Industry 4.0

JULY 2016

WIRE JOURNAL

®

INTERNATIONAL www.wirenet.org

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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

WIRE JOURNAL JULY 2016

®

CONTENTS

INTERNATIONAL

Volume 49 | Number 7 | July 2016

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Industry Profile. . . . . . . . . . . 17 Patent Report . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

FEATURES

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On its way?

People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 27 WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

WAI event wrapup . . . . . . . . . . 38 The WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2016 proved to be a memorable event. Held at the Mohegan Sun Casino, more than 1,425 attendees took part at the Association’s first-ever staging of its traveling road show in Connecticut.

Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Industry Innovation . . . . . . . . . 50

Technical Papers . . . . . . 64-78

Innovation, the feature focus, often refers to a new system or novel process, but sometimes it can be more abstract. Is the industry on the cusp of a technological revolution or is it “smoke and mirrors”? Right now, it might seem the latter, but in the years to come manufacturing may find itself on the road to Industry 4.0.

Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Career Opportunities . . . . . . 86 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . 87

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Development of innovative aluminium alloys for production of overhead conductors Andrij Milenin, Piotr Kustrab and Maciej Pietrzyk . . . . 64

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Next issue:

August 2016 • Dies • wire China preview

The ‘Internet of Things,’ or when drives start thinking for themselves González Villar and Juan Carlos González Villar . . . . . 71 Acid purification: technical and economic benefits for the wire industry Dr. Roger Francois and C. Tom Philipp. . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Cover: The feature this issue is on Industry Innovation, but the greater focus is on Industry 4.0, which is now in its earliest stage but has the potential to have a decided impact on manufacturing.

JULY 2016 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE CONTENTS CONTENTS

Proton Products International/U.K.

At Interwire, Proton Products International showcased the company’s InteliSENS SL series speed and length gauges, which it noted are saving cable manufacturers serious money every day around the world. good times deserve a salute . . . . 15 As cable manufacturers purchase raw materials by the ton and then sell by length, it’s extremely important to make sure that when you sell a reel of cable at 1000 ft, its is not 1003 ft or 1005 ft, essentially giving away 0.3% or 0.5% for free, which can be typical in many production facilities. The InteliSENS SL Series gauges are calibrated to 0.03%, and with no moving parts to wear and non-contact operation eliminating slippage, we are extremely proud to work with our customers and provide a gauge that truly helps save money and improve profitability.

The DGK Series of gauges have no moving parts and measure the diameter an amazing 10,000 times per second, per axis.Autac Available either a the dualor triple-axis Officially, Inc. as celebrated company’s gauge, the Super Fast Processing Technology analyzes 70th anniversary as well as a relaunch of its website catalog at an Open per House at itsto plant in and up to and 30,000 measurements second display Branford, Connecticut.

But company communicate diameter, ovality, lumpsCEO and Marieneckdowns.

Louise Burkle—above with T&T Marketing staffThe company also showed a full range of products ers Mike Roussel and John Accorsi—said she felt and including spark testers, capacitance gauges, lump the need to celebrate Autac’s making it through neck detectors, pre heaters, speed & length gauges and some tough times and now being on an upswing.

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

the hugely popular combined Diameter and Flaw Detection Gage DGK SuperFast Series. ”We’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all who visited (us) at Interwire 2015.

I’ll drink to that WAI event! . . . . 38 The WAI Operations Summit and Wire Expo 2016 got glowing reviews from the vast majority of attendees.

The first-time event in Connecticut, held at the Mohegan Sun Casino, had many positives, from the keynote presentations, tech progams and exhibits to the plant tours, New Grant Latimer, England ChapterProton pres- Products. ence and the generIt was doubt our busiest exhibition and our full ous sizewithout of the drinks team ofatagents and employees were on hand to take care poared the reception at Well, ofMargaritaville. our customers.”

Grant Latimer, managing director, maybe they weren’t all g.latimer@protonproducts.com. quite this large.

JUNE 2015 | 73

Wire connects us all!

Greater speed. Greater precision. Henrich.

Wire-Drawing Technology worldwide in performance Experience and know-how, developed for decades, certify HENRICH Maschinenfabrik among leading suppliers of international cable- and wire industry. More than 3.000 Wire-Drawing units are well established worldwide. HENRICH product range covers entire drawinglines and single-action machines for conductor cable, installation- and special cable, telecommunication cable, trolley- and enamelled wire. The production range is completed by cooling- and cleaning devices for drawing- and cooling solution, drawing tools and pay-off devices.

The complete program is available at www.henrich.net HENRICH designs, manufactures, supplies and installs custom-made and on demand.

Go, count on us!

Henrich Maschinenfabrik GmbH · Rehbergring 17 · 35745 Herborn · Germany · Phone: +49 (0) 2772 506-0 · E-Mail: henrich-gmbh@henrich.net · www.drawing-ahead.com

EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL EDITORIAL

Will Industry 4.0 take the industry by storm?

The cover image may stretch editorial license more than a wee bit, especially as Industry 4.0—the focus of the feature in this issue on Industry Innovation—is in no way about to wreck havoc on the wire and cable industry. That said, it may have the long-term potential to bring about an upheaval in the way technology is used in manufacturing.

The feature was not planned out that way when the editorial calendar was set for 2016. The idea had been to highlight new technology shown at wire Dusseldorf, but talks there—reinforced by later discussions at Wire Expo—made the focus on Industry 4.0 seem more appropriate. The concept is in its early stages, and it may be years and years before it becomes an essential part of wire and cable manufacturing, as did the Industry 3.0 move to electronic controls.

At the end of the proverbial day, if it makes sense and manufacturers can deploy it to their advantage, Industry 4.0 will happen, and having a better understanding of it is not the equivalent of a bad weather day.

The tone said it all at WAI’s Connecticut event There is an understandable fascination with numbers at trade shows, but one really doesn’t need them. All you have to do is listen. There is an unmistakable tone, a sense of energy and opportunity, at a good event, and the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2016 had that across the board.

The wrapup in this issue says it all, but if there is one indicator as to just how good this first-ever Connecticut staging was, multiple attendees asked if this location could be the permanent site for the non-Interwire year show.

How does one devour a 1,168 page steel handbook?

As goes the old joke about elephants, the answer is essentially the same as the one the WAI plans to apply to its Ferrous Wire Handbook: in small “bytes,” aka PDFs. Published in 2008 with 1,168 pages over 36 chapters, the hefty tome remains the Association’s most-ever comprehensive literature project. The content also remains quite relevant. The individual chapters—written by some three dozen industry experts, presenting straightforward explanations of different processes, supported by charts and photos—can now be ordered as PDFs. See p. 32.

Mark Marselli Editor-in-chief

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L

®

Quality in its repeatable form.

With passion, we develop future-oriented measuring and control devices for quality assurance of wires and cables, such as the PREHEATER 6000 TC. An innovative conductor preheater with integrated temperature measurement and control that ensures a perfect uniform conductor temperature, for increased quality and productivity.

– continuous measurement and control of the conductor temperature – optimum adhesion of the insulation material on the conductor – repeatable processes

www.sikora.net/preheater6000 We are at the IWCS Providence, RI October 2-5, 2016.

CALENDAR

CALENDAR Sept. 26-29, 2016: wire China 2016 Shanghai, China. The 7th All China International Wire & Cable Industry Trade Fair will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).

Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

May 9-11, 2017: Interwire 2017 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, which will to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, includes its trade show, technical programs and 87th Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org.

Oct. 2-5, 2016: 65th IWCS International Cable & Connectivity SymposiumM Providence, Rhode Island, USA. To be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Contact: Pat Hudak, IWCS, tel. 717-993-9500, phudak@iwcs.org, www.iwcs.org.

Oct. 3-5, 2017: Wire South America, São Paulo, Brazil. To be held at the Imigrantes Exhibition & Convention Center. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Oct. 5-7, 2016: Spring World 2016 Rosemont, Illinois, USA. To be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Contact: CASMI Office, tel. 630-359-4273, info@casmi-springworld.org.

Oct. 5-7, 2016: Wire & Cable India Mumbai, India. This event will be held at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Oct. 8-11, 2017: 66th IWCS International Cable & Connectivity Symposium Orlando, Florida, USA. Contact: Pat Hudak, IWCS, tel. 717-993-9500, phudak@iwcs.org, www.iwcs.org.

May 15-16, 2018: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This WAI event, to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, includes its trade show, technical programs and 88th Annual Convention.

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL EVENTS Sept. 13, 2016: New England Chapter 22nd Annual Golf Tournament Avon, Connecticut, USA. To be held at Golf Club of Avon.

Contact: Anna Bzowski, tel. 4537530, abzowski@wirenet.org.

Sept. 29, 2016: Southeast Chapter 15th Annual Golf Tournament Conover, North Carolina, USA. To be held at the Rock Barn Golf and Spa, Conover, North Carolina. Contact Art Deming, tel. 252-955-9451, art.deming@ nexans.com.

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Oct. 6, 2016: Ohio Valley 13th Annual Golf Tournament Solon, Ohio, USA. To be held at the Grantwood Golf Course.

Contact: Mark MacKimm, markmackimm@gmail.com or Steve Fetteroll, sfetteroll@wirenet.org.

Oct. 18-20, 2016: ITC Monterrey Monterrey, Mexico. To be held at the Crowne Plaza Monterrey, this event will include technical presentations, a tabletop display and more. Contact: Steve Fetteroll, sfetteroll@wirenet.org.

May 9-11, 2017: Interwire 2017 Atlanta, Georgia. See above.

May 15-16, 2018: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This WAI event, to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, includes its trade show, technical programs and 88th Annual Convention.

INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS South Korea’s POSCO plans to open wire rod plant in Indiana by 2018 South Korea’s POSCO announced that it plans to build a wire rod processing center in Jefferson, Indiana, that will create up to 60 jobs by 2018, expanding the company’s presence in the U.S.

POSCO plans to expand its wire rod capacity by opening a new plant in Indiana.

A press release said that the $19 million project includes a 136,000-sq-ft facility to be built on some 10 acres at the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville. The Jeffersonville plant will process steel wire for fasteners, nuts and bolts used in the automotive industry and serve as a distribution center for other POSCO products, it said.

Construction is expected to start soon on what will be company’s second steel processing line and its fourth production line in the U.S. POSCO America, incorporated in 1984, maintains its U.S. headquarters in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with additional facilities in Houston, Texas; Troy, Michigan; and McCalla, Alabama. POSCO operates two integrated steel mills in South Korea and a joint venture facility with U.S. Steel, USS-POSCO Industries, located in California. As a whole, POSCO notes that it is South Korea’s fourth largest company, operating 312 facilities in 43 countries.

“We are very excited about (this) opportunity,” said POSCO AAPC Finance Director Kyu Tae Kim. “It is critical for our business to receive cargo by water and to be centrally located in the U.S. market. The Jeffersonville’s port location will allow us to connect with global markets and supply our U.S. automotive customers with ‘just-intime’ deliveries. We want to thank the state of Indiana, the city of Jeffersonville, the ports of Indiana and One Southern Indiana for helping us to make this project a reality.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered POSCO up to $550,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans.

U.K. company acquires GOTEX Coats, a U.K.-based global supplier of industrial thread, has acquired GOTEX, a Spanish-based manufacturer of high performance fibers, yarns and tapes used for sectors that include wire and cable.

A press release said that the acquisition will see Coat’s existing coated aramid product range bolstered

by GOTEX’s unique fiberglass coating technology and products. “There is much synergy between the product offerings and together, the companies will be able to provide an enhanced range of products to the fiber optics cable industry,” it said. The deal furthers Coats’ strategy of expanding into value added engineered yarns, it said.

GOTEX, which is based near Barcelona, Spain, has three main categories of products, one of which is technical yarns that are used in the cable industry to reinforce, insulate and protect optical fibers.

“This offers great opportunity both for GOTEX and our customers,” said GOTEXs CEO David Ferré, “It provides a way to accelerate our business growth and further develop our brand through significantly enhanced market strength and opportunity, as well as prospects for product collaboration with a global market leader.”

“GOTEX is an exciting first acquisition for our specialty business that is fully aligned with our growth strategy; a global market leader in developing and producing innovaGOTEX has joined U.K.-based Coats. tive, high performance materials that complement our existing product portfolio,” said Coats Group Chief Executive Paul Forman.

Connecticut-based Q-S Technologies has been bought by French company Q-S Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of high temperature wire and cable products that is based in Meriden, Connecticut, has been sold to OMERIN USA, a business unit of OMERIN Group France.

In a press release, Q-S Technologies President Donald

Got news? E-mail it to the WJI at editorial@wirenet.org.

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

U.S.-based CarrisQ-S Reels, Inc., has purchased theto has 25 employees.

Technologies will continue remaining interest in J.asHamelin Industries, a Canadian operate under its name a subsidiary of OMERIN USA, reel that it has worked closely with it withcompany current management continuing the day to since day operbought half of business in 2008. ations of the business.

AOMERIN press release saidXavier that addition President Omerin of saidJ. inHamelin, the release which been serving wire and cable customers that thehas acquisition provides OMERIN with an entry into throughout Canada market and northeast for 77products years, the North American for otherU.S. OMERIN isand a major plus for“OMERIN both companies.

“We welcome technologies. has an ambitious investment J.plan Hamelin the Carris family, and look for Q-StoTechnologies…to increase (its) forward products to range future growth and operating a ‘best of industry’ and add production capacity asatwell as invest in R & D.” The OMERIN Group wasCEO described asFerraro. a world leading (level),” said Carris Reels David manufacturer of silicone-insulated wires and with In addition to manufacturing reels, J. Hamelin operAt the Shanghai HOSN booth at Interwire, Deancables, Zhang, l, eight production facilities in France and other European ates an extensive recycling and repair network throughchief of North American sales, and Edison Qin, chief of South countries as well as 12 business development subsidiarout Canada, with facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta American sales, point to machines sold to the Americas. ies and sales offices in the U.K., Germany, Singapore, and Saskatchewan offering wood and steel reel repair/ Poland, U.S., India, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey recycling, saidChina, the release, notingSpain, the following.

J. With its specific personnel servicing the U.S. and and Argentina.

Hamelin also has U.S. assembly facilities in Marion, other markets in the American continent, HOSN is Indiana, and Enfield, Connecticut. In 2010, the compacommitted to supplying high-efficiency drawing and ny launched a significant investment andsubsidiary, now operates HELUKABEL its and 25th stranding equipmentopens to the wire cable industry in a highly efficient and automated nailed wood reel plant the Americas. this one in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in St. Jerome. In addition to automated production At Interwire, HOSN displayed photos of its JLK HELUKABEL announced thatpractices it has opened 25th lines, unique material handling haveits been series rigid location, strandingthis machine with bottom loading or subsidiary one in Ho Chi Minh City, employed, yielding a state-of-the-art facility. side loading system.

This unique machine is suitable Vietnam, its first presence there.

Ferraro said that J. Hamelin CEO Harold Stotland forAproducing large-length, bare press release saidengaged that acompact/round seven-member salesAl/Cu and will remain actively in the organization, both wire, ACSR and aluminum alloy wire.

The machine is logistics team will be based in the southern Vietnamese as a stakeholder in Carris Reels and as vice president of driven bytoindividual motorsinquiries for the rotating cage and the seaport handle customer under the leadermanufacturing for three Carris nailed wood manufacstranding pitch Angsuthasawit. can be adjustedItfreely.

Another featured ship ofsites Prapan noted that,Connecticut; over the turing (St. Jerome, Quebec; Enfield, product was anthe aluminum breakdown machineAsia usedhas for past 10 years, coastal country in Southeast and Madera, California. He noted that Stotland, who drawing alloy,fastest and allgrowing kinds ofnational shapedeconowires been onealuminum of the world’s has been active on the Carris Board of Directors for the from down tosector 1.8-5.0 mm.

Many also mies.9.5 Themm industrial alone brings in customers over 40% of past six years, “will continue in that governing role.” the economic This number isdrum only twister expected to showed strongoutput. interests in HOSN’s which “Harold and his teams complement our talented thecabling near future, especially in high the machine isgrow usedinfor low, medium and voltage manupower employee-owners, as our collective experience and will facturing engineering sectors. cables andand for plant applying armoring and screening wires. assure we are meeting our customers’ needs for custom Previously, HELUKABEL products were only availwww.hosnglobe.com. packaging and solutions,” Ferraro said. “This acquisiable through the company’s Thailand subsidiary. Seeing tion strengthenstoour competitive position by expandan opportunity enhance the level of service to its

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Ultimate Automation, Ltd. U.K. customers, HELUKABEL

At Interwire, Ultimate Automation latest determineddisplayed it was thetheright version of the company’stime ULTIMAT UMW-100, 2D to expand even further wire forming and welding which incorpointomachine, the Asian market and rates faster drives and control openedsystems. its Vietnamese subThe UMW can be combined the UCW-100 sidiary,with the release said. model to create an integrated forming and welding “Similar to other markets, cell for the production oftheshelving products.

The cable business demands frames are produced on fast the UMW-100 andlocal then response from transferred into the UCW-100, where the frame supsuppliers,” Angsuthasawit port/brace wire is fed direct andinwelded said.from Beingcoil, based Ho into the frame. Further options include press Chi Minh City is goodstations strategically as Carris it heads places the formforHamelin’s post-forming andStotland, secondary bend for J. Harold l, with Reels CEO company near many of the ing loops and eyes.

Dave Ferraro.

Angsuthasawit industrial-based businesses ing our geographic footprint North America. in theacross country, he said.

Hamelin has a track record of delivering value Currently, HELUKABEL Vietnam stocks select enhanced packaging innovation sizes and colors of H05programs V-K/H07through V-K single con- in process, automation and reel tracking systems.

We have ductor wire locally. HELUKABEL Vietnam, like all an exciting future as we leverage our shared experience HELUKABEL subsidiaries will have access to all and knowledge profitable growth.

Aschain, part of stocking locationstoindrive the HELUKABEL supply the negotiation, Harold will have an equity position in so lead times will vary depending on the products Carris, further aligning our future objectives.” requested and their stock location. Air orders have a Stotland the deal asshipments win-win for lead time ofdescribed a few weeks.

Ocean willboth haveparties.times “We saw an opportunity better align our comlead of about eight weeks.toAs market demand panies to more achieve shared growth he said. increases, cable products thatobjectives,” conform to inter“Together we are stronger andHAR, can leverage national standards, such as CE, IEC, JIS,new UL,opportunities.” and VDE will be added, the release said.

