A Two-Minute Guide to the Manufacturing Process of Electrical Wires and Cables
If we look around, we will doubtless see wires and cables in use in the house and outside, in offices and factories, and everywhere else. Depending on the application, the appearance and characteristics of the wires differ. The Electrical Wire Manufacturing process is long and complex but yields products that deliver high performance and are efficient, reliable, and durable. A brief look at the Manufacturing Process of Cables:
Wire Drawing
The base material of most electrical wires and cables is copper or aluminum, both good electrical conductors. The Electrical Cable Manufacturing method involves pulling the copper or aluminum rods through a series of dies, in decreasing sizes, lined with synthetic diamonds on the draw bench. The process yields wires and cables of different diameters while a cooling and the lubricating system prevents the dies from overheating and extends their lives.
Annealing
The Manufacturing Process of Wires also involves applying tremendous pressure on the metal rod during the drawing process to form a wire of a thinner diameter. It makes the wire brittle, and it breaks easily on flexing. Since electrical wires need to be flexible, the next step in manufacturing involves the application of heat to soften them. The annealing process involves heating the metal to its recrystallization temperature for an extended time to soften it without oxidizing it.
Twisting and Stranding
It is a fact that stranded electrical wires conduct electricity better and are more flexible compared to a single wire of the same cross-section. The stranding process involves twisting two or more wires of an identical thickness together using established formulas for determining the twist length.
Extrusion
After annealing, twisting, and stranding, the soft and flexible wire passes through an extruder to apply a coat of plastic or other insulating material. The process involves pouring insulation materials into the extruder and pushing the Electrical Cable forward in the melt. After
coating with the insulating material, it passes through a cooling system and then coiled on reels.
Cabling
The next step in the Electrical Wire Manufacturing Process is assembling the cable in a cabling station, according to the use of the cable. For the typical electrical and electronic wires and cables used in the home and office, the stranded wires, along with a counterinterference material layer, are inserted into the protective jacket. Often, manufacturers use fillers to form the cable better.
Conclusion
The final step in the Electrical Cable Manufacturing Process for underground cables is using an inner sheath, a steel armor, and an outer sheath over the armor for increased protection against mechanical, chemical, weather, and electrical interference.