions lead to a significant local temperature rise in the wire during drawing and annealing, which, in turn, leads to breaks of small diameter wires. It should be noted that the amount of inclusions in aluminum varies from supplier to supplier and even between shipments by the same supplier. This is particularly important to consider when a multi-wire drawing process is employed. Emulsion filtration plays an important role while use of emulsion, in general, as oppose to oil, provides for a technically superior drawing process and extends the service life of the equipment. Drawing oil deposits on contact tubes in the annealer reduce the tubes’ service life, increase sparking (traces of carbon appear on contact tubes) and consequently wire breakage. Sparking can be reduced by means of increasing tension on the wire in the drawing machine. As the nickel tube wears down due to aluminum’s (Al) diffusion into nickel (Ni), an Al₃Ni₂ compound is formed which has low dielectric properties. The company also offers contact tubes made out of new material, individually driven contact pulleys for minimal slipping as well as a protective nitrogen environment around the wire once it passes through the last die.

In the presentation “Maillefer services, discover the golden opportunities” by Maillefer Extrusion Oy (Finland), the extent of the company’s after-sales support during the entire service life of the equipment is demonstrated. It begins with training customer’s personnel on how to properly operate the equipment. In general, the company’s services cover all aspects of line operation. A cable manufacturing process analysis for a specific type of product on a CCV line is given as an example. The process review allowed for a reduction of type change time by two hours. Another example of a process review demonstrated how it’s possible to increase the variety of cable products being manufactured on a particular line.

SIKORA AG (Germany) delivered a presentation called “A perfect control of the cable parameters improves cable manufacturing processes and the cable quality.” The viewers’ attention was drawn to the need of applying online control at every stage of the cable manufacturing process: from drawing to insulation and sheathing. A single measuring system cannot provide for an adequate control. A continuous monitoring is necessary. A “hot” value control on an extrusion line (implemented right after the cable exits from an extrusion head) ultimately reduces the amount of time required for quality control as compared to a “cold” value control only (implemented after the cable leaves a cooling bath). It’s possible to combine both types of measurements on the same line: “hot” and “cold.” The company has developed a control management system called Ecocontrol 6000, which can integrate and manage up to 8 separate measuring devices.

A presentation by VUKI a.s. (Slovakia) called “The users’ view on production technologies for power and control cables. Lessons learnt.” reviews quality control issues associated with the process of manufacturing cables for nuclear power plants (NPP), including cables that are meant to operate in emergency conditions (LOCA-proof). Special purpose cables require a fine-tuned manufacturing process. First and foremost, the same type of material should be used as specified in the cable’s design. As for cables that are manufactured to high fire safety requirements, the fact that the material’s resistance properties are highly affected by moisture poses a challenge. Cable manufacturing technologies are optimized based on the type of products being manufactured: mass-produced, special requirements products or products designed for special applications. The proper design of the product also plays an important role in determining its ultimate quality.

A presentation by NBG Systems GmbH (Austria) “Multipurpose FO cables based on stainless steel tubing” focuses on stainless steel tubing solutions for fiber optic cables. The company’s main product line consists of stainless steel tubes with integrated optical fibers of up to 25 km in length. The company’s products are used in fiber optic sensing applications. Two types of the sensing core designs are used: one with optical fibers laying loose inside the tube and the other with fibers encapsulated in tight buffer. The tubes are 1.5 mm in diameter. Some of the sensing solutions provided by NBG Systems can be used in cable products supplied to the oil & gas industry.

A number of administrative issues were also addressed at the IA Intercable General Meeting. Vietnam Electric Cable Corporation (CADIVI) was welcomed as the new member of the Association. CADIVI essentially represents the entire Vietnamese cable industry. Based on the written requests received, the following companies were excluded from the IA Intercable: FORTEK GmbH (Germany) and “SPKB Techno” JSC (Russia). Due to cessation of operations and company dissolution, “Katur-Invest” JSC (Russia) and Caballe S.A. (Spain) are no longer members of the Association. Additionally, the membership of “Elix-Cable” Ltd. (Russia) was cancelled due to a regular membership fee delinquency.

            The IA Intercable General Meeting endorsed the WIRE Russia trade show that will take place in Moscow on June 5 – 8 of 2017 and recommended its members to take an active participation in this international trade show either as exhibitors or as participants.

            The next, 52^nd, IA Intercable General Meeting will take place on November 14 – 18 of 2016 in the city of Minsk (Republic of Belarus). The Scientific & Technical Symposium to be held within this Meeting will be on the following topic:

· Session 1: The state of the cable industry in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in 2016 and the forecast for 2017.

· Session 2: Cables and wires for nuclear power plants, cable manufacturing equipment and materials.