Carris Reels, basedis in Vermont, manufac“The Asian market anProctor, important one due to its Ultimate Automation Sales Director Martin Smith by a tures plywood, nailed wood, wood/metal, plastic, and significant role in global commerce.” said Marc UMW-100 model stampedManaging metal reels and spools, with 550 employees in Luksch, Director of International Sales.

12 locations in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. HELUKABEL now has athe national eight & Ultimat manufactures UMWpresence 2D wireinforming of Asia’s key growth regions.

In addition to Vietnam, welding machines, UTW Automatic Ring Machines subsidiaries are located lands in China, largest India, Indonesia, General Cable portion and UCW T-Welders.

The company has a machine to Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. suit 3-year everyone’sCanadian requirement from the manufacture of of cable contract “With localized manufacturing facilities in China to POP displays, lampshades, supermarket shelving and Canada’s has named General enhance our Hydro-Québec existing production and logistics net-Cable as automotive components, etc. www.ultimat.com. its main cable supplierAsian for the next threeare years, awardwork, HELUKABEL’s subsidiaries primed to coordinated customer support to the entire ingprovide it a contract valued at an estimated $108 million. region,” he said.

JULY 2016 | 11 JANUARY 2016 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS

FEATURE

Schollin announced the saleremaining of the company interest that he Carris Reels buys founded in 1984, and also his own departure. The comin Canada’s J. Hamelin Industries pany started with Schollin and John Quatrocci, and today

INDUSTRY NEWS

Japanese steel wire manufacturer fudged spring quality reports for years Japan’s Kobe Steel reported that one of its businesses, Shinko Wire Stainless Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of Shinko Wire Company, Ltd., was found to have altered the tensile strength test results for some of the stainless steel wire (JIS G 4314) it produced and had shipped this substandard product for more than nine years.

Shinko Wire Company is an affiliate 30% owned by Kobe Steel, Ltd., which posted a press release that said inspection records tests results were altered for production from April 2007 to May 2016. During that period, it produced some 55.6 metric tons of stainless steel wire made for a variety of spring uses, about three quarters of which was for appliance and household goods. The tensile strength of the stainless steel wire for the springs was 96% or higher than the lower limit of the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) standard, which it said made the risk of breakage extremely low. “However, Kobe Steel will continue to proceed with investigation and confirmation. With the cooperation of spring makers to which the wire was shipped, we will check on any quality or safety problems concerned among final end users.”

The report said that Kobe Steel noted that it previously found a violation by one of its subsidiaries in 2008 of JIS regulations, it sought to strengthen quality assurance systems within the Kobe Steel Group. Per Kobe Steel’s announcement, data on tensile strength tests were manu-

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ally entered in test certificates, leaving room for manipulation. Furthermore, there are believed to have been problems in the product quality control system, with a director for production doubling as quality control chief.

“We deeply apologize for causing great anxiety and inconvenience,” Kobe Steel Executive Vice President Naoto Umehara said at a press conference held to announce the misconduct.

Southwire reports sale of SCR system ®

SCR Technologies, a business of Southwire Company, LLC, reports that it has signed a contract with a company in the Asian Region to supply one of its SCR® systems.

A press release said that the contract calls for the SCR system to be able to achieve a production rate of 25 ton metric tons per hour (mph). The contract, which includes the design of all operating equipment, from a skip cart furnace loader to a finished rod handling system, will use a 10-stand Morgan “No Twist®” rolling mill furnished by Primetals Technologies.

“We are excited to have signed another contract in the Asian Region,” said SCR Technologies General Manager Mark Roden.

Southwire’s SCR Technologies provides continuous rod

Prysmian reports HV submarine cable deal from Italian power grid operator The Prysmian Group announced that it has won a contract for submarine power cable links in the Venetian Lagoon—an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, in northern Italy—worth approximately €34 million.

A press release said that the project, which will strengthen the high-voltage power transmission grid in the Venice area, includes two 14 km and 6 km long High Voltage Alternate Current (HVAC) 132 kV cable links. The cables will be produced in the Arco Felice plant, near Naples.

Commissioning is scheduled in 2017. The Group has also been a supplier for high-voltage submarine cable projects linking Venice, Murano and Mestre.

The release said the contract also includes options for a second cable link, worth approximately €25 million, from Terna Rete Italia SpA, an Italian power transmission grid operator, for submarine power cable links in the Venetian Lagoon.

In other news, the Prysmian Group reported that it has completed laying the extra-high-voltage power cable link

between Sicily and Calabria across the Messina straits for its customer, Terna Spa Rete Elettrica Nazionale. The cable link, also made at at Arco Felice plant, is a double-circuit 380 kV HVAC (high voltage alternate current) land and submarine cable system installed along a total route of approximately 44 km—of which 38 km running under water—between the power stations of Villafranca Tirrena in Sicily and Scilla in Calabria.

2 tech giants will own, not lease space, on record transatlantic cable system Microsoft and Facebook are joining forces to build a 6,600 km submarine cable system that they state will provide speeds of up to 160 Tbps, which they note will represent “the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic.”

A press release said that construction of the cable system, called MAREA, is set to start this summer and be completed in October 2017. MAREA will stretch from Virginia Beach in the U.S. to Bilbao, Spain, and extend to network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

The cable will help meet the growing customer demand for high speed, reliable connections for cloud and online services for the firms.

Teléfonica subsidiary Telxius will operate and manage MAREA, which will feature eight fiber pairs as well as market the cable’s capacity. “This transatlantic cable we’re building with Facebook and Telxius will provide new, low-latency connectivity that will help meet the increasing

JULY 2016 | 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

system equipment and technology for the production of copper and aluminum rod. SCR aluminum rod systems, incorporating ultrasonic technology, range in capacity from 2.5 to 15 metric tons per hour (mtph) of EC aluminum and alloyed aluminum rod. SCR copper systems range in size from 12 to 54 mtph of ETP copper rod or other profiles such as flats.

INDUSTRY NEWS

demand for higher-speed capacity across the Atlantic,” said Christian Belady, general manager of Microsoft data center strategy, planning and development. “By building the cable along this new southern route, we will also increase the resiliency of our global network, helping ensure even greater reliability for our customers.”

The release said that Microsoft has invested more than $15 billion in building a resilient cloud infrastructure and cloud services that are highly available and highly secure while lowering overall costs. “By creating a vendor-agnostic design with Microsoft and Telxius, we can choose the hardware and software that best serves the system and ultimately increase the pace of innovation,” said Najam Ahmad, Facebook’s vice president of network engineering. “We want to do more of these projects in this manner—allowing us to move fast with more collaboration. We think this is how most subsea cable systems will be built in the future.”

Leoni reports 2 separate contracts for auto cables topping €500 million Leoni announced that the company has won two followup orders from the PSA Group, an automotive group, that collectively may represent potential total lifetime sales worth more than €500 million.

A press release said that, starting in October 2018, Leoni will equip a DS successor model as well as the future Peugeot 208 and 2008 with wiring systems. “The PSA Group and Leoni can look back on a long and very successful cooperation. Therefore, we are delighted to see this business relationship continue maintaining not only our position on the PSA best seller, the Peugeot 208, but also being the core supplier of the PSA Group’s future plant in Morocco,” said Frank Hiller, a Leoni AG management board member who is in charge of the Wiring Systems Division.

The recently awarded contracts include product design and development, delivery sequencing and responsibility for serial life through 2026, the release said. Dedicated for the European market, Leoni will manufacture different types of harnesses for the next generation models 208 and 2008 and a successor car of the DS brand in its plants in Eastern Europe and North Africa. The projects will positively affect Leoni’s market share within PSA in Europe.

As Leoni is a global supplier for the PSA Group, active in China, South America and Russia, “the new 208 14 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

and 2008 model will be newly launched in two of these regions,” the release said. That scope could result in synergies in development, tooling and technical savings as well as the additional business volume.

Nexans to supply some 500 km of high-voltage cable to Danish TSO Nexans announced that it has been awarded a contract from Energinet.dk, a Danish Transmission System Operator (TSO), to supply approximately 500 km of high voltage (HV) cables.

A press release said that the cables will be used for a series of 170 kV projects to reinforce the grid and meet the growing demand for energy in the region. The contract, worth more than €20 million, will see Nexans supply and install cables with a cross section of between 800 and 2000 sq mm. The cables will have a solid aluminum conductor and an aluminum wire screen. Energinet.dk will use the cables all over Denmark in different future cabling projects.

The release said that Nexans and Energinet.dk have collaborated on many projects. In 2015, Nexans supplied it cables for two projects (Jylland-Fyn and Storstrømmen), and the two companies also collaborated on the Køge Bugt project. Delivery is set for 2017. Nexans will make the cables at its Hanover plant.

U.K. regulators give okay to project calling for 345 miles of power cable U.K. energy regulators have approved a license for a Norwegian consortium that plans to build a 345-mile power cable to bring renewable hydro power into Britain.

An on-line report in the U.K.’s Telegraph said that the NorthConnect project cleared its first hurdle when Ofgem granted an electricity interconnector license to the developers. The project, it said, must still get further okays related to regulatory rules governing electricity transmission in Europe.

The story said that the NorthConnect project will transport Norway’s abundant hydro-power reserves in the south west of the country through a high-voltage 1.4 GW subsea cable to a substation at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. If the plan goes forward, the power would start to be transferred in 2022. The four Norwegian companies developing NorthConnect are Vattenfall, Agder Energi, E-CO and Lyse.

The report said that there are currently four interconnectors to mainland U.K. from France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Northern Ireland, with a combined capacity of 4 GW. But ministers have said they would support a further 9 GW of new interconnectors to help to improve security of supply by giving the U.K. access to power generated elsewhere.

The NorthConnect project would double the U.K.’s planned electricity links with Norway, following the NSN Link, which is being developed by National Grid and Norway’s transmission operator Statnet, the report said.

INDUSTRY NEWS

The project is expected to begin operating a year before NorthConnect in 2021.

NSN will offer the same capacity as NorthConnect over a 447-mile subsea cable between Norway and Blyth in the North East of England, which would make it the longest electricity interconnector in the world. Other planned interconnector projects to the U.K. include extra links to France and Ireland as well as new connections with Belgium and Denmark.

Autac Open House served multiple goals for retractile cord manufacturer Autac Inc. hosted a combination event on June 16 at its plant in Branford, Connecticut, where it celebrated the company’s 70th anniversary as well as a relaunch of its website and catalog.

The event saw customers, vendors and local/state dignitaries stop by the plant, where company CEO Marie-Louise Burkle discussed what Autac has gone through in recent years, and why she feels so optimistic.

“To finally be healthy enough to return to running Autac is something I’m personally celebrating,” Burkle said. “It was a rough run from 2010-2015. My illness, the collapse of our company headquarters in a blizzard in 2011 and, of course, the economic issues specific to manufacturing in

Among those enjoying the Open House were Autac employees, l-r, Tito Santos, Luis Sanabria, Felix Hernandez, Ricky Quinones, Ezequiel Hernandez, Tito Santos and Charlie Roldan.

Connecticut; it’s a miracle we survived. 2015 was a real turning point for me and for Autac.”

The day included plant tours, entertainment by a doowop group but inside and outside the plant, food trucks and opportunities to mingle. “It’s time to recognize this fresh start and revel in a new life for Autac and myself,” Burkle said.

Innovation meets Tradition

THE buttwelding company since 1933!

www.strecker-limburg.de www.streckerusa.com

JULY 2016 | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS

6 months later, Basslink power cable fixed, but ‘what now’ issues debated It took a half year for underwater repairs to be made to the Basslink power cable that was disrupted late last year, and while there is support for a second undersea cable to connect Tasmania and mainland Australia to prevent a reoccurrence, not everyone is in favor of it.

“Both the Coalition and Labor have all but guaranteed to fund a second undersea cable connecting Tasmania to mainland Australia, although MPs are squabbling about whose commitment is better,” one report said. Hydro Tasmania, the electricity supplier, strongly favors a second interconnector to bolster Tasmania’s capacity to generate more renewable energy, it said.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said a re-elected Coalition Government would be prepared to spend about $250 million on the project. He also wants to see private sector investment.”

State Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff, however, said Tasmania would be better served by focusing on achieving a target of generating 100% renewable power. “We should be self-sufficient in renewable energy first,” she said.

“That’s the best spend of our money in the first place.”

Huawei Marine to build 900 km optical submarine network for Russian regions Huawei Marine reported that it and Rostelecom have started construction of a submarine fiber optical telecommunication line (SFOTL) connecting Kamchatka and Sakhalin.

A press release said that the 900 km submarine cable, which constitutes the second phase of the Far East cable system that connects the regions of KamchatkaSakhalin-Magadan, will be commissioned in the first quarter 0f 2017 to provide high-speed broadband internet access. Phase One, which connects Sakhalin and Magadan, was completed in 2015 along with the land-based telecommunication network on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The terrestrial network connects to the submarine cable in the area of Ust-Bolsheretzk, from where the submarine cable is buried beneath the seabed as it crosses the Okhotsk sea, connecting Ust-Bolsheretzk in Kamchatka with Okha residential point in Sakhalin. The SFOTL system capacity is 400 Gbps and is upgradeable in the future to a total capacity of 8 Tbps.

Wire and Cable Consulting to rep for Ulbrich division in South Carolina Wire and Cable Consulting, LLC (WCC) reports that it has reached an agreement with U.S.-based Ulbrich 16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Stainless Steels and Special Metals to provide marketing and business development activities specifically for Ulbrich’s Specialty Wire Products Division (SWPD), located in Westminster, South Carolina.

WCC President Thomas J. Rosen—an industry veteran who previously worked for Phelps Dodge Corp., International Wire High Performance Conductors, and Nesor Alloy—said that the strategic partnership will facilitate Ulbrich’s “growth of certain high technology products for selective accounts.” Ulbrich’s SWPD manufactures conductors with tight tolerances in flat, strip, ribbon, and ultra-fine round wire available in various copper and copper alloys, RoHs compliant alloys, stainless steel, and pure nickel. It also performs custom plating in nickel, silver, and tin for high performance applications in harsh environments.

“We are pleased to add Tom Rosen, who brings extensive experience and a wealth of contacts in the specialty wire processing industries,” a press release said. It noted that Ulbrich “expects to ramp up solid growth in these products in the short term in this division.”

WCC, formed last year by Rosen—an expert in copper, copper alloy and specialty alloy wire—provides market and business development, strategic advising, and sales representation to select wire and cable companies in North American and Europe. He can be contacted at tel. 973228-5589 or 973-886-4084, rosen.tjr817@gmail.com.

NDC notes that its technology has measured up for Prysmian academy NDC Technologies, a global provider of precision measurement and process control solutions, reports that it recently delivered the latest Beta LaserMike measurement technology to the new Prysmian Group Manufacturing Academy in Mudanya, Turkey.

A press release said that the company provided its AccuScan 6000 Series model, the industry’s only four-axis scanning diameter and ovality gauge; a LN3000 Series model, a three-axis lump and neckdown gauge; and a LaserSpeed® model, a non-contact gauge that measures the length and speed of moving products with laser precision.

This new center of excellence, the release said, will use the Beta LaserMike measurement technology to strengthen the manufacturing skills of its employees and to build a strong manufacturing community. “The Beta LaserMike products we provided for the new manufacturing academy allows Prysmian personnel to train on the industry’s latest precision measurement technology.”

“At Prysmian, we are aware about the importance of the relationship between supplier and end user,” Halil Kongur, Factory Director & Chairman for Turk Prysmian Kablo ve Sistemleri A.S., Turkey, said in the release. “We are sure that we are using the latest technology in measuring equipment and staying up to date on any improvements. The Beta LaserMike Products team supports our Manufacturing Academy with several measurement technologies, showing a conformity of our enforced relation.”

COMPANY PROFILE POMFRET CONNECTICUT COMPANY

Loos & Co. , Inc. Wire Sales Manager Mike Frederickson FOCUS Founded in 1958, Loos & Co. evolved from a three-car garage business, originally behind the home of owner A. W. “Gus” Loos, to a 220,000-sq-ft-plant. It started as a manufacturer’s rep for hardware concerns. Mr. Loos imported wire rope and cable from Germany and Japan, and stocked cable, tools and fittings, and re-reeled and packaged cable. In 1962, the company made cable assemblies, and two years later made plastic-coated cables.

It later began drawing wire and stranding it.

OF NOTE Loos & Co. wire is used in a variety of applications from medical, to aviation, to brushes. Product diversity is a feature that has allowed the company to continue expanding its presence in the marketplace. www.loosco.com

Mike Fredrickson Wire Sales Manager Loos & Co., Inc.

WJI: How long have you worked at Loos & Co., and what were the most memorable years?

Fredrickson: I started working in the wire mill in 1984. In my 32 years here, I have seen eight building additions and countless equipment upgrades. By far the best day I’ve had at Loos & Co. was the day Gus and Bill Loos asked me to join the sales team in 1996.

From 2002 until 2012, I spent the majority of my time on the road calling on customers and building relationships I still value to this day. These were by far the most rewarding experiences I could ask for.

WJI: In what ways is Loos & Co. most different today from the company you started out with, and in what ways is it not?

Fredrickson: In many ways, Loos & Co. hasn’t changed one bit. We are still a family run business dedicated to putting our customers first. Going from the time where Gus was importing cable from overseas and selling it out of his garage, to occupying the 200,000+ sq-ft facility as we do today, has truly come with its own challenges. We have adapted and changed as time has forced us to do, but we remain dedicated to product innovation.

The only thing that has changed here in the last 50 years is that we have had a lot of time and opportunity to fine tune our processes and equipment in order to stay on top of the latest market demands.

WJI: Have electronics and advanced technology had an impact on your job over the years?

Fredrickson: Technology has definitely improved the processes here. Going from

dip cleaners to in-line cleaners and DC drives to AC drives, every upgrade made has greatly improved the efficiency of the business as a whole. We have upgraded our downcoilers to be able to hold 1,000 pounds at one time. When we first started out, we were welding spools at 25-50 pounds, which was normal at the time!

Every new piece of machinery that gets installed here, presents the opportunity to learn something completely new. With the addition of wire drawing machines in our Medical Technologies Division, we’ve had the chance to perfect these processes and establish additional quality systems.

Obtaining our ISO13485 certification was a testament to how important we find that.

WJI: Your company has continued to be in a growth mode: is this an exciting time or a grueling time or both?

Fredrickson: Change is always exciting. Over the years, we have entered new markets. We have seen incredible growth in our Jewel Wire business in the last 20 years that no one could have predicted.

When we acquired Jewel Wire in 1991, it went from a specialized brush manufacturing company to being part of a larger organization supplying hundreds of different products. As a core Loos business, Jewel Wire was able to expand its capacity and reach new customers globally.

