The significance of high-quality wires and cables used across industrial circles and commercial settings can never be overlooked or ignored. We often hear about horrifying fire incidents in both commercial and industrial structures that not only result in the loss of human lives but also a huge loss in the properties as well as tools and machines in the surroundings. When these serious incidents are investigated, the reasons behind them come out as a big surprise – the short circuit in the substandard wires and cables.
It is now a scientifically proven fact that over time the insulation of electric conductors reaches the stage of fast deterioration requiring an immediate replacement. There are various instances where the wires and cables manufactured and supplied even by a reputed company withstood short-time testing very well, but in actual terms, the lifespan of their insulation does not remain as expected. Therefore, it is a collective responsibility of all those involved in a particular project that the quality of the wires and cables used always remains uncompromised.
The foundation of high-quality wires and cables is laid even when their manufacturing starts. The overall quality and performance of cables, particularly those used in the industrial settings, to a large extent, depend upon the way they are manufactured and the tools and equipment used to carry out the manufacturing process. Insulation is considered to be the core of the quality of all types of cables, and the quality of excellent insulation is ensured by making the use of the right kind of extruder cable extrusion machine, and the extrusion technology in place.
Extrusion methodology: an overview
Extrusion is a process that manufacturers across the globe use to create a wide range of objects with a fixed cross-sectional profile. In this process, the material is pushed into a die with the wanted cross-section. This process can be carried out in both ways either hot or cold. Further, the molten material (supposedly plastic) is applied aptly to the wire’s entire circumference making it stick to the shape and structure of the wire or cable. Extrusion is one of the most used methodologies for effective and efficient wire insulation as well as to create the outer sheath of the cable.
A glance at the drawing
Drawing is also considered to be a similar process. It makes very strategic use of the material’s tensile strength to carry out the required pulling action through the die. However, in drawing, the possibilities of the number of changes to be perfumed in a single step are strictly limited. This is the reason the applications of drawing are limited only to simpler shapes which often call for different stages of minimizing sizes. Drawing is considered to be the primary method to produce wire. This methodology also finds application in metal bars and pipes. This procedure (Drawing) is carried out usually at room temperature.
Thermoplastics and thermosetting: major compounds in demand
In wire and cable extrusion, raw materials are converted into a continuous profile intending to provide wires and cables with the desired protection against all types of damages caused by different external factors and physical wear. There are large numbers of processes available to carry out the same but the major determiner is the demand for a particular compound by the market. Thermoplastics and thermosetting materials are the most common ones to be processed wherein an internal machine (barrel) friction and external heat resistors are utilized to achieve either a fully-finished or semi-finished product. The raw material is given the desired shape by forcing it into a die.
Tool design and selection of tooling
The tool design and selection of tooling are what play a crucial role in the overall quality of insulation or sheathing. The tools need to be designed in such a way that they streamline the entire flow with no chance of stagnation of the materials to be processed. There might be a large number of approaches in it but Supermac Industries India limited as a leading extrusion and cable coiling machine manufacturer and supplier opt for a constant and straight angle approach to achieve first-time-right results.
Advantages of using the right kind of tooling selection
- Lower cost of production
- Better process control done by a proper system
- Repeat orders
- The right selection of tooling leads to the excellent quality of the end product
- Controlled consumption of material
- Higher line speed- higher productivity
- The top surface becomes smooth
- Much better eccentricity and ovality
- There is no approximation, and dimensions are as per calculations
- Improper tools lead to defects in insulation or sheathing.
Choosing the right extruder
A quite reasonable approach in this regard is to seek a statement of output VS the size of the extruder from different manufacturers and suppliers in sync with the requirements. Some of the most important considerations while choosing an extruder include the following:
- Horse power-requirement
- Extruder size
- L/D ratio, and
- Screw-design.
The selection of the following is also equally important:
- Reduction gearbox
- Thrust gearbox, and
- Right drive and PLC.
Types of Screw
The screw is considered to be the heart of the extruder and is created to render fully melted polymer with great output. Supermac Industries India Limited designs and manufactures technically advanced extruders for a large number of applications. Some of the major types of screws include the following:
- Basic Metering Screw– Simple 3 zone PVC screw
- Maddock Mixing
- Pin mixing – Shear pins – Distributive mixing
- Compression Relief – Used for high L/D 34:1
- Vented screw
- Barrier Screw- Two channels – Melt and Barrier.
The company’s R&D unit has got immense experience in creating innovatively designed screws for diverse applications as well as materials.
Concluding Remarks
Supermac Industries (India) Limited is a leading supplier of manufacturing systems, process technologies, cable coiling machine, and cable extrusion machine in India. The company prides itself on its adherence to the strictest quality control measures and has been awarded the ISO 9001-2018 certification for its entire range of products. Supermac’s rich product portfolio includes a complete range of extrusion machine, crossheads, caterpillars, capstans, screws and barrels, take-ups, and pay-offs.