We have found that with the biggest changes comes challenges that force you to rise to the occasion and become a stronger company. That’s a Loos & Co. chapter that I don’t think will ever end for us.

JULY 2016 | 17

PROFILE

Change remains the industry driver

PATENTS

Patent REPORT Technical advances are a necessity for any industry, and to that end, companies invest considerable resources in R&D. This monthly section will list the abstracts of recently approved U.S. patents. Most are direct to wire and cable while a few may be more indirect/downstream.

Method for making cable jacket with embedded shield U.S. Patent No.: 9,362,027 Patent date: June 7, 2016 Filed: Jan. 22, 2013 Assignee: General Cable Technologies Corporation, U.S. Inventors: Robert Kenny; David Fausz; David Camp A method for making a cable jacket that includes the steps of providing at least one shielding tape having a substrate formed of a substrate material, said substrate including at least one conductive segment; inserting the at least one shielding tape between first and second jacket layers of the cable jacket, each of said first and second jacket layers being formed of a jacket material; and co-extruding the at least one shielding tape with the first and second jacket layers, wherein the substrate material of the at least one shielding tape and the jacket material of the first and second jacket layers are the same such that during the co-extrusion step, the substrate and first and second jacket layers bond together into a single layer wherein the at least one conductive segment is embedded in the single layer.

Central-tube cable with high-conductivity conductors encapsulated with high-dielectric-strength insulation U.S. Patent No.: 9,355,760 Patent date: June 7, 2016 Filed: Feb 4, 2010 Assignee: Draka Comteq, B.V., NL Inventors: James Ryan; Denise Matthews; Brian G. Risch; Frank Davidson Disclosed is a novel central-tube cable with high-conductivity conductors. The novel central-tube cable according to the present invention yields a fiber optic cable with a smaller diameter than found in stranded-tube-cable designs. The central-tube cable features (i) a buffer tube containing optical conductors, (ii) radial strength members, and (iii) high-conductivity conductors coated with a dielectric material, such as polypropylene.

The dielectric coating helps to prevent the high-conductivity conductors from shorting.

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Fiber optic ribbon cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,360,646 Patent date: June 7, 2016 Filed: March 4, 2014 Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC, U.S. Inventors: William Hurley; Kenneth James; James Luther; Radawan Ripumaree A fiber optic ribbon cable includes a fiber optic ribbon or stack of ribbons, strength members surrounding the ribbon or stack, and a jacket defining an exterior of the cable. The jacket forms a cavity through which the strength members and the ribbon or stack extend. The ribbon or stack has a bend preference, but the strength members are flexible and do not have a bend preference.

Furthermore, the jacket is structured such that the jacket does not have a bend preference. The cavity is sized relative to the ribbon or stack in order to allow the same to bend and twist within the cavity with respect to the jacket as the cable bends, facilitating movement of the corresponding optical fibers to low-stress positions within the cavity and decoupling the bend preference of the ribbon or stack from transfer to the jacket.

Category 8 cable 9,355,759 May 31, 2016 Filed: March 2, 2014 Rivernider, U.S. James F. Rivernider A high speed Ethernet cable constructed of two groups of two twisted wire pairs each. The two groups radiationally isolated from each other by one or more foil radiation shields.

Background: A current challenge to cable manufacturers is to produce a cable that avoids “spikes” in Near End Crosstalk (NEXT) and Far end Crosstalk (FEXT) at transmission frequencies up to 2 Ghz. … The applicant’s proposed design requires only one or two twisted wire pair combinations because a radiation shield isolates the twisted wire pairs into two groups of two twisted wire pairs each.

The applicant’s unique method of applying the radiation shield eliminates from consideration four (or possibly five) of the theoretical radiationally significant twisted wire U.S. Patent No.: Patent date: Assignee: Inventor:

Composition for removing and preventing formation of oxide on the surface of metal wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,353,339 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: July 24, 2013 Assignee: LTC Co., Ltd., Sweden Inventors: Ho Sung Choi; Kwang Hyun Ryu; Jong Il Bae; Jong Soon Lee; Hye Sung Yang; Sang Ku Ha The present invention proposes a method for removing an oxide formed on the surface of a copper film used in the process of manufacturing a circuit for a semiconductor,

Patent Facts Boeing is sky-high with patents Patent is for solar plane that can fly forever It might seem a spacey idea, but Boeing has been awarded a patent for a solar-powered plane that could stay up decades and decades, with no concerns of a union grievance as there wouldn’t be a living, breathing pilot—or anyone else, for that matter—on board. And actually, it doesn’t look as much like a plane as it does a “flying wing” as there are 10 small solar-powered “engines” but no rudders, ailerons, tails or other surface controls. Unique winglets would capture enough solar radiation to allow it to fly for years, controlled from a ground station. The patent says the plane, designed to carry communication systems, could replace expensive satellites.

Airport noise can generate electricity

Patenting advances in plane design make sense, but a recent one from the think-tank R&D folks at Boeing boggles the earth-bound mind: the airplane manufacturer has gotten a patent, #9359997, “Method and system for producing electricity from airport acoustical energy.”

an organic light-emitting diode, an LED, or a liquid crystal display without causing corrosion on a lower metal film. The composition including corrosive amine may remove a metal oxide depending on the content of additive ranging from 0.01 to 10% regardless of the content of ultrapure water. A polar solvent other than the corrosive amine may efficiently remove an oxide from the surface of the metal when the same contains water and 0.01 to 20% of the additive.

System and method for polishing and lubricating aluminum welding wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,352,423 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: March 13, 2013 Assignee: AlcoTec Wire Corp., U.S. Inventors: Lance T. Vernam, Timothy M. Cook A system and method are disclosed for polishing and lubricating an aluminum welding wire. The system and method draw stock aluminum wire from a spool, subject the stock wire to a plurality of drawing and thermal treatment steps to obtain a wire having a final diameter suitable for use in a continuous welding apparatus. Immediately after the final drawing step, the wire is subjected to a

Acoustic wave collectors mounted along the runway to collect the “noise” energy and direct it to an acoustic converter assembly. A vibrating element in it responds, drawing air in and forcing it downward to an associated turbine assembly where it forces a shaft to rotate. A generator coupled to the shaft generates electricity that can be used to light up the runways.

A force to literally be reckoned with Shades of Star Trek deflector shield, in 2012, Boeing was granted a patent for a device that could detect the shock wave from a nearby explosion and create what is essentially a plasma field to protect against an oncoming blast. If it works, multiple sequels are expected.

JULY 2016 | 19

PATENTS

pair interactions. … the combination options are reduced to: twisted wire pair one combined with twisted wire pair two and separately, twisted wire pair three combined with twisted wire pair four.

PATENTS

polishing and lubricating process in which a cord that is impregnated with a lubricant is passed over the surface of the wire. The cord serves to remove contaminants, such as metal fines, from the surface of the wire, and also to provide a layer of lubricant over the surface of the wire.

The resulting wire has an improved appearance, will not clog the automatic welding apparatus, and the lubricant will not contribute adversely to weld porosity in use.

Sawing wire, method and equipment for manufacturing such a wire, and use U.S. Patent No.: 9,352,404 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: March 15, 2013 Assignee: Sodetal AWT, France Inventors: Gunchul Song; Serge Oms; Bernard Serre A monofilament metal sawing wire for a wire saw, which consists of a metal wire having a diameter D and comprising helical serrations which an amplitude A and wavelength B, wherein the wavelength B is less than 10,000 times the product of the amplitude and the diameter (A.times.D), and the amplitude A is between 0.010 and 0.400 times the diameter D, the values being expressed in millimeters. Equipment and a method for manufacturing such a wire involve causing the wire to vibrate between two guides while passing the wire between the guides. Such a wire can be used for sawing a block of hard material.

Method of manufacture of electrical wire and cable having a reduced coefficient of friction and required pulling force U.S. Patent No.: 9,352,371 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: Feb. 13, 2013 Assignee: Encore Wire Corp., U.S. Inventors: William Bigbee; Stephen Griffin A process for manufacturing finished wire and cable having reduced coefficient of friction and pulling force during installation, includes providing a payoff reel containing at least one internal conductor wire; supplying the at least one internal conductor wire from the reel to at least one extruder; providing the least one extruder, wherein the at least one extruder applies an insulating material and a polymerized jacket composition over the at least one internal conductor wire, wherein the polymerized jacket composition comprises a predetermined amount by weight of nylon; and at least 3% by weight of a silica; providing a cooling device for lowering the temperature of the extruded insulating material and the polymerized jacket composition and cooling the insulating material and the polymerized jacket composition in the cooling device; and, reeling onto a storage reel the finished, cooled, wire and cable for storage and distribution.

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Catheter guide wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,352,132 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: Mary 27, 2014 Assignees: Mediplus Limited, UK Inventor: Robert Graham Urie A catheter guidewire for facilitating introduction of a flexible catheter into the human body (e.g., into the bladder) has a proximal end having a first stiffness which is sufficient to facilitate guidance of a stiff plastic expansion sheath through the tissue. A distal end of the guide wire has a second stiffness, substantially less than the first stiffness, to avoid damage to internal walls of the bladder.

Preferably, the guide wire incorporates an intermediate portion having a stiffness between the first stiffness value and the second stiffness value.

Twisted ribbon wire guidewire coil U.S. Patent No.: 9,352,131 Patent date: May 31, 2016 Filed: Feb. 12, 2015 Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., U.S. Inventors: Daniel G. Brown A medical guidewire having distal tip coil that includes a twisted ribbon wire construction. The distal tip coil is mounted to the distal end of the distal core section of the guidewire. The coil is made from a flat ribbon wire with a polygonal, preferably rectangular, cross-section that is twisted along the length of the wire. The twisted, flat ribbon wire creates a tip coil that has a roughened, undulating surface at the outer circumference that, whether coated or bare, is perceptible to the physician or cardiologist when pushing or torquing the guidewire in an interventional procedure.

Differential signal transmission cable and cable with connector U.S. Patent No.: 9,350,571 Patent date: May 24, 2016 Filed: Feb. 12, 2014 Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Haruyuki Watanabe; Minoru Oikawa A differential signal transmission cable includes: two signal conductors; an insulator for covering these signal (section cont’d. on p. 84)

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS India’s annual growth catching up with China, but that is just one aspect India Prime Minister Modi is focused on sustaining growth for his country and making it more business-friendly, and there are some positive signs, but the country has a long way to go in its unofficial goal to someday topple China as the world’s largest producer.

Per mulitple media reports, including articles in Fortune, Money and India’s Economic Times, the story of India remains one that teems with potential while mired in the ability to deploy it.

record $42 billion into Indian stocks and bonds, expecting that reforms would finally start. However, sustained progress will be slower than India optimists predict. Key legislation that would make it easier for companies to buy land, to hire and fire workers, and an important law to simplify India’s byzantine tax system have been held up in Parliament in Delhi for nearly two years.

Despite Modi’s speeches around the globe to promote growth through his “Make in India” campaign, India is still far behind countries like China in the push for manufacturing might. Even with a slowing economy, China created more than 13 million jobs in 2014, while India struggled to achieve even a million. These are jobs India needs to absorb its rapidly expanding workforce in the coming decades. India also has the herculean task of educating its young people. A first step towards this requires fixing its broken education system, which will require training between 1 and 2 million new teachers.

If Modi’s zealous reforms continue, India can unlock some of its latent potential and grow faster than China.

It is more likely that the current trajectory of 5% to 7% growth will continue. Although it won’t surpass China, this is an impressive achievement: by 2030, India will likely be the world’s distant third-largest economy, with the largest or second-largest middle class, and Asia’s key economic engine outside China.

Chart showing growth expectations for India.

Despite the attention many Fortune 500 CEOs have paid to India since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, the country has far to go.

Despite the 19,000 people chanting Prime Minster Modi’s name in Madison Square Garden just after his 2014 election, he was never going to be able to deliver on these very high expectations for growth. Unlike in China, where the central government can push through tough compromises, a noisy collection of interest groups stall many key economic reforms. Modi’s BJP Party does not have a majority in the upper house of Parliament, and many key issues, such as energy, infrastructure, and even many labor policies, are reserved for the states and cannot be changed easily from Delhi.

Modi has opened more sectors to foreign investment and companies can now obtain many licenses and permits online, making the process faster and less susceptible to corruption. India’s government has agreed to invest $52 billion to upgrade the country’s creaking infrastructure. This is a great start, but by some estimates India needs $1 trillion for new roads, rails, airports and ports.

Modi also had some lucky breaks in his first year that helped him deliver stellar growth: in 2015, India’s economy grew more than 7%, faster than China for the first time in decades. Due mostly to lower international oil prices, India’s inflation rate fell by more than half in 2015. The stock market boomed as investors poured a 22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Economist: China likely will remain the driver of world economic engine China will probably remain the world’s economic engine by contributing more than 30% to global annual economic growth, said Justin Lin Yifu, one of China’s chief economists in a recent interview posted below from www.china.org.

The constant economic downward pressure since 2010 has been majorly affected by external and periodical forces which can better explain the deceleration of economic growth in emerging economies, such as Brazil, India and Russia—countries of the BRICS Group—and high-performance and high-income economies, for examJustin Lin Yifu ple, South Korea, Singapore and China’s Taiwan, the economist said.

The developed countries in Europe and North America, for political reasons, failed to carry out structural reforms such as lowering income, reducing social welfare, financial deleveraging and cutting governmental fiscal deficits amid the sweeping economic tsunami starting in 2008.

Therefore, due to weakening demands from the international market, the future of economic growth in China has no choice but to largely rely on the growth of inter-

to increase money supply in a bid to support investment.

The economist concluded that if China can give full play to those policies to boost effective investments, China will still be able to maintain a medium-to-high economic growth rate of 6.5% in the ensuing 13th FiveYear Plan period (2016-2020).

Indian company to supply fiber optic cable for Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) Indian company Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd. (HFCL) will supply 1,550 km of fiber optic cable within the project of construction of Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

Consortium TAP AG reports that this operation will facilitate bi-directional communication feed from the pipeline and associated assets, such as compressor and block valve stations, to the supervisory control centre.

HFCL was chosen the supplier following the consortium’s tender procedure on TAP. “Fiber optic cable is an important piece of pipeline equipment as it will facilitate safe and effective pipeline operations,” said TAP Managing Director Ian Bradshaw.

In other news, the company reported that it will be supplying an optical transmission backbone network for the armed forces. The project, approved in 2012, calls offered a combination of education and marketforCabWire laying some 60,000 km of optical fiber cable. ing opportunities in a congenial setting.

JULY 2016 | 23 DECEMBER 2015 | 41

ASIAN FOCUS EVENT WRAPUP

nal demands, including demands for investment and consumption, Lin added. When talking about the opportunities facing the Chinese economy, the economist pointed out four aspects.

First, even though industries are plagued by overcapacity, such as iron and steel industries, and traditional labor-intensive industries lose their competitive edge as a result of growing labor costs, Chinese industries are still expected to be upgraded to a medium-to-high level.

Second, China has to continue with the construction of modern infrastructure, such as underground railways, pipes and wires.

Third, the environmental protection sector will generate enormous rewards in terms of social dimension.

Fourth, the urbanization drive will stimulate investment in housing, infrastructure and public services.

Lin stressed that all those four aspects constitute the supply-side reform which is different from the A total of 22 presentations were made in two tracks.

Keynesian theory. He said that China has good condicompany’s success. tionsthe and advantages to boost investments in the counProbst that electrical systems for vehicles try. There is reported a huge room for boosting infrastructure have evolved to fiscal support new features demanded by investment through policy; the government can customers.

Today,policies the wiring system forindividuals the average implement proactive to encourage vehicle includes since 3,000 the meters, withhas 1,500 single cables to make investment country a huge amount and 3,000 contacts.

Those products, he said, represent of personal deposits; use enormous foreign reserves to a labor-intensive business, and as result, itthey import technology,assembly equipment and raw materials; cannow have 70,000toemployees in 82rates plantsand worldwide. adopt policies lower interest reserve ratios The ferrous track was a collection of outstanding, com-

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Ryan Cutter has been named president of FENN, a business of Quality Products. He joined FENN as the director of engineering in April 2015.

Prior to that he worked as an engineering manager of a dedicated R&D team at Parker Hannifin, as a senior engineer at UTC Power Technologies and as a mechanical engineer at BHSTorin, a company acquired by FENN. He holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees Cutter in mechanical engineering from the University of Hartford. At FENN, his ability to coordinate key areas was instrumental in the company’s creating its latest generation of Torin’s FZ spring coilers and the FSL Series. He succeeds Paul Uccello, who after a long successful career in the aerospace and capital equipment industries has begun a bridge towards retirement, stepping down as president but remaining active in the FENN business on a part time basis as President Emeritus. Based in East Berlin, Connecticut, USA, FENN is a global supplier of metal-forming machinery that includes rolling mills, wire flattening and shaping lines, Turks Uccello Heads, spring coilers, and more.

The MGS Group has named Jeff Swinchatt, who has long collective experience in the wire and cable industry, as its director of sales and marketing. His career in the industry began in 1990, when he joined Beta Instrument as sales manager. When the company was acquired in 1997, he became director of marketing, wire and cable, for Beta LaserMike, Inc. Two Swinchatt years later he became president of SIKORA International Corp., where he worked for 14 years before leaving the industry for other opportunities. He holds a B.S. degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M. Based in Rome, New York, The MGS Group supplies the collective packaging technology of MGS Manufacturing, Hall Industries and Northampton Machinery.

Earlier this year, S&E Specialty Polymers LLC named Mark Garretson as a regional sales manager. He will be based in Kathleen, Florida, primarily representing the company in the Southeast but also selling to his network of contacts throughout the U.S. and Canada. Wellknown in the plastics and wire and cable industries, he has more than over 40 years of experience in plastics compounding. He most recently was managing direc-

www.witels-albert-usa.com

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

specialty PVC compounder whose

market, having been either in engineering or sales to the industry for 30+ years. He began his career in process engineering with Essex, followed by seven years in project engineering with Pirelli, fourteen years in technical sales with PCC and, most recently, six years with Tulsa Power before his recent return. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Process Control Corporation supplies auxiliary equipment to plastics processors.

• 2D Wire Forming & Welding Machines, suitable for POP intellectual property, which included Displays, Shelving, Household goods and many more materials for wire and cable, was Garretson • Automatic Lines for the production of shelving and air McElhany acquired bycoil S&E in 2005. Based filter frames direct from in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA, S&E Specialty • Automatic Ring Forming & Welding machines Jeff Sharp has joined PennEngineering® as director Polymers is a specialty plastic compounder serving wire • High Quality Burr-Free welds in mild and stainless steel and cable and other sectors with products that include of global quality, responsible for leading and directing • Medium frequency and TIG welding options available PVC, TPE, TPO and TPR compounds as well as flame the corporate management control system. He most • Suited for prototypes to low or high volume retardant concentrates and compounds requiring exact recently served as customer quality manager for the production runs color matching.

Fletcher Brake Caliper Division of Continental, one • Versions available for strip or profiled wire of the world’s largest automotive suppliers. Prior to • Automatic Unloading of finished parts Tim McElhany has re-joined the sales force of Continental, he served as vice president of quality • Square Clean-cut wire(PCC), ends taking over sales Process Control Corporation and Six Sigma consultant for the Quality Institute of • Unrivalled support South Carolina, responsibilities inservice North Carolina, America and previously held quality-driven positions • 2 year parts warranty Virginia and Florida.

He will serve as industry manager at AF Global (formerly Ameriforge Group) and Elkay

for wire and cable, a title that he previously held at PCC Manufacturing. Based in Danboro, Pennsylvania, before leaving in 2009 to pursue other opportunities. His USA, PennEngineering is a global supplier of fasUltimate Automation Ltd, 23 Star Road Industrial Estate, Partridge Green, West Sussex, RH13 8RA, U.K. expertise includes not just PCC equipment and capabilteners, with plants in the United States, Europe and (0) 1403 710043 Fax: +44 (0) 1403 588084 Email: sales@ultimat.com www.ultimat.com ities,Tel: but+44 an extensive background in the wire and cable Asia.

US MAGAZINES HALF PAGE 2015.indd 1

11/09/2015 15:34

JULY 2016 | 25

PEOPLE

ultimat

tor for Flynn-Garretson Associated Companies LLC, where he represented numerous manufacturing and supply partners. Prior to that he was a national account manager for Mexichem, manager of sales & WIRE FORMING MACHINES marketing& forWELDING Spartech Corporation and vice president for Lynn Plastics • • • • • • • AUTOMATIC • inSTRAIGHTENING FORMING the 1980s. Lynn• Plastics was•a WELDING • •

FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH BT claims data transmission record set on network from London to Dublin U.K.-based BT reports that it has set a world record for data transmission speeds on a live core network between London and Dublin.

A press release said that the project, in partnership with Huawei, achieved speeds of 2Tbps over an optical core network link spanning over 700 km between London and Dublin.

It also claims to have reached 5.6Tbps over a single optical fiber running on its trial network between its research facility in Adastral Park and the BT Tower in London.

To put the capacity in context, BT said that the 5.6Tbps speed equaled the ability to download 200 high-definition movies per second. “It’s important that our core networks keep pace with the growth in bandwidth demands driven by take-up of high-speed fiber broadband, HD content, 4G smartphones and tablets and in the future,

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

5G services,” said Howard Watson, CEO of BT technology, services and operations.

“So we’re investing in our core, as well as in highspeed access technology such as fiber broadband, to make sure there is no capacity crunch and [to] deliver the best possible speeds to customers,” he added.

The vendor partner, Huawei, was said to have used terabit superchannels which means the operator’s network does not need to rely on the existing infrastructure, the release said. “As a result BT does not need to lay additional cables which would have increased deployment costs.”

“Ultra-high-speed optical networks are an indispensable infrastructure for the future of digital life, and this is an area where Huawei is investing, to help telcos such as BT squeeze as much capacity out of their core networks as possible,” said Zha Jun, president of Huawei’s fixed network product business. 

FROM T. FUKASE TO STEEL CORD AND STAINLESS STEEL WIRE DRAWERS PennEngineering gets temp injuction to stop alleged broad patent infringements ®

U.S.-based PennEngineering® has obtained a preliminary injunction against three patent and trademark infringers (collectively “Pemco”): Pemco Hardware Inc., Dongguan Fenggang Pemco Hardware Factory, and Shenzhen Pemco Fastening Systems Co., Ltd. (China), all direct competitors.

A company press release said that, beyond being restrained from selling the infringing products and being ordered to remove the infringing content from its website, Pemco was ordered to transfer ownership of multiple infringing domain names to PennEngineering. “As a result, Pemco shut down its entire U.S.-based website.”

The original complaint was filed against Pemco in November 2015. The 55-page complaint alleged patent infringement, trademark infringement, false designation of origin, counterfeiting, and trademark dilution under U.S. law, along with common law trademark infringement and unfairT. competition.

FUKASEPennEngineering & CO., LTD alleged that a total of 12 of patents and trademarks were being infringed.

In the complaint, PennEngineering spelled out widespread patent infringement of the company’s seven trademarked marks, which includes its PEM family. The company cited its stature in the global market, where it noted that in 2015

it was expected to sell more than six billion fasteners in 75 countries through an extensive network of engineering representatives and distributor.

“Through (our) substantial marketing and advertising efforts, the PEM Family of marks and six other marks have become famous in the fastening solutions industry, and recognized throughout the U.S. as a trademark of PennEngineering,” the complaint said. “Defendants are unlawfully using no less than 13 of PennEngineering’s trademarks (20 federal registrations) in connection with the sale of* the competing fastening products.”

Accurate pre-sized T/C Nib The products in question are of inferior quality, the complaint said. “Defendants ... (lack) the same quality-control pro* Accurate Reliable T/C die Machines cedures ... and are tarnishing PennEngineering’s famous mark * Long Life Family Shaving Die and six other products.”

PEM, the PEM of marks for Stainless Steel Wire The defendants, the complaint said, without authorization have used and are continuing to use “spurious designations, including the PEMCO infringing marks, that are identical to, or substantially indistinguishable from, the PEM Family of Marks in interstate commerce.”

PennEngineering President Mark Petty said that the lawsuit was filed to protect its intellectual property rights, as his company invests heavily in innovation and has built a strong reputation for its quality brands and leading-edge products. n

JULY 2016 | 27

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE

WAI NEWS

Ashish Munot

WAI July 2016

MEMBERSHIP

SPOTLIGHT This section introduces a new WAI member each issue.

Director of Engineering and Operations Hendrix/ Marmon Utility

Q: What does your company do?

A: Hendrix has been an inventor, innovator and leading manufacturer of spacer cable systems for over 65 years. Headquartered in Milford, New Hampshire, we offer complete circuit design, kitting, installation and service solutions. We have spacer cable installed in all 50 states and all seven continents (yes, even Antarctica) of the world.

Q: What is your role there?

A: I am the director of engineering and operations, overseeing overall performance of manufacturing, supply chain, planning and distribution along with process, design and new product innovation.

Q: What do you like best about your position?

A: I’m in a fortunate position where I get to enjoy almost every aspect of the business. For me, that means daily interaction with operations, logistics, procurement, engineering and sales, all of which provide unique learning opportunities.

Q: How has your industry most changed?

A: In the past decade, storm hardening, grid resiliency and reliability have become an important focus for the utilities. Once known for niche applications, aerial spacer cable systems have gained recognition in the utility industry by out-performing other available options.

Q: How does your company remain competitive?

A: Hendrix has maintained its leadership position with continuous product innovation. We combine new age apps and technology with extensive and intimate product knowledge.

Q: Why did you recently join WAI? A: The WAI Operations Summit and Expo peaked my interest with its various operations-based conferences. WAI provides an excellent knowledge-sharing platform that brings together industry leaders and innovators.

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The following individuals either recently joined WAI or became Platinum Members through their companies.

Raymond J Albright Plant Superintendent SUPERIOR ESSEX

Zhang Chunlei Vice General Manager Jiangsu Fasten R&D

Harald Boehnert General Managing Director LUNE Prozesstechnik

John Cuoco LENOX

Adam Brindamour Inside Sales Representative Loos & Co

Rob Findlay Vice President Operations Bigston

William T Cantrell Director of Sales Davis Wire Corp

Sebastian Fries Head of Production Management KBA-Metronic GmbH

Ryan Connley Vice President CableStrand Corp

Dal Gill Process Engineering Manager Tree Island Industries Ltd

Michael Hoffarth Vice President of Business Development Parkway-Kew Corp

Ashish Munot Director of Engineering and Operations Hendrix/Marmon Utility

Mark Jacinto Regional Sales - Wire Rod Gerdau Long Steel North America

Gordon Murray Production Manager Howar Equipment

Jeffrey Kramer Plant Metallurgist Cascade Steel Rolling Mill Jose L Macias Tool & Die Supervisor Superior Essex Markus Mueller Area Sales Director KBA-Metronic GmbH

Paul W Overbaugh Vice President Operations Calmont Wire & Cable David Poisson Nexans Canada Inc Joseph R Stroebele Sales Engineering Parkway-Kew Corp David J Trahan EIS Wire & Cable Co

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JULY 2016 | 29

WAI NEWS

MEET YOUR PEERS. ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. JOIN WAI TODAY.

WAI

MEET THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL, INC. And see how all of the WAI brands work for you and your company!

Wire & cable news.

Global networking.

Valuable contacts.

Educational resources.

Career enrichment.

Training courses.

International trade shows.

National chapter events.

IR E N ET . O RG

WAI STORE INDIVIDUAL | The Wire Association International’s brands unite wire & cable industry peers with unequalled educational resources designed to support the global manufacturing community.

WAI’s ever-evolving programs keep content fresh and the influx of new and renewing members ensures that your network of contacts stays strong and informed.

Media choices.

Marketing avenues.

Sponsorship opportunities Technical insight.

Operations solutions.

Plant management trends.

Speaking forums.

Achievement honors.

Product & company locator.

Research archives.

CORPORATE | Various marketing avenues are available to companies including advertising, exhibiting, sponsorships, publicity, and plant tours. And group (platinum) membership is also a savings option.

RESULTS | Each branch of the WAI family of products supports the Association’s mission: To serve the technical, manufacturing, and general business segments of the global wire and cable industry.

Join today at www.wirenet.org!

The Wire Association International, Inc. 71 Bradley Road, Suite 9, Madison, CT 06443-2662 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

At the 2010 ITC in Monterrey, Mexico, keynote speaker Geoffrey Bogart spoke to attendees about the importance of the U.S. and Mexico relationship.

WAI to return to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mexico for October ITC

The details are getting up forwas WAI’s plansbytoAntonio At the 2010 firmed staging, which organized return Oct. 18-20 to Mexico to stage an International Ayala, more than 200 people attended. “I am happy that we had so many the ITC in Monterrey from Technical Conference (ITC)visitors in thetocity of Monterrey, manythe countries,” said it Ayala, the organizing which will mark third time has who heldalso theled event efforts 2008. there, the prior onesin in 2008 and 2010.

The 2010 ITC, co-sponsored by Mexican wire The event includes the technical presentations, a association Asociación Nacional de Transformadores de keynote speaker, plant(ANTAAC), tour, tabletop displays, Aceroa A.C. featured some 20 atechnical paper social event and more. Atthe thetabletop 2010 exhibits staging,(Suppliers which Market), a presentations, andPast a plant tour of Delphi Guadalupe was organizedreception

by WAI President Antonio Ayala,III facility.

The technical presentations, ferrous andwe nonferrous, more than 200 people attended.

“I amboth happy that madetoover days, with attendeesfrom able to visit the had so many were visitors thetwo ITC in Monterrey Suppliers Market during breaks as well as during a recepmany countries,” said the Ayala, who in also the organiztion held first night theled tabletop area. ing efforts in 2008.

Registration is now available for the event. See p.

61-62 for details.

The cost for full registration, which includes the technical program, luncheons, a reception and breaks, is $295 by Sept. 27, Antonio Ayala speaks at the 2010 $325 after that.

ITC in Mexico.

A single-day regEvent Organizer Antonio Ayala, Sales Antonio Ayala speaks at the 2010Latin ITC America in Monterrey, istration is $160, $175 Canterbury/Genca after Sept. 27. A(CanGen), facility tour, Manager, welcomes attendees the conference. which has limited spacetoavailability, with preference 36 | WIRE JOURNAL given to full registrations, is $40.INTERNATIONAL A tabletop position, for $750, includes a table and drape, two chairs, a sign and one registration.

The 2010 ITC, co-sponsored by Mexican wire association Asociación Nacional de Transformadores de Acero A.C. (ANTAAC), featured some 20 technical paper presentations, the tabletop exhibits (Suppliers Market), a reception and a plant tour of Delphi Guadalupe III facility. The technical presentations, both ferrous and nonferrous, were made over two days, with attendees able to visit the Suppliers Market during breaks as well as during a reception held the first night in the tabletop area.

The March 17 Points Meeting at WAI headquarters saw nearly 70,000 sq ft of booth space contracted for Interwire 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. “We’re pretty pleased with the results,” said WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller, who along with WAI volunteers Joe Snee and Tom Seidlarz, WAI Sales Manager Anna Bzowski, and other Association staff oversaw the distribution of the booths at the Georgia World Congress Center. It was a lengthy meeting, a combination of many phones calls and electronic interaction.

Xeller said that most of the larger booths have been taken, but many good locations remain. “It’s always a good time to contact us for a booth,” he quipped.

WAI Volunteers Joe Snee and and Tom Seidlarz help out at the Points Meeting process at WAI’s headquarters.

Interwire 2017 update: about 85% of booth space is under contract With Interwire about 10 months away, the biennial event—North America’s largest such trade show for the wire and cable industry, to be held May 9-11, 2017—looks to have a very firm base.

As of press time, approximately 85% of the 110,500 sq ft of available floor space has been contracted.

WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller said that all of the larger booths have been sold, and that the largest ones still available are 20 ft x 20 ft. “We have some of the 20 by 20 units, and everything else are the smaller booths,” he said.

JULY 2016 | 31

WAI NEWS

Interwire Points Meeting sees healthy results for the initial booth allocations

WAI NEWS

From the WAI Ferrous Wire Handbook With 36 chapters over 1,168 pages, the Ferrous Wire Handbook, published in 2008, remains the Association’s most-ever comprehensive literature project, written by three dozen wire industry experts and edited by former WAI President Robert M. Shemenski, an industry consultant and president of RMS Consulting, Inc. The book is a modern-day reference tool for those working directly in the steel wire or manufacturing, engineering and operations sectors of the industry. The chapters present straightforward explanations of different process, supported by charts and photos. The content covers a full spectrum of sectors, with individual chapters—from wire rod production and deformation in cold drawing to patenting and straightening and cutting wire—that explain the process in practical terms. A company that just wants one or two chapters need not pay for the entire book ($235/$195 for WAI members).

A PDF of a single chapter, from 4 through 36, can be ordered for $25, $20 for WAI members. Each order will include an additional free PDF with the first three chapters (A short history of the Ferrous Wire Industry, Evolution of Modern Steel Manufacture, and Modern Steel

Manufacturing), which serve as an industry introduction and overview.

To get the first three chapters for free, go to www.mywai.org. There you can see and order the other individual chapters. Future issues will present chapters summations here.

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Below are the chapter subheads: • Background • Basic Bloom/Billet Caster Equipment • Billets and Blooms • Billets and BloomTesting and Conditiong • Typical Bloom/Billet Imperfections and Resulting Wire Rod Defects • Summary • References

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CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER Midwest Chapter reports the student awarding of 3 scholarships for 2016 The Midwest Chapter Board of Directors and the Wire Foundation voted to award three scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each. The winners listed below are children of Midwest Chapter members.

The winning team of Donald Stephanie, l, and Robert Robinette, both from Western Engineered Products.

Swanson

Trautner

Tulloch

Tara Swanson is the daughter of Todd Swanson, general manager at Taubensee Steel and Wire in Henderson, Kentucky. She is studying psychology at the University of Southern Indiana.

Edward Trautner is the son of David Trautner, quality technical manager at Charter Steel, Saukville, Wisconsin.

He is studying industrial technology management at University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Grace Tulloch is the daughter of Bob Tulloch, territory manager at Ivaco Rolling Mills in Valparaiso, Indiana. She is studying Elementary Education at Ball State University.

“This year’s scholarship winners represented a variety of academic, work and personal life success,” said chapter President Tim Fingeroos. “Each brought something different to the table and the Board was honored to help these young people on their scholastic journey.”

Fingeroos said that due to the generous support for the annual golf outing by members and member companies, the chapter was able to expand its scholarship offerings to three from two. That, he said, “also allowed us to expand the candidate pool to current college students.”

The Midwest Chapter has now awarded 15 scholarships since 2008. The region covers the states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Midwest Chapter reports success at golf tourney, other plans in the works The Midwest Chapter held its 14th annual Golf Tournament on June 17 at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois.

Golf Committee Chairman Kevin Sopczak, Legget & Platt, reported that it was a picture-perfect day for the 54 golfers. The skies were especially clear for the winning team of Donald Stephanie and Robert Robinette, both from Western Engineered Products, who shot 11 under par to grab top honors.

34 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

D&S Wire’s John Burg, l, and Perry Koste were among those enjoying the post-game festivities.

Individual winners included Closest to the Pin Hole (3): Jim DeGrado, Worth Steel; Bobby Robinette, Western Engineered Products; and Bob Bender, Worth Steel. Longest Drive Hole (2) winners included Dave Rogers, Suzuki-Garphyttan and John Burg, D & S Wire.

The golf outing is the primary fundraiser for their scholarship program. Sopczak thanked the 18 sponsors, noting that without their contributions, “the event would not have been a success.”

The sponsors included: AIM, Beta Steel, CASMI, Charter Steel, D & S Wire, Fort Wayne Wire Die, Illini Wire Mill, Joe Tools, Jomb Corporation, Kreuger Steel, Lake Michigan Metals, Major Wire, Micro Products, Radyne Corporation, Sonoco Reels, Teknikor, Western Engineered Products and Worth Steel.

In other news, the chapter board is planning a business meeting in conjunction with Fort Wayne Metals. More details will be announced in a future WJI issue. “Our success over the past several years has led the board to brainstorm additional chapter events to hopefully grow the offerings even further,” said chapter President Tim Fingeroos, Charter Steel.

The New England Chapter has held its annual golf tournament in recent years at the Ellington Ridge Country Club, but a desire to accept more players led to a decision to move the event to the Golf Club of Avon, which can host some 200 participants.

The 144 player limit at Ellington has always filled, resulting in a waiting list, while the Golf Club of Avon, which offers 27 holes, allows more players to take part. The cost for the day (Sept. 13), which includes breakfast, lunch and dinners dinner, is $195. A range of sponsorships are available. Donations of prizes for the raffle, which benefits the chapter’s scholarship fund, are also welcomed.

Contact WAI’s Anna Bzowski, tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

New England chapter made the most of its ‘home field’ advantage at event The New England Chapter was out in full force at the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2016, held June 8-9 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, which has also been a long-time host to the chapter’s annual meeting.

Chapter President Dave Fisher said that the goal was to make the most out of the opportunity. “Being that the event was right in our back yard, we hoped that by providing info on our activities via a slideshow and handouts and well as having a strong board and chapter presence, we would give others more reasons to want to join WAI and the New England chapter.” For a firsttime event, it worked pretty well, he said.

Fisher said that it was impossible for attendees taking the escalator down to the trade show to miss the chapter location on the right. The lounge area was both roomy and inviting, he said. The chapter also had a presence on the show floor as it hosted a reception on the show floor that was well attended.

“We had great board and member participation,” Fisher said. The chapter had at least one different board member each hour rotating throughout the two days, including Fisher, answering questions. The overall event was quite positive, which set a good tone for the chapter’s participation, he said, adding that he would like to see it happen again. “The WAI should plan to have the Expo back at this venue as soon as possible. With the food, entertainment and lodging all under one roof, everyone I spoke to had a wonderful time and looked forward to returning this venue in the future.”

JULY 2016 | 35

CHAPTER CORNER

New England Chapter golf event to be held Sept. 13 at much larger site

WIRE EXPO 2016

WRAP UP

The odds favored event attendees It’s hard to imagine a setting any better than the one chosen for the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2016 at the Mohegan Sun Casino Resort. Even before the event had ended, some attendees were asking WAI staff whether this could become the permanent site for the WAI’s even year show, the flip-side to Interwire being held in Atlanta.

That’s unlikely to happen, as the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo is meant to be held at different regions, but it provides a sense as to how much attendees like the location as well as the venue. It’s hard to separate the two as once attendees arrived there was little reason to leave. A total of 1,425 people attended the event, which ran June 7-9, in conjunction with the association’s 86th annual convention.

WAI President Andy Talbot said that following the success of the 2014 Wire Expo in Indianapolis, there

were high expectations for Wire Expo 2016. “I am happy to report that those expectations were met and exceeded by virtually every measure. Each aspect of the event was outstanding: the quality of the speakers, presentations, and the exhibits, as well as the tours and the many social events was top-notch,” he said.

“It was rewarding to see the high levels of attendance, participation, collaboration, and overall enthusiasm from start to finish, Talbot said. “The energy and the brisk activity on the exhibit floor was exceptional throughout the show. It was equally satisfying to hear the immediate positive feedback on every aspect of this event.”

The New England Chapter—whose board members manned an area by the registration/show floor entrance area and staged a reception on the show floor— was singled out by Talbot for their efforts. “I want to recognize (them) for their energy, support, and contributions to all that was successful about the show, including introduc-

Keynote speaker Frank McGrew sees strength in the U.S. economy and a future key role from Industry 4.0.

Presenter Richard Baker and WAI President Andy Talbot with winning tech authors Piotr Kustra and Andrij Milenin. Their paper starts in this issue on p. 64.

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WIRE EXPO 2016 Encore Wire CEO Daniel Jones, the Mordica Memorial Award Winner, spelled out how his company achieved such incredible home-grown success at its single location in McKinney, Texas. ing us to the Mohegan Sun, an amazing facility.”

It is clear that the Wire Expo format has become a perfect complement to the biennial Interwire show, Talbot said.

Indeed, there was something for everyone, starting on Tuesday, June 7, when a total of 94 people, a Wire Expo year record, took part in the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing sessions. See p. 46 for comments from one attendee. The event went into high gear on Wednesday, June 8, when the Wire Expo show floor provided to be a busy site. The exhibits represented 240 companies, most of which supply the industry, as well

as some manufacturers. The vast majority of exhibitors gave good or exemplary reviews of the event, lauding the host site.

“It could be the location or that the cable industry has finally fully recovered, but we had a record number of visitors at our booth,” said Harri Turunen, managing director, Rosendahl Nextrom USA, who said the quality of those visits was impressive. “Many of the visitors were interested in new cable equipment. We had many interesting and serious discussions that likely will lead to new orders in the near future. The location was a great choice as it clearly attracted attendees from nearby

Attendees with questions stopping by the Wire Machine Systems stand make Jay Griffith smile.

Barbara Latta, T&T Marketing, discussed high-temp concerns during her Production Solutions presentation.

JULY 2016 | 39

WIRE EXPO 2016 Some 240 companies were represented on the show floor.

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

cities and states as well as some that were further away.

Wire Expo will surely remain in Rosendahl Nextrom’s focus and exhibition program in the coming years.”

“Fortunately, this year Wire Expo was within driving distance for us, and our people did not have to jump on an airplane or ship our booth by UPS,” said Rahul Sachdev, executive vice president of sales, Wire & Plastic Machinery. “We were pleasantly surprised to see many customers from the area and attendance as our booth was probably the best we have had for an off-year show. New England is still home to many manufacturing plants and it is our hope to see another staging of Wire Expo at Uncasville, Connecticut.”

One educational program that was held on the show floor was Production Solutions, which saw presentations on moisture-crosslinkable materials for higher temperatures by Barbara Latta, T & T Marketing, Inc.; marking, printing, and guiding, by Mark Spencer, W. Gillies Technologies LLC, and wire breaks by Horace Pops, Horace Pops Consulting Inc., USA. The show floor was not the only busy place as many of the presentations and educational program were well attended.

Also well attended was the presentation by Opening Speaker Frank McGrew, Raymond James & Associates, who spoke about the economy and why he felt that the days to come for the U.S. should be good. While challenges exist, from the world's highest corporate taxes for

WIRE EXPO 2016 From reels and dies to descalers and wrapping equipment and more, Chris Hauer at the HOWAR stand had solutions to offer.

It was the facts and nothing but the facts at this stand.

GEM Gravure’s Mark Kristoff, l, discusses the fine points of marking with attendees.

JULY 2016 | 41

WIRE EXPO 2016

FUNDAMENTALLY SPEAKING WJI asked several attendees of the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing sessions to share their thoughts on the presentations, and the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Below is the response from one company representative: Emanuel Alfara, assistant manager, production control, Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, Inc., who attended with colleague Gabriel Guerrero, assistant general manager, operations.

WJI: Why did you attend the Fundamentals course? Whose idea was is it?

Alfara: It came from top management since the company’s vision is for us to learn as much as possible about wire manufacturing basics and implement new technology in order to improve our efficiency. I attended this course with those expectations.

WJI: Was anything covered that was of special interest?

Alfara: I learned a lot of new things regarding wire break comparison at the multi-wire section and I also enjoyed the drawing die course and how important a die profile is. The opportunity to learn new things made my attending the Fundamentals course, as well as the wire show, worthwhile.

Die Quip’s Tom Maxwell, Jr., received the President’s Award from Andy Talbot.

42 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WJI: Did you get to spend time at the exhibits, and if so, did you come across anything of interest?

Alfara: I spent one day at the exhibits and I was impressed with the amount of information that was displayed at the booths. I found several items that I think will be beneficial for our company, for example, a new minimum wall measurement device and a new application to monitor production efficiency on a mobile device.

WJI: How would you judge the overall experience?

Alfara: I really liked the location of the event and the way the Fundamentals Course and exhibits were organized. It was an excellent experience for me.

Gabriel Guerrero, l, and Emanuel Alfara.

BY THE NUMBER FACTS

94

The number of attendees for the Fundmanentals of Wire Manufacturing attendees in 2016

63

The same number for the 2014 event in Indianapolis

31

The number of manufacturers that sent at least one staffer

9

The number of states represented by course attendees

Bhaskar Yalamanchilli, Gerdau Long Steel North America, addresses the WAI Board of Directors.

Platinum Level Sponsor

Gold Level Sponsors

Silver Level Sponsors

Bronze Level Sponsors

Supported by:

The Wire Association International, Inc.

1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

facturing where a small scratch or nick can be an unacAir-cooled extruder ceptable defect. The result is the Surface Inspector, which flow of insulation fo comes in two models, the SI3100 and SI4100.

At wire Düsseldorf, Maillef The Surface Inspector provides the operator with extruder, model MXI 150, th up-to-the-second digital image feedback of the current with a low melt temperature. jacket, bar or water soluble tape quality on any production line. This continuous stream of real time information–especially the failure images–allows the operator to isolate causes of jacket imperfections and water soluble tape folds. This result allows you to identify the causes of surface defects and prevents customer complaints or rejects.

Using the Surface Inspector, you can capture images of your printed cable, save the images to disk and print them out to include in your quality reporting both internally and to your customers. The Surface Inspector’s display also makes it easy for engineering and production MFL Groupsuper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Mossberg visors to examine the defect.

MGS Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . 103 Mossberg Defect locations can also be recorded, this will allow Nextrom (U for further analysis of the defects later on.Micro TheProducts Surface Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Inspector will catch defects on the wires Mid-South before they reach Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Nextrom O your customers or fail in the field.

Morgan-Koch Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Niehoff En The unit ensures good medi Contact:the Craig Girdwood, Taymer International, Speaker Mark Horstman, Manager Tools promised The WAI’s New England ChapterInc., made a good impression due to the homogenous melt, tel. 905-479-2614, ext. craig.girdwood@taymer.com, audience that there are simple things that managers can with232, its reception on the show floor. quality. The MXI 150, which www.taymer.com. do to have happier—and more productive—staffers.

Visit us at Wire Expo has lo booth # 531 part o voltag canizi EPL ity so produ invest and m tion e The age ca design lation cores. by pro triple tion o line c head measu bility and m during run.

Con Maill jorma www.

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of

AMERICAN WIRE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION

WIRE EXPO 2016

INTERWIRE 2013 | THE LARGEST WIRE AND CABLE MARKETPLACE IN THE AMERICAS.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Sponsors_Layout 1 3/21/2013 11:14 AM Page 1

JULY 2016 | 43

52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

but it certainly was noticed.

 Visit

us at wire Düsseldorf — stand 11 D52 

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL 50 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

MARCH 2016 JANUARY 2016| |37 25

CHAPTER PEOPLE CORNER

also received the WAI’s President’s Award in 2014 for extraordinary volunteer service. He served two terms on the Association’s board of directors, and is still a member of its education, member relations and paper awards company’s success. His story will be presented in a committees.

A former member of the board of directors future issue. WAI Past President Nick Nickoletopoulos of the New England Chapter of WAI, heAward served as that was honored with the Donnellan Memorial at the body’s president in 2000.

He has also chaired the WAI’s Awards Luncheon.

Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing program since The second keynote speaker, Mark Horstman, 2007, frequently servingthe as value a course moderator Manager Tools, discussed of having regularand presenter.

Based in Bristol, Connecticut, USA, Wire & meetings with employees.

He told the managers in the Plastic is research a major shows supplier wire and cable audienceCorp. that his thatoftoused get maximum return from such efforts, they be held twice a locaequipment that operates outshould of eight warehouse month,inand theyAmerica, should be including scheduled so employee North tions North thethe Northeast, OMCG North America Bob Sears with the knows considers meetings to be important.

To It was ayou magical time the atPresident the event...courtesy of a magician Carolina and Texas. anyone who thinks they areimpossible busy tocard do that, he said, company’s CNC 6too system. with a bagfull of Minimalist seemingly tricks.

“You’re not!” Employees want toreported know you care, they WAGO two personnel OMCG CNC systems for processing wire Parent, Mark Long, Quirk Wire Company; need to Breen beoffers told,Color; you should try to raise the bar in expecJuliano Matias was forms from in.additions. toHarish 0.700 in. withthem its unique, and tations from 0.040 them and you should teach what they Jim Stocking, Hitachi; Panchal, Lloyd & Bouvier; named national sales manager for standard, eccentric bend head.

Complementary options need to know to succeed, he said. Resources, He had far more to Mike Canterino, Fluoropolymer Inc.; Grant Canada.

He previously was nationavailable: robots, welding, cold heading, say than can be reported here,grooving, but moreJohn about his free Campbell, Multi/Cable Corporation; Rivers, alatmarketing manager for Phoenix WAI 1st Vice President Dave Hawker introduced podcasts can be found www.manager-tools.com. chamfering, threading, stamping and forming, OMCG SpA Italy Fluorogistix LLC; and Pat Harper, Hueson Corp.assembly Contact, where he instrumental Erik A. Macs has been named Encore Wire’s Daniel L. Jones, the Mordica Memorial series of panel discussions presentations andA Multislide operations.

Forand progressive stripwere forming At Interwire, OMCG NorthofAmerica “I am looking forward to servingTwo as the chapter presiin developing director sales forshowcased Wire andofthe Award winner, who delivered a colorful recap his made on Wednesday and Thursday. industry tours projects, OMCG’s Servaxis and Multislide machines company’s technology for wire, tube and strip forming dent this year,” said Fisher, who talked about the value regional Plastic Machinery Corp (WPM). have blanking capacities up todeal120 ton and strip width projects in the formsHe of has systems of the chapter’s scholarship program, and the return to er networks morewith thanmodular 25 yearsServaxis of to +80 mm. www.omcg.com. and Multislide forming capabilities thatand provide the Mohegun Sun infor June for WAI’s a range of Operations Summitt experience in wire cablesolutions to reduce costsmachinery critical to profitability. industrial sales at previous & Wire Expo 2016. “Being thecomhost chapter, we are The company displayed its CNC Minimalist 6 model.

SAMP U.S. ponents sales and marketing positions hopingMatias forUSA, a greatInc. turnout to and showcase the talents and ItGem features a feed thatfor is Progressive verywith close toMachinery, bend tools, which Gravure’s Derek Olsen Erik Macs, who is all The as well as the Inc., SAMPSISTEMI Italy information of all theelectronics. event participants reduces wirewinning torsionthe effect.

The which uses smiles after raffle for model, Red Sox ticketsand that were company also named Joe Stirpe Fine International Corp., function and great things WAI doesdivision for the of industry At Interwire, the SAMPSISTEMI Italy’s and simple multi radii bend capability. donatedtooling,

by Gemhas Gravure. as its regional sales manager for including the Thermoplastics EngineeringThe its members.”

SAMP exhibited several machines, CNC unit was shownCorp. with Prior CAD to to that, machine capability upstate York.

He has a diverse he had been Macs Fisher New also thanked the following event sponDM80.2x8.22 (16 wire, 22 dies) multiwire line, the Group, which noted were very gracious hosts, even that allows easyheprogramming while the machine is in background in technical sales and Monroe involved with ebeam crosslinked BM-630-D + SV800 motorized pay-off, the latter will sors: Platinum: Carris Reels, James Wire & be allowing competitors its facility. production.

It also usestoIGES and STEP file importStirpe business development with a focus wire materials research atvisit Judd Wire; blown film packin operation during the show.

Also a single PVC horizontal Cable, MultiCable, Specialty Cable and PolyOne; Past chapter leaders recognized and ing to machine and machine controllers, viathe the2016 “Easy on control andTE60-25 electricalforproducts aging manufacturing atwere Union Camp; extrusion and extruder model automotive Gold: Quirk Wire, T&T Marketing, Wireapplication & Plastic will be board, and officers, introduced.

In addition to Fisher, the Program” that creates the program and can and simulate and applications.

Over the last several decades, he has injection molding processing at Dennison; Teflon displayed.

Machinery, Fluorgistix and Chemours; Silver: Breen officers for 2016 include: Derek Olsen, Gem Gravure, forming 3D animation on the screen.

It can indicate held leadership position in business development and film heatwith sealing and thermoforming research with The DM80.2x8.22 represents the latest generation Color Concentrates, Fluoropolymer Resources and of vice RichHe Goyette, EIS Wire Cable, Co., ifAmerican therepresident; is any interference part and machine, management at Siemens, Invensys Eurotherm and KJ Durafilm. hasbetween a degree in & mechanical SAMP multiwire design toBronze: improve production versatilS&E Specialty Polymers; Amarak Automation all part of the simple and effective “WhatCollege. youCable, seeAis treasurer; and Michael Crouchley, Champlain Electric Corp.

Based in Germantown, Pennsylvania, engineering from Central New England ity, increasedNDC output and reducedJames energy consumption.

Associates, Joe what you get” Other pluses include remote secretary.

Srubas is the past1991, president.

The other board WAIspring 1st V.P.pressure Dave Monroe, Hawker with water was still, so SONOCO didsuppliers notTechnologies, USA, WAGO connection member thephilosophy.

WAI since he was theThe 2013 winWireof Foundation President John The line offers increased energy efficiency andGillies with aas Mordica Memorial Award winner internet machine diagnostics and controller program Snee Associates; Mossberg Associates and W. members are: Brian Holden, Carris Reels, Inc.; David literally make a big splash with its “balwith Wire Link Scholar well asfactor interconnect, interface drawing and automation solutions ner ofDrummond its Donnellan Memorial Award, which honors power ≥ .95 enables Danielthe P. Jones. line to have lower updating. loons inHe the hotel lobby” sponsorship,n Technologies.

Braun, Teknor Apex; Nick Roth, Pittsfield Plastics; Lori Andrew Bettin. technology. an individual’s contributions to the Association.

WIRE EXPO 2016

FEATURE

This timely innovation will benefit customEuropean household care busiers who high and complex parts, as he just the make money, shevolume said.

“It meant that people who had ness in Switzerland.

In 2002 NUMALLIANCE is the sole CNC wire bending no obligation to believe me, did.”

It was Audit as if, beyond wasinDirector Internal of machine manufacturer ableand toshe offer aancomplete range family, friends and mentors, had additional sup- of P&G was appointed Director a world power to high levels of debt forand college and equipment from simple 2D feed and form hard tool port team. “That’s really who (Europe, you are, and it made huge Treasury Middle East,aplaces auto loans, the U.S. “is still one of the greatest bending solution for wire, tube, spring and flat-stock. impact on for my manufacturing,” life.” Africa) in he 2004.

He joined Bekaert to be declared.

There no need to produce high volume and130 simple Theispresentations wowed the approximately as Chief Financial Officer memMcGrew focused on a separate topic, oneand thatattendties shape partsalso at exotic destination.

Jobs are coming back, ber of the Bekaert Group Executive ees. They applauded heartily for 2015 President into the feature in this issue: Industry 4.0. Technology, and multi-slide benders are an the preferred solution. inMicrowave 2006, and took oneffect additional Robert Srubas, Times System, whoinsaid it was which he said has had incredible different Until now, Italy had OMCG, America had Nilson, the Specialized places,tofrom to Netflix tofor Smart phones.

“Noa a pleasure lead Uber theresponsibility chapter through a year that saw Germany had Biehler and France had Group Latour.

All those place is immune from technology,” he said, films activity platform.

As ofpredicting 2013, highly successful tour of the Marmon R&D as well Humblet cam-driven mechanical multi-slide come with a major that the upcoming fourth Industrial Revolution will combines his responsibilities as as yet another good he chapter golf outing.

He introduced drawback: set up time.

That is why NUMALLIANCE have a decided impact.

Beyond Lean and JIT, the focus CFO with chapter those ofpresident, Regional David Operations Management the 2016 Fisher, James Monroe came with a concept of servo driven camless multislide, will be on ways to automate all the way to a customer's ofWire Bekaert LatinCorporation, America. Hewho holds a commercial engi& Cable also thanked the Marmon he said. pull willBusiness come from able todoor, harbor most of tooling inSchool anengineers all-electric neering degree fromThat theexisting Solvay of thewith processes andNUMASLIDE analytics andBekaert customers ondiscover. the backis environment.

The is yours to Brussels University.

The Bridon Ropes Group end with demands. A combination of know-how and www.nummalliance.com. a joint venture between Bekaert and Ontario Teachers’ ingenuity “will enable us to make things better, faster, Pension Plan that combines the ropes and advanced cheaper.” Manufacturers, he predicted, will focus more cords “on businesses of Bekaert and than Bridon.

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Attendees on their way to the Freeport McMoRan rod and wire plant tour.

Rainbow Plastics rolled the dice and won with its well-received sponsorship of Gaming 101 on the show floor.

The Davis Standard plant tour began with a classroom discussion on screw technology.

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APRIL 2015 || 47 61 JULY 2016

WIRE EXPO PREVIEW 2016 INTERWIRE

SAS Engineering and Planning Srl Exhibiting: Reinforcement processprocessing of ferrous and nonferrous Tel. 39-031-655593 ing machinery: automatic stirrup materials. www.sas.it benders, cutting/shaping machines, info@sas.it cage making/assembling machines, Schmale Machinery USA, LLC Italy Booth 1962 straighteners, wire processing plants, Telephone: 904 501 - 28 24 Exhibiting: SAS Engineering & innovative software systems. www.schmale-machinery.com Planning’s combined drawing lines Personnel: Simone Bruscia. walter.wieser@ and peeling lines mean technologschmale-machinery.com ical value, reliability and ease of Shanghai Kaibo Compounds USA Booth 52 use. The SAS combined drawing Exhibiting: If you want to speed Co., Ltd. machine can be supplied with the Tel. 86-21-59122219 up your wire bending process, come He excelled at hosting the wire industry version most advanced accessories in order www.sh-kaibo.com along of and have a look. Get an update Jeopardy: is Wire & Plastic Machinery’s Erik Macs? to obtain aWho totally automated line: xs@sh-kaibo.com on the latest developments for swagpayoff group, pre-straightening China Booth 1512/15-17 ing, pressing, threading and bending device, draw bench, chamfering from a German machine builder. machine, bundle strapping, weighBring your parts or drawings with ing and handling, etc. Everything is you and we will find a solution for managed automatically. The comyour demand! pany takes customers through each Personnel: Walter Wieser.

Exhibiting: Shanghai Kaibo stage of the process, while technical Compounds Co., founded in 1993, staff can provide instructions and Schnell SpA is a high-tech enterprise supportsolve problems worldwide. Thanks Tel. 39-0721-878711 ed by the Shanghai Electric Cable to its long years of experience, SAS www.schnell.it Research Institute. Its main products is an important partner for reaching sales@schnell.it include PE compounds, PVC comtop manufacturing targets in the Italy Booth 2152 pounds, silane cross-linkable PE Donnellan Memorial Award winner Nick Nickoletopoulos As Jimmy Buffet promised, Margaritaville was the place with WAI 2nd V.P. Richard Wagner and Andy Talbot. to unwind and enjoy good company.

the company’s success.

Probst reported that electrical systems for vehicles have evolved to support new features demanded by customers. Today, the wiring system for the average vehicle includes 3,000 meters, with 1,500 single cables and 3,000 contacts. Those products, he said, represent a labor-intensive assembly business, and as result, they now have 70,000 employees in 82 plants worldwide.

A group thattrack included from manycomof The shot ferrous was arepresentatives collection of outstanding, the event sponsors.

48 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

DECEMBER 2015 | 41

EVENT WRAPUP

WIRE EXPO 2016

A total of 22 presentations were made in two tracks.

were held, the first one at the Freeport McMoRan copper rod plant in Norwich, and the second the Mobile Classroom tour of Davis-Standard’s plant in Pawcatuck. And behind the scenes, WAI’s committees and Board of Directors met to cover a slew of Association matters.

There also were personal touches. WAI President Andy Talbot bestowed the President’s Award upon Tom Maxwell. “I’ve known Tom on a professional level for nearly 25 years. He would call on me when he started in the business working for his Dad. As a result, I’ve seen first-hand his devotion to the industry and his contributions to the Association,” he said. Maxwell, who is never short for words, was moved by the award, which he gratefully accepted.

Talbot also thanked all the event sponsors whose support made the event possible. The sponsors can be seen on p. 37.

WAI’s reception at Mohegan Sun’s Margaritaville will likely be long remembered by those who attended. Attendees were greeted by WAI board members as they entered the event.

The biennial event will be held next in Nashville, on May 15-16, 2018. Look for upcomoffered a combinationand of education ingCabWire details at www.wirenet.org in Wire and marketing opportunities in a congenial setting.

Journal International. 

FEATURE

Industry Innovation Technology by its very nature will always evolve. This feature presents a few examples presented at either wire Düsseldorf or Wire Expo, but the focus here is on a bigger picture, one in the development stage: Industry 4.0. Also, do see the related tech paper on p. 72.

Industry 4.0: what is it and why should manufacturers care?

IoT, it also means that the complexity of production and Industry welcomes advances in technology, but changsupplier networks will grow enormously. Networks and ing direction in existing operations for Industry 4.0—a processes have so far been limited to one factory. But in methodology that in its ultimate form can electronically an Industry 4.0 scenario, these boundaries of individual link an entire process from starting materials to delivfactories will most likely no longer exist. Instead, they ery—is not a step to be taken lightly. will be lifted ... to interconnect multiple factories or WJI contacted more than a dozen wire and cable maneven geographical regions.” ufacturers, large and small, ferrous and nonferrous, to Dais said that a different mindset is needed to appreask whether they were looking into Industry 4.0. This ciate the potential. “For example, a piece of metal or admittedly informal poll found that a few had actually raw material will say, ‘I am the block that will be made discussed it but none was actively interested...at this into product X for time. As one person customer Y.’ In an put it, “If 80% of extreme vision, our costs are for our this unfinished materials, where do material already you think we are knows for which going to focus?” customer it is So what exactly intended and caris Industry 4.0? ries with it all the Per Wikipedia, the information about basic principle of where and when it Industry 4.0—also will be processed. known as the Once the material “Smart Factory” is in the machine, and seen as a the material itself quasi-synonym records any deviof “The Internet ations from the of Things (IoT)” standard process, by others—is that determines when by connecting it’s ‘done,’ and machines, work pieces and systems, The four stages of Industry 4.0. The last leg, the most complex, is likely to be “in knows how to get progress” for many years to come. DFKI chart. to its customer. It businesses can might not happen create intelligent right away, but things will definitely move in this direcnetworks along the entire value chain that can control tion.” To drive developments, two competencies must each other autonomously. Imagine a networked system come together, he said. “We need to recognize the change of machines, sensors and software that collect, analyze potential, value creation and cost reductions we achieve if and use data in real time to self-diagnose, repair and we apply what’s actually ‘new’ about new technologies.” optimize the production process.

For wire and cable, looking at the big picture, it’s a In an interview, Bosch Executive Chairman Siegfried given that the technology needed for Industry 4.0 will Dais likened it to a tag team of mechanical engineering continue to advance. The question is when demand will and IoT. “It is highly likely that the world of production follow. Who wants to go first? And where might this will become more and more networked until everything eventually lead? It’s a story that, like the technology, is interlinked with everything else. While this sounds will continue to evolve, and may be hard to avoid. like a fair assumption and the driving force behind the 50 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

One innovative product displayed at wire Düsseldorf was showcased at the Troester booth: the Cable Termite from Denmark’s P.K. Jeppesen A/S. Below, inventor and company founder Anders Moestrup Rasmussen explains his novel approach to a vexing challenge for CV lines.

The cable industry has long had a problem with what to do with waste product generated from the start and stop lengths of CV lines.

Many cable-stripping tools exist but the material has to be more or less homogenous, which is definitely not the case for such extruded material, which includes bubbles, holes, etc.

But I can now offer a real-world solution: the Cable Termite.

Instead of stripping, the idea is to use six milling heads (3x2 heads, turned 120 degrees) rotating around the cable core, with each head having a special tool optimized for clearing away XLPE material.

This concept eliminates the issue of homogenousity as the milling heads are indifferent to the material quality. The material is simply milled away as the cable passes the heads, making it easy to remove the polymer from the conductor. At the same time, this generates easily removable shavings that can be taken away in containers, big bags or directly compacted for disposal.

The Cable Termite runs in line in the CV process, placed directly

before the last (already installed) caterpillar. The process runs at normal line speed, and the start/ stop conductor length can be used again and again. This patent-pending method allows for a fast CV line start-up, start/stop length optimization, high material costs savings and

Cable Termite inventor Anders Moestrup Rasmussen at wire Düsseldorf.

increased CV line efficiency.

The Cable Termite can be used to repair and remove cable sheetings.

This includes cables with welded aluminum sheet that are impossible to find a proper and stable solution for in the market today.

The payback time depends on the machine set-up, types of cables, raw material prices, etc. Taking advantage of my experience from the cable industry, I believe a typical payback time would be around two years, subject to the factors mentioned earlier. It pays to be an owner of a Cable Termite.

I went to wire Düsseldorf “to test the waters,” to see what kind of interest there was. The results were mixed, but I remain optimistic.

Some people just say they don’t need it, but others— those who understand exactly what it does— they’re very interested.

The best way to appreciate what my Cable Termite does is to see a test run in action. To see that, go to: www.pkj.dk/cabletermite.htm. For more details, go to www.pkj.dk, or you can e-mail me at pkj@pkj.dk.

Whatever you call it, Industry 4.0 is seen as a priority for the European Union In Germany, it’s called Industry 4.0, in the U.S. it’s the Smart Factory, in Italy it’s Fabbrica Intelligente and in France it’s Industrie du Futur Building. However one wants to refer to the fourth stage of the Industrial Revolution— and all its “subsets”— the European Union believes that it will play a large future role for its member countries.

In April, the EU’s European Committee voted to launch a strategy to digitize European industry to support further integration of “cyber-physical systems and the IoT, big data and cloud computing, robotics, artificial-intelligence based systems and additive manufacturing.” One investment alone, €500 million, is for digital innovation hubs.

The EC report projects that digitilization of products and services “can add more than €110 billion of annual revenue

in Europe in the next five years.” The EC Commission proposed an “eGovernment action plan (to modernize) digital public services and make the EU a better place to live, work and invest.” It put forward 20 measures to see started by the end of 2017 that focus on five areas: 5G, cloud computing, the IoT, data technologies and cybersecurity.

“The (goal is) to leverage differences between the physical, digital, and biological sphere. Compared to previous industrial revolutions, (this) one is evolving at an exponential rather than at a linear pace. Today, less than 1% of objects are connected to the Internet, but there are likely to be almost 6 billion IoT connections within the EU in 2020.

The Commission initiative intends to build a single market for a trusted IoT, and invest in innovation.”

JULY 2016 | 51

FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

This ‘termite’ activity should make CV cable producers smile

FEATURE

WAFIOS: we believe in 4.0 In terms of Industry 4.0, Germany’s WAFIOS AG was among the most visible wire 2016 exhibitors in terms of showcasing its potential. A presentation was made in Düsseldorf by Klaus Wurster, head of development. Below, he shares his thoughts with WJI.

WJI: Your company was one of the most visible in terms of promoting Industry 4.0 at wire Düsseldorf: what kind of response did you expect and what did you get?

Wurster: We chose Industry 4.0 as the leading subject being promoted to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with our customers. We expected questions such as: what is the meaning of “cyber physical system,” the “Internet of Things” and the “Smart Factory” and “Industry 4.0.” We also expected questions about possible future applications and conversations about the best time to start getting online with Industry 4.0.

Looking back, I feel our expectations matched the results we received. The presentations we prepared helped customers share our understanding of the meaning of Industry 4.0, that it only is working if at least some data is available for all affected parties. We also gained confirmation for our future developments and ideas for enhancing our solutions to reach a smart factory at our customers’ facilities. Based on a survey, we discussed the relevance of different ideas.

WJI: For the wire and cable industry, is it fair to say that at this time Industry 4.0 is a concept?

Wurster: I hesitate to speak for the whole wire and cable industry, however, having a closer look at our field of application, some of our customers have already started Industry 4.0, and we offer such solutions today in the field. Some examples are iQsmartbend, for which we received an industry award in 2016, and also iQcontrol, for which we earned an award for being one of the first companies in the German area of Baden-Württemberg, where Industry 4.0 can be seen in a specific product.

WJI: From your talks at wire Düsseldorf, would you say that customers have a clear sense of what Industry 4.0 actually covers?

Wurster: The complete topic is in motion and being discussed industry-wide. Thus, there are existing different points of view depending on the different customers.

For instance, the term “Internet of Things” seems to have a different meaning in the U.S. compared to Europe.

WJI: If a manufacturer wanted to fully embrace Industry 4.0, what could you do now, and what could you not do? Is it more feasible for some sectors than others?

Wurster: If a manufacturer wants to do so, we have different solutions in the market today that provide sup-

52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Klaus Wurster, head of development for WAFIOS AG, talks to a customer at wire Düsseldorf about Industry 4.0. port to our customers. In one package we have solutions that lead to an intelligently connected WAFIOS machine.

For example in compression spring coiling, iQcontrol allows a real-time analysis of production data and feedback of this data to the current production process. This allows for active closed-loop control of the spring length of the spring currently being coiled. Industry 4.0 is often put together with data exchange and connectivity. With iQautopitch we have a system that allows the connection of an external measurement device with the compression spring coiler. When setting up a new spring, measurement values from the measurement device are transferred to the WAFIOS coiler and correction values for pitch and diameter of the spring are calculated automatically. In spring grinding we have an iQtemperature system that provides active closed-loop control of the spring temperature to avoid changes in the microstructure of the springs during the grinding process due to overheating. We realize that spring production is more than coiling and grinding. If a customer is willing to collect production data of different process steps, such as coiling and heat treatment, we are able to provide this data for our machines in a unified data format.

Industry 4.0 is available for every field of application where we offer machines. For example in wire bending, we offer iQsmartbend which is a brand new system that enables our customers to reach a Smart Factory.

Through a safe VPN connection, the WAFIOS wire bending machine transfers the geometry data of a wire bending part to a computer cluster at WAFIOS where the optimum bending speed and acceleration for every bending and rotation is calculated automatically and then transferred back to the customer’s machine within a short

WJI: Do you have the expertise you need to offer Industry 4.0?

Wurster: One of the many advantages of WAFIOS is that we develop our machine software internally. Our software engineers are motivated in developing increasingly more solutions for Industry 4.0. In combination with the work in R&D, we have a strong team and the current solutions show that we have the expertise in offering Industry 4.0. However, our work here continues. As you can see from the “Smart Factory” charts in this section, we have achieved much but we have plans to attain an even higher state of development of this technology.

WJI: Do you view Industry 4.0 as an “all or nothing” approach, or could it be that a “Light” version of Industry 4.0 might be more practical?

Either way, what are the potential gains to be had?

Wurster: The potential gains include an increase in flexibility which may lead to a shorter delivery time and may also be combined with a decreasing requirement of cost intensive storage space. Further gains can be achieved by an advance in the utilization rate of the machines, an increase in the quality of the produced components, and a higher percentage of machine availability and simplified

Smart Factory 4.0 with WAFIOS means: Transition to a flexible production by shortening delivery periods WAFIOS solution today:

Future WAFIOS solution:

•

•

iQautopitch and iQinspect: Reduction of set-up times by exchange of data between WAFIOS machine and external measuring device

Flexibility

Automation

Value network

The first part produced is a good part due to the integration of expertise and mathematical algorithms into the production machine

Data analysis

Data security

Global networking

Wire 2016 – Presentation – Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory

Slide 7

© WAFIOS AG 2016

All information and documents given are strictly confidential and must be kept secret, WAFIOS reserves the right for patent applications.

Smart Factory 4.0 with WAFIOS means: Automation of the production process for optimizing the utilization ratio of machines WAFIOS solution today (WPT):

Future WAFIOS solution:

•

•

Simplified operation by control of production cells using a superordinate main control station

Flexibility

Automation

Value network

Optimization of stock keeping and logistics by automatic integration of peripheral processes, like e.g. ordering material

Data analysis

Data security

Global networking

Wire 2016 – Presentation – Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory

Slide 8

© WAFIOS AG 2016

All information and documents given are strictly confidential and must be kept secret, WAFIOS reserves the right for patent applications.

Smart Factory 4.0 with WAFIOS means: Local value networks for enhancing the quality of parts WAFIOS solution today:

Future WAFIOS solution:

•

•

Reduction of spring length variations and prevention of rejects by real-time processing of production data with iQcontrol and iQtemperature

Flexibility

Automation

Value network

Wire 2016 – Presentation – Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory

Prevention of rejects by forwarding measuring values and machine settings to the value-added chain to promote a selflearning production

Data analysis

Data security

Global networking Slide 9

© WAFIOS AG 2016

All information and documents given are strictly confidential and must be kept secret, WAFIOS reserves the right for patent applications.

JULY 2016 | 53

FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

period of time. Productivity is maximally increased and setup time is minimized.

Also, iQinspect enables the connection between an external measurement device and the WAFIOS bending machine similarly to the compression spring coilers described above.

axes in safety mode is a standard for us.

WJI: A lot of companies depend on “the Cloud” Intelligent data analysis for increasing the machine availability for their servers: if someWAFIOS solution today: Future WAFIOS solution: thing happens to cut off the connection, what hap• Enhanced quality and output by • Prevention of rejects by forwarding transmitting the ideal machine settings, measuring values and machine settings to pens to an Industry 4.0 adjusted to the geometry of the part the value-added chain to promote a selfoperation? Can it default (iQsmartbend, available as from wire 2016 learning production to the prior system and for selected machines) continue? Does the whole have to work for the individual parts to work?

Wurster: Data exchange with the cloud and big Data security Flexibility Automation Value network Data analysis Global networking data analysis are two Wire 2016 – Presentation – Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory aspects of Industry 4.0.

If the connection to a server without a cloud standardization of processes such as when producing the solution fails, data may be stored locally until the same product in different facilities. data connection is set up again.

However, with cloud I understand Industry 4.0 as a customized approach. solutions, the machine can finish the current producIn most cases, existing shop floors or facilities have tion process with the known production settings by the opportunity for optimization. The current processes showing that connection has been lost, and simply should be analyzed as a first step, so that we can deterrequiring a confirmation to continue production with mine which current solutions match with the products to these settings. be produced and the processes in the value chain. A step by step version, as opposed to a light version, would be WJI: Does a company have to have multiple plants useful considering the duration of the return of investand a sophisticated IT department to be able to ment. employ Industry 4.0?

Wurster: The Industry 4.0 solutions we have WJI: Is widespread data collection/deployment feasible developed are focused on easy application. They in an industrial setting, especially with older equipment? work for example with one compression spring coilWurster: We identified the challenge to integrate ing machine or one wire bending machine in combiexisting older equipment in the data exchange, which nation with an internet connection. It is not necessary is necessary for Industry 4.0. It is feasible but it has to to have multiple plants or an IT department to benefit be mentioned that the scope of data analysis may be from these Industry 4.0 solutions. restricted depending on the year of manufacture and/or generation of the control system. It is possible that some WJI: Do you expect Industry 4.0 to eventually be applications are not yet available for older machines. widely used, or will many companies be reluctant to follow? Of note, an informal survey we took of more WJI: In an age when any company or executive can than a dozen manufacturers showed very little interbe hacked, how can anyone guarantee that data cannot est at this time. be accessed or, even worse, control of equipment can be Wurster: Looking forward five or 10 years, I lost? What about safety? expect a standard format for data exchange between Wurster: The topic of cyber security is of high interproduction processes to be established at least in the est to us. Our philosophy is to combine data exchange high technology countries. Within the next 10 years, with actions the operator has to do at the machine, such some of the companies that are today closely looking as turning the key for connection of the machine to the at the development of Industry 4.0 will have found WAFIOS customer service department or pushing a buttheir specific and customized field of application benton to transfer wire bend part geometry to the computer efits worthwhile. As for those who today show a lack cluster at WAFIOS for the calculations of iQsmartbend. of interest, from our point of view, at the end this is Regarding safety, we focus on a close cooperation not an issue of “interest” but a matter of increasing with the authorities that classify the safety level of our productivity, and that will ultimately prevail in the machines. For some machine types we have reached the market. We believe that Smart Factory is a precondiGS security level, which is a higher standard than the tion to reach the next level of productivity. required CE conformity. Operation of critical machine

FEATURE

Smart Factory 4.0 with WAFIOS means:

Slide 10

All information and documents given are strictly confidential and must be kept secret, WAFIOS reserves the right for patent applications.

54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

© WAFIOS AG 2016

FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

Rosendahl GmbH: 4.0 is on its way At wire Düsseldorf, Austria’s Rosendahl Maschinen GmbH discussed the future of Industry 4.0 with attendees.

Below, Product Manager Herbert Handler shares his thoughts on this process with WJI.

WJI: Are “Industry 4.0” and the “Smart Factory” synonyms, or is there a difference?

Handler: It is a Rosendahl Nextrom synonym. It describes how we apply the principles of Industry 4.0 to our products/machines.

WJI: For the wire and cable industry, is it fair to say that at this time Industry 4.0 is a concept?

Handler: The Smart factory is in the starting phase and will soon open many new possibilities for the manufacturer. The target is that all machines provide their machine/ process data via standard interfaces (OPC-UA, TSN). The challenging task is to analyze these “Big Data” and to receive additional insights in order to improve the processes.

Handler

WJI: Your company focused on Industry 4.0 (at wire Düsseldorf) did customers seem to have a clear sense of what these concepts do or do not encompass?

Handler: The response was extremely positive. As it is a quite new concept, we expected good response, but it was even greater than we thought. Customers were mainly interested in knowing how Rosendahl Nextrom is interpreting the principles of a “Smart Factory” and what is required to make machines ready for it. In general, Industry 4.0 is still new, and more information about it is needed.

WJI: If a manufacturer wanted to fully embrace Industry 4.0, what could you do now, and what could you not do? Do you have a time frame?

Handler: We are already offering smart solutions to our customers that are linked to our machines and services. See the above chart, which depicts some of the considerations.

We are continuously improving our current services and we are extending our portfolio. Since general Industry 4.0 standards are still not defined and can hardly be controlled by us, it is impossible to give a final time frame.

WJI: As advanced as your R&D is, do you have the expertise to offer Industry 4.0, or would you need to team up with a third party?

Handler: Yes, for our own products we have the expertise in-house. For other services—like Cloud, MES and ERP infrastructure—it will be necessary to work with specialized solution providers.

WJI: Do you view Industry 4.0 as an “all or nothing” approach, or could it be that a “Light” version of Industry 4.0 might be more practical?

Handler: Industry 4.0 is a longterm development process, like the prior industrial revolutions. The potentials are huge and are limited to the time and technology that is developed along with it. But yes, light versions can be practical depending on the individual case.

WJI: Is widespread data collection/ deployment feasible in a harsh industrial setting, especially for companies with lots of older equipment?

Handler: Generally, yes! Older equipment will not always be able to supply all needed information.

Sometimes an upgrade will be needed.

WJI: In an age when any company or executive can he hacked, how big a concern is safety?

Handler: Data safety is already a concern in our daily life, and it will be, of course, a big topic for Industry 4.0. However, it will not hold us back from developing Industry 4.0.

WJI: A lot of companies depend on “the Cloud” for their servers: what happens if that connection is lost?

Handler: Software needs to be on-premise. Cloud-based systems have to be a hybrid solution.

WJI: Does a company have to have multiple plants and a sophisticated IT department to use Industry 4.0?

Handler: This depends on the individual interpretation by the companies. Nevertheless, IT knowledge will become more and more important in future for all of us.

WJI: Are manufacturers interested at this time?

Handler: Manufactures are not yet aware of all the potentials of Industry 4.0, and it is also on us to show and inform about the advantages of Industry 4.0. The cost-value ratio needs to be on an acceptable level.

WJI: Looking forward five or 10 years, do you expect to see Industry 4.0 in use?

Handler: Yes, we are expecting many followers!

JULY 2016 | 55

the

FEATURE

High-speed laser marker now a reality At Wire Expo 2016, W. Gillies Technology introduced an innovative model that sets a new standard for a high-speed laser-marking system, courtesy of intensive R&D with PolyOne Corporation.

Below, the companies explain what they have been able to achieve.

Laser marking has finally seen the light of day, literally, as the RSD Group has developed a laser marking system that can operate at production line speeds. Yes, this is a big deal, as conventional methods of contact printing, ink jet marking, indenting or hot foil stamping have inherent limitations, especially when it comes to ink adhesion or potential cable surface damage due to contact.

Enter the RSD Group, represented in the U.S. by W. Gillies Technologies (Gillies). “Our highspeed CP LM 1064 laser marking system has the ability to mark both in-line during extrusion as well as off-line during re-spooling applications, making it a truly production ready piece of equipment,” said Gillies General Manager Mark Spencer. The process is revolutionary because it can be applied on the fly, it is synchronized to the line speed, it does not require pre or post treatment and it can provide a clear legible permanent mark at line speeds up to 1,300 fpm.

“The use of lasers for marking on cables has been held back for years because of their lower speeds, but

The RSD Group’s high-speed CP LM 1064 laser marking system

56 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

that is no longer the case. Now you can have it all,” Spencer said. “It’s like discovering the Holy Grail.”

Laser marking is well-established technology in other industries for marking plastic components. During processing, a laser beam activates a laser-sensitive additive residing within the polymer material, changing the molecular structure of that additive. The result is a permanent, durable and differentiated marking that maintains the integrity of the polymer material and the finished product. It does not require additional materials such as hot foil tapes, inks and solvents, or their associated maintenance costs. Its use for wire and cable, however, has been limited because the process was not effective at higher speeds due to lack of development in a laser marking system for wire and cable uses.

The RSD Group understood that it needed help on the compound side to find the optimum formulation and ratios of laser-sensitive additives and colorants in the polymer material. The company, which has had a long relationship with PolyOne Corporation, a supplier of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, asked it to partner with them for the project. While the RSD Group focused on its new laser-marking system, the color and additives team at PolyOne worked on developing Smartbatch™ concentrate solutions that combine custom OnColor™ colors with OnCap™ FastMark™ additives for laser marking, into a single formulation, configured for polymer materials used in different applications.

What followed was not a story of quick discoveries and success, but rather a tale of years of trial-and-er-

PolyOne’s Larry Kuzniar, l, and W. Gillies’s Mark Spencer see greater future use of laser marking of cables. ror research, and a determination

by PolyOne’s specialists to find the solution. Eventually one emerged.

“It is all about collaboration and teamwork to innovate. We were absolutely thrilled to find combinations that worked,” said PolyOne Corporation’s Larry Kuzniar, new technology development, global color, additives and specialty inks.

Subsequent trials showed that the combined efforts worked. In addition to the higher speeds, they have led to substantial benefits for wire and cable manufacturers.

Products can now be differentiated with specialized contrasts incorporated in a variety of laser markings, from bar codes and logos to true type fonts and extremely fine line thicknesses for very small marking heights. Efficiency and flexibility are improved through the increased line speed, reduced maintenance on equipment and a single combined additive and colorant formulation.

“This is the ultimate win-win resolution,” Spencer said. “Without PolyOne’s expertise, I don’t know if this would have happened. This opens up the use of laser marking to a lot more of the industry.”

For more details, contact www. polyone.com and www.wgillies.com.

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FEATURE

The building blocks of Industry 4.0 WJI asked for comments from three separate companies about how their technology contributes to the overall goals of Industry 4.0. Following are observations from Cimteq Ltd. Director Ali Shehab (U.K.), Innovites CEO Albert Groothedde (the Netherlands) and Oden Technologies CEO Willem Sundblad (U.S. and U.K.).

Perspectives: Cimteq Ltd. When I read about Industry 4.0 it either sounds to me as an old hat with a little bit of Internet-of-Things thrown in, or complete science fiction. Industry 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 evolved from the needs of the time.

No one said, “Let’s now work on Industry 1.0.” Now, with Industry 4.0, we are trying to fit technology that we have today to a need which we are predicting.

The literature talks about the smart factory as an autonomous machine with human slaves. I think the reality will be that the role of the human would change from doing to teaching.

This is particularly the case for wire and cable because the job of designers, engineers, planners, operators and maintenance personal are very diverse because of the diversity of the end product, jurisdiction and the application of the product, even if we take the variability of the process out of it.

We will need to teach computers to design products for particular applications, to rout the product base on certain constraints, to teach production machines to make quality products and act on problems, to manage the factory floor logistics and to tell

us when maintenance is due.

We also need to monitor and teach these machines and systems how to handle exceptions. Humans are very good at drawing conclusions from small, infrequent and incomplete bits of information by Ali and Amanda Shehab, principals of Cimteq Ltd. relying on experience. Machines protocol of communication between are much better at handling fast inputs humans and machines is still in its and “like” following rules to the letinfancy. The current methods generter, as that is what they do. ally rely on either heavy computer My vision of the wire and cable programming to set machines rules smart factory is a flexible automated to follow or simplistic selection of site that understands human experts rules from pre-programmed set. and adapts according to their teachThere are certain exceptions, one of ing. Automation technology already which is outlined below. exists in a lot of factories in the If I was to predict the next wave industry, although maybe we need of innovation it would be a better more robots. Thanks to standardizaway of schooling machines, and I tion of communications, a lot of the don’t mean better Siri! Cimteq Ltd. equipment is able to use the same Director Ali Shehab, ali.shehab@ protocol to talk to each other over cimteq.com. the same network. However, the

Where Cimteq Ltd. contributes to Industry 4.0 Cimteq provides software appliances for wire and cable manufacturers to start building the Smart Factory of the future. Cimteq products are released under two brands: CableBuilder and CableMES. CableBuilder is a host of components that integrates with each other and the outside world, they include cable design, quotation, 2D and 3D drawings, PDM, manufacturing waste simulation and quality control. MES covers warehouse management, product traceability, performance management, and job management. The products openly talk to other systems because the factory of the future will be based on building blocks that understand each other and can collaborate. What is even more exciting is that Cimteq has developed a technology for CableBuilder that allows the users to teach the machine how to behave and how to communicate with other systems and devices.It bridges the gap between the information needs of the human and the data needs of the machine. Cimteq systems evolve as they gain more knowledge and as more devices come on line through the revolution that is the Internet-of-Things. www.cimteq.com.

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FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

7

What’s different from 3.0?

The adjoining chart shows how applications, controls and devices are employed by Industry 3.0 and 4.0.

One vital difference is that the increased data generated by Industry 4.0 is immediately used for actions that will optimize production throughout the manufacturing process rather than waiting for lengthy analytical exercises, usually performed by a human.

Figure 7 Architecture comparison (Vermesan, 2014) .

Perspectives: Innovites

As one of focuses of this thesis is mass memories it is important to consider where data is stored and processed. IoT network does not limit computing location to be either local or Later cloud.inIoT supports The splitting computing is to afog IoT technology keyand com-cloud. the concept 20th (Noronha, et al.,century, 2014). Information ponent of Industry 4.0 as it allows

For me, the Industry 4.0 is much about makTechnology allowed ing the (wire and cable) the production of factory more responsive many customer-speto change. Today’s techcific variations of nology will help identify a product (e.g., changes, get insight car industry), but about the impact and still according to decide about corrective a predefined plan. actions.

Changing this comChange happens all the plex plan was almost time: customers can canimpossible, resulting cel an order or request in sub-optimizations modifications in conInnovites CEO Albert in the supply chain. structions that have been Groothedde.

Part suppliers in the released to the factory automotive industry were forced to already. Suppliers deliver materials maintain high inventory levels to late, or materials don’t pass quality keep the assembly line running. tests. Changes are everywhere and Today, sensors are everywhere in will always be there. the factory and their signals can be In the 20th century the industry collected into massive streams of has been very successful in reducdata (Big Data). Advanced technoling costs by eliminating or ignoring ogy can convert this data into inforchanges. Through mass production, mation that supports decision making standard products could be produced by other devices or human beings: at low costs: cars became affordable, as long as they were painted black. the Internet of Things (IoT).

one to monitor the situation in the factory and detect change immediately. With this information, the production plan can be adjusted dynamically, based on the available information. For example, if the extruder reports that the line stopped unexpectedly and the insulated core did not finish properly, this information can be used to immediately adjust the production plan. The layup machine can start working on other jobs and ultimately the customer can be informed about a possible delay.

With Industry 4.0, the factory will be designed to deal with, or even take advantage of changes in the environment. Of course some industries will develop faster than others.

As a result, companies will be able to respond faster to changes, while reducing costs. Innovites CEO Albert Groothedde, agroothedde@ innovites.com.

Where Innovites contributes to Industry 4.0 InnoVites provides software solutions to wire and cable manufacturers to make them benefit from the latest technology. InnoVites CableERP is an ERP software based on Microsoft Dynamics AX that has been designed for the wire and cable industry. It brings full transparency in the supply chain to help customers identify the impact of changes and respond to these immediately. The InnoVites CablePlan software can be integrated to any ERP software and is using the latest optimization technology to find the best plan. CablePlan is capable of producing new versions of the plan in minutes, based on last minute changes and decisions of the planner. Together with CableBuilder and CableMES, Cable ERP and CablePlan form an integrated suite of solutions that is the perfect IT platform for wire and cable manufacturers to grow into the Industry 4.0 era. www.innovites.com.

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FEATURE

Perspectives: Oden Technologies To us, Industry 4.0 describes a democratization of information and technology to all of manufacturing.

Data exists, detailed monitoring exists and robots or advanced “smart” machinery exist. However, few factories have the complete picture of what is going on, and even fewer have a means of leveraging that intelligence to actually inform actions or changes to production for the better.

Data sets are incomplete, at best: the temperature controller isn’t talking to the motor drive, which is completely unaware of the humidity in the factory or the type of compound about to be used. Two things are missing from 99% of factories: a complete data set of all inputs, variables, outputs and environmental factors; and the ability to use “big data” in a way that’s actionable, easy and productive.

There have been transformational changes in cost, computational power and big data analytics in recent years that makes this practical for manufacturers. Industry 4.0 is not about replacing people, it’s about empowering people with data and technology so they can take better decisions faster. One can’t accurately predict material usage, rejection rates, product quality or downtime without recording all of those variables continuously. One won’t predict—or improve—any of those things if said data can’t easily be incorporated into their daily

Oden Technologies’s Peter Brand, l, and Willem Sundblad at Wire Expo 2016. responsibilities at the factory.

In order to expand a factory’s data set to include everything, the newest analytics technology must apply to a wide range of sensors, machines, and PLCs. Data should be acquired from a motor drive just as easily as it is from a Siemens PLC or a thermostat on the wall. Data acquisition and analytics will have to be truly open-source in that manner because no one protocol or manufacturer will dominate every component of a factory. Ultimately, being able to adapt to different sensors and machines in a modular fashion is the only way to install at low cost and high scale.

Flexibility and adaptability will be key in democratizing data through plants and industries.

Of course, if the history of technology has taught us anything it’s that the progress of innovation only

speeds up. As manufacturers buy the latest equipment, newer and more powerful options will be available on the market by the time it’s all installed. That’s where the cloud can deliver the most profound and lasting impact to manufacturing; once the full data set is being gathered, the graphs, reports, tools, and predictions that actually make sense of that data can evolve day by day.

Since cloud-based analytics apps can be changed remotely (no software to ship or install), the value teams can derive from data will only increase.

Industry 4.0 won’t be the purchase of some latest and greatest machine.

Instead it will be the ability to subscribe to an ever-evolving toolkit of technology. ROI will be the service or product. Oden Technologies CEO Willem Sundblad, willem.sundblad@ odentechnologies.net.

Where Oden Technologies contributes to Industry 4.0 Oden strives to address the difficulty we still see today in gathering every relevant data point and making it actionable for people. We offer an end-to-end wireless data acquisition and production analytics platform for the wire and cable industry. Our data collection device plugs into all existing equipment (drives, temperature controllers, laser measurements, QA equipment, etc.) and sends real-time data to the analytics tool. No lengthy, wired-in networking or new machines are needed. Process and quality teams, among others, can then use the analytics to perform root-cause analysis on faults, or to see trends between different lines, compounds and process settings to find optimal recipes and capacity use. As we build a complete data set, by virtue of collecting data from any kind of equipment we can then apply machine learning algorithms to predict rejections and failures in the future. We’re currently investing in making these algorithms for wire and cable extrusion processes. We offer manufacturers full data transparency and powerful analysis tools that are intuitively usable by existing teams. No installation cost, just a software license with a quick ROI.

60 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

Extrusion control upgrade made easy At Wire Expo 2016, Integrated Control Technologies presented a new concept, the REVISOR®, which enables any person, from an intern to the guy who brings in water bottles, to program an upgraded extruder. Below is an explanation of how it works.

A view of a REVISOR display screen.

ICT President Scott Barlow and Vice President Dan Barlow at Wire Expo 2016.

The 1970s may long be known for the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the highs of Woodstock and the curses of the world’s longest gas shortage, but it should not be remembered for the quality of the control systems of that era.

At Wire Expo 2016, Integrated Control Technologies (ICT) President Scott Barlow and Vice President Dan Barlow said that while the 70s are long gone, many wire and cable manufacturers continue to operate equipment from that time frame. That equipment can still be quite productive, but the controls likely have not aged well.

ICT has come up with a solution, the REVISOR, that allows anyone in a company to become a master at extrusion control. But first, here’s a quick look at why the need exists.

Simply put, manufacturers with older equipment that cannot afford to buy a whole new system are in a tough position. Sub-components inevitably will become “obsoleted,” making repairs impossible.

If the mechanical components and downstream equipment is in good working order, ICT can help. It specializes in extruder drive and control retrofits for the plastics industry. Its reliable TEMPCOM® system has been installed across many vertical segments—including wire and cable—using the same base code for control. TEMPCOM can encompass downstream equipment as well as the extruder.

ICT found that some customers were focused strictly on their extruder. They want a single standardized control platform that can reach across manufacturers, with a standard system that is easy to operate, trouble-shoot, and offering advanced functionality for a reasonable price. That need led ICT to develop the REVISOR. Based on the full-featured TEMPCOM series of control, it provides customers with a single control system which could be utilized across most extruder designs, all of which is completely customer configurable. Both systems provide remote

connectivity, data collection, and important protective features such as shorted solid state relay, cold start inhibit, all zones off inhibit, and restricted operator controls with login access.

What makes the REVISOR stand apart from other recontrol solutions is the menu-driven customer configuration that allows the flexibility to have a single control solution that spans many manufactures, and most extruder designs. The REVISOR uses a “Flex-Builder” system to guide almost anyone through setting up their control system with absolutely no programming required.

A customer can select whether the system is a main, co or tri-extruder, select the number of zones, add multiple temperatures, pressures, and starters with the ability to name the components to match their needs. The system even allows the customer to select logic for controls, by simply selecting a check box. When it comes to flexibility, the unit is self-contained and mounted to a beauty plate that is ready to be door mounted horizontally or vertically.

The selection for drive communications is a simple selection, and includes Yaskawa, ABB and AB in addition to connecting to older DC drives. The REVISOR monitors the cabinet temperature for you, and even has provisions for a tower light built in. All of this flexibility with removable terminal blocks, a single wiring diagram, and one user manual. For more details, go to www.integratedcontroltech.com 

JULY 2016 | 63

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Equation (7) does not include the effect of dynamic recrystallization to restore plasticity.

This effect is taken into account in the formula (5). Accounting for dynamic recrystallization is very important from other perspective. When the dynamic recrystallization takes place the softening of the material occurs. It can lead to breakage of the wire at the exit from the deformation zone (outside drawing die). For this reason, the process must be designed in such An algorithm used to determine the parameters of 0.00025756; m5=-0.0057250;occurs m6 = in 1.4713; m7 = 0.15537; a way that the dynamic recrystallization a minimum degree.

Eq. 5 based on tensile and upsetting tests has been presentm8 = 0.00043930; and m9 = 0.11388. ed in a paper5. The following values of coefficients were 3. Experimental study of MgCa08 alloy Critical damage failure criterion.

The key parameter repobtained for the temperature interval 20 ÷ 300oC and k f resenting fracturewere is called critical failure criteri-GLEEBLE Properties of MgCa08 studied withdamage physical simulator Stress -0.5 ÷3800.

0.5, strain rate 0.01 ÷ 2 s-1: d1 = 0.03313, d2 = 2.13, on Ψ[10] and were it is given byout. the During following d3 =from 0.01167, d4 = -0.313. Eqs. 4 and 5 were used in an relaxation tests carried theequation: tests, specimen was heated the room manner: temperature to the temperature of deformation with the rate of 20 K/s, thenincremental it was maintained εand deformed with the rate of 1 s-1Eq.to4preset strain. After the at this temperature for 5 s τ <1 ψ= m = mτ ξ (m) ε f k was deformation, the specimen the=same asξ τ ≈ ∆τ ( m ) d f , t , ξkept between the fixed dies at the temperature ψ ∑ ∫0 ε fdue k f , t, ξ Eq. 6 during the deformation. The strain rate dropped to the value near zero and stress decrease m =1 ε f k f , t , ξ k f = triaxility factor, andfulfilled , σvariants k f = σwith to relaxation where: was measured.

Nine tests were of three values of 0 = 0 / σ all stress. strainofεstrain temperatureaverage – 250, 300 and Effective 350 ºC andfracture three values 0.1, was 0.2 and 0.3.In such a form the fracture model can be used to f k f , t–, ξ obtained as follows: potential Measured stress was used for the analysis of the relaxation (Fig. 2). By predict the analysis of the failure in a single pass. When the multipass process is applied, the restoration of stress changes as a function of time the effect ofd 4 recovery was eliminated and static Eq. 5 plasticity takes place in the preheating zone. ( ) ε k t ξ = d − d k d t ξ , , exp exp 3 f details). recrystallizationf wasf evaluated1 (see [10]2 for Failure criterion for multi-pass The results of calculation of the kinetics of recrystallization are shown in Fig. 3. The data where: d1 ÷ d4 = empirical parameters. processes.

It is suggested in this work that the restoration obtained cannot be directly used in the FEM model of the drawing process. However, they of ductility in the preheating zone is proportional to the can be used to perform calibration of the model of static recrystallization. static recrystallization according to the following equation:

(

)

(

(

Stress, MPa

(

)

(

)

(

)

)

)

180 160

Td=250_eDot=1_Eps=0.2

140

Td=300_eDot=1_Eps=0.2

120

Td=350_eDot=1_Eps=0.2

100 80 60

(m ) ) ψ (m +1) = ψ (m ) (1 − ∆X SRX

(m )

where: m = the number of time step, ∆X SRX increment of static recrystallization. In the deformation process the value of Ψ is increasing according to Eq. 8:

40

ψ (m+1) = ψ (m ) +

20 0 0.005

0.05

0.5

5

50

Eq. 7

500

ξ ( m ) ∆τ ( m ) ε f (k f , t ( m ) , ξ ( m ) )

Eq. 8

Eq. 7 does not include the effect of dynamic recrystallization to restore plasticity. This effect is taken into account in the formula (5). AccountFig. 2. Stress relaxation curves for curves strain 0.2 temperatures 250, 300 and 350oC. ing for dynamic recrystallization is very importFig. 2.

Stress relaxation forand strain 0.2 and temperatures 250oC, 300oC and 350oC. ant from other perspective. When the dynamic recrystallization takes place the softening of 1 the material occurs. It can lead to breakage of 0.9 the wire at the exit from the deformation zone 0.8 (outside drawing die). For this reason, the process must be designed in such a way that the dynamic 0.7 recrystallization occurs in a minimum degree.

0.6 Experimental study of MgCa08 alloy. Prop0.5 erties of MgCa08 were studied with physical 0.4 simulator GLEEBLE 3800. Stress relaxation Td=250_eDot=1_Eps=0.2 0.3 tests were carried out10. During the tests, specTd=300_eDot=1_Eps=0.2 Td=350_eDot=1_Eps=0.2 imen was heated from the room temperature 0.2 to the temperature of deformation with the 0.1 rate of 20 K/s, then it was maintained at this 0 temperature for 5 s and deformed with the rate 0.02 0.2 2 20 200 of 1 s-1 to preset strain. After the deformation, Time, s the specimen was kept between the fixed dies at the temperature the same as during Fig. 3.Fig. Dependence of changes the recrystallized volume fracture in time fracon temperature 3. Dependence of of changes of the recrystallized volume the deformation. The strain rate dropped to for strainture 0,2. Solid lines experimental data from relaxation tests, dashed lines numerical in time on temperature for strain 0.2. Solid lines = experithe value near zero and stress decrease due modelling of recrystallization. mental data from relaxation tests, dashed lines = numerical modto relaxation was measured. Nine tests were elling of recrystallization.

X, [‐]

Time, s

4. Model of recrystallization

The 66 conventional model thatINTERNATIONAL characterizes the phenomena which occur in metallic | WIRE JOURNAL materials during hot deformation uses equations describing recrystallization and grain growth.

The kinetics of SRX is usually described by JMAK model (Johnson, Mehl, Avrami,

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Tau 05, s

fulfilled with all variants of three values of temperature: 250ºC, 300ºC and 350ºC, 1.4 and three values of strain: 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3.

1.2 Measured stress was used for the analysis of the relaxation. See Fig. 2. By the anal1 250 ysis of the stress changes as a function of 0.8 250 time the effect of recovery was eliminated 10 and static recrystallization was evaluated .

300 0.6 The results of calculation of the kinetics 300 0.4 of recrystallization are shown in Fig. 3. The 350 data obtained cannot be directly used in the 0.2 FEM model of the drawing process. How350 0 ever, they can be used to perform calibra0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 tion of the model of static recrystallization.

Strain Model of recrystallization. The conventional model that characterizes the phenomena Fig. 4. Dependence of the timeofthe strain recrystallization for temperatures 250, which occur in metallic materials during hot 0.5 on Fig. 4. Dependence time τ 0before .5 on strain before recrystalo oC,from oC and 350 oC.dashed deformation uses equations describing recrys300 and 350 C. Solid - experimental250 data tests, lines =- calculation lization forline temperatures 300relaxation Solid line by of equationexperimental (11). tallization and grain growth. The kinetics data from relaxation tests, dashed lines = calculaSRX is usually described by the JMAK model tion by Eq. 11.

(Johnson, Mehl, Avrami, Kolmogorov). This The general form of the JMAK equation for dynamic recrystallization can be written as model, which was developed for kinetics of follows: phase transformations in general, has been  the dynamically recrystallized volume fraction: adapted to the phenomenon of recrystalliza8 tion by Sellers : 2

X SRX = 1− exp(bτ n )

      c X dyn  1  exp  C       s   c   Eq. 9  critical deformation for dynamic recrystallization:

or in the incremental form:

(12)

  AD p Z q

(13)

n c 0 = ∆X SRX exp b (τ + ∆τ )  − exp ( bτ n )the grain size after dynamic recrystallization:  

Eq. 10 D

dyn

 K Z q

(14)

Q  where: coefficients b and n were determined where: Z =  exp  DEF  - Zener-Hollomon parameter.  RT  using the stress relaxation data:

Preliminary parameters of the dynamic recrystallization model for MgCa08 alloy were designed on the basis of plastometric tests performed on Gleeble 3800 (Fig. 5). By the analysis Fig. 5. Flow stresscorresponding of5.the MgCa08 alloy obtained from the inverse analysis of compression Flow stress the MgCa08 alloy obtained from the of the strainFig. to theofmaximum flow stress the following coefficients in equations tests. (12) and (13) inverse analysis of compression tests. were proposed: A = 0.0377, p = 0.4, q = 0.06945, εs = 0.8, C = 3.

Activation energy in the Zener-Hollomon parameter QDEF was set as 85000 J/mol. To determineEq. the 11 coefficients in• equation is describing the grain size after dynamic the grain(14), sizewhich after dynamic recrystallization: recrystallization, additional experimental tests had to be done.

5. Conditions of simulation and results of−simulation Deformation in equation (14) is =determined due to the D K Z q by taking into account the increase Eq. 14 dyn Times for 50% recrystallization The τ05 geometric obtaineddeformation from with recrystallization (dynamic and developed model and wassoftening used associated to calculate the recrystallization andstatic): technologica

n=0.57,

experiments and calculated by Eq. 11 for different tem- cycle consisting of 25Qpasses. plasticity during drawing and finalparameter. wire diameters were 1 ) = ε  exp  DEF  - Initial Zener-Hollomon (15)  m 1   m  1  X m    where:  ( m )  ( mZ peratures are shown in Fig. 4. mm and 0.1 mm, respectively. Additional annealing was not carried out.

Length L was 140 0  RT  The general form of the JMAK equation for dynamic Preliminary parameters of the dynamic recrystallization mm. The wire diameters in subsequent passes are given in Table 1. recrystallization can be written as the following dynamicalmodel for MgCa08 alloy were designed on the basis of ly recrystallized volume fraction: plastometric tests performed on Gleeble 3800. See Fig. 5.

2   ε − εTable.  1. Draft schedule forByMgCa0.8  the analysis of the strain corresponding to the maximum magnesium alloy. c Eq. 12 X dyn = 1 − exp  −C    flow stress the following coefficients 1 2 3 4 5 6in Eqs. 12 7and 13 were 8 9   ε s − ε c Draft   proposed: A = 0.0377, p = 0.4, q = 0.06945, εs = 0.8, C = 3. ø[mm] 0.913 0.833 Activation 0.761 0.694 0.579 0.528 0.482 0.44 energy in0.634 the Zener-Hollomon parameter QDEF was set as 85000 J/mol. To determine the coefficients • critical deformation for dynamic recrystallization: Draft 10 11 in Eq.12 14 the grain 15 size after 16 dynamic 17 18 14, which13 is describing additional experimental had to be ø[mm] 0.402 0.367recrystallization, 0.335 0.306 0.279 0.255 tests 0.233 0.212 0.194 ε c = AD0 p Z q Eq. 13 done.

Draft 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 -

ø[mm]

0.177

0.162

0.147

0.135

0.123

0.112

0.1

-

-

JULY 2016 | 67

Temperature of the die and in preheating zone was 300ºC. Speed of drawing varied. Let us

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TECHNIC ECHNICAL PAPER

(a) (a)

Experimental validation

(b)

Experimental verification of the results was carried out on the wire drawing installation shown in Fig. 9. During the experiment, variant 2 of calculations was repeated. The experimental results showed that there is no fracture of the wire though the large number of passes and any further thermal processing of the wire was not needed. Analysis of the microstructure after 25 passes (for wire 0.1 mm, Fig. 9a) showed that the wire material contains only recrystallized grains (Fig. 9b).

(b)

(c) Fig. 7. Changing of the temperature of the wire (a), statically recrystallized volume fraction Fig.(b)7.and Changing of the temperature the wire fracture parameters (c) for drawing of velocity of 60 (a), mm/sstatically – variant 1.recrystallized (c) volume fraction (b) and fracture parameters (c) for drawing velocity of 60 Fig. 7. Changing of the temperature of the wire (a), statically recrystallized volume fraction mm/s – variant 1. (b) and fracture parameters (c) for drawing velocity of 60 mm/s – variant 1.

Summary A model of recovery of ductility for the MgCa08 alloy during multi-pass drawing in the hot die based on the prediction of material recrystallization was proposed.

The developed initial recrystallization model, combined with the fracture model, made it possible in one pass to predict the fracture of the wire in a multipass process.

Experimental validation of the model was made by drawing in 25 passes according to the calculated parameters. The experiment succeeded in obtaining fully recrystallized wire with the diameter of 0.1 mm without additional heat treatment.

(a) (a)

(b)

(c) Fig. 8. Changing of the temperature of the wire (a), statically recrystallized volume fraction fracture parameters (c) for drawing of velocity of 10 (a), mm/s– variant 2.recrystallized Fig.(b)8.and Changing of the temperature the wire statically

volume fraction (b) and fracture parameters (c) for drawing velocity of 10 mm/s– variant 2.

6. Experimental validation

Experimental verification of the results was carried out on the wire drawing installation shown in Fig. 9. During the experiment variant 2 of calculations was repeated. The JULY 2016 | 69 experimental results showed that there is no fracture of the wire though the large number of passes and any further thermal processing of the wire was not needed. Analysis of the microstructure after 25 passes (for wire 0.1 mm, Fig 9a) showed that the wire material

TECHNICAL PAPERS

it reaches a value that is close to critical. See Fig. 7c. With regard to potential fluctuations in parameters of drawing process, this option is unacceptable.

Keeping the drawing process at a lower drawing velocity (10 mm/s, variant 2) results in heating wire to the temperature of about 300°C (Fig. 8a) and holding the wire at this temperature.

The result is a full recrystallization of the material (Fig. 8b) and recovery of material plasticity (Fig. 8c).

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TECHNICAL ECHNIC PAPER The 'Internet of Things,' or when drives start thinking for themselves This paper shows how advances in technology likely will force manufacturers to properly size drives and surrender their 'comfort zone' cushions to maxmize the capacities of their processes.

By González Villar and Juan Carlos González Villar

Analyses of existing production machines show that most drives are not run at their rated operating point, but instead are run mostly at partial loads. In Europe, the average utilization of motors is no higher than 60% of the rated load. This is particularly true for applications with high variance, for example constant output drives (load torque curve -> f(n)=1/n, e.g. winding machines, turning machines, saws, etc.) or constant torque drives (load torque curve -> f(n)=n, e.g. extruders, belt haul-offs, hauloff capstans, etc.) The potential for future improvement of individual components (drives, motors, gear units, converters) is relatively small because they already exhibit a very high level of refinement and efficiency (0.98% at rated operating point). For this reason, the future of drive technology may belong to small servo actuators that are linked in real time and have an intelligent energy efficiency interconnection. This would be a base technology fully in keeping with the notion of the “Internet of Things (IoT).”

Whether revolutionary or evolutionary, the initial steps and ideas behind the IoT have brought the world of industry to the cusp of a new leap forward in development.

But what do we see when we take a more detailed look at this leap forward?

What can the various branches of industry expect as we move into the future? And what kind of (monetary) benefits/advantages will the IoT bring your own company? In order to satisfactorily answer these Fig. 1. Patent/intelligent drive sysquestions, it is adtem. visable to take an

72 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

early look at this extremely broad topic and examine the developments, technologies, and trends that are already in play. For example, the energy efficiency of electrical drives is currently in Europe a major factor in such developments. The definition of efficiency classes in IEC 60034-30 has been a contributor in this area. This may be a step in the right direction, but it is far from an all-encompassing answer. When one looks at typical applications for electric drives, in many situations they are run predominantly under partial load. This is true, for example, for constant-torque drives used with conveyance systems and extruders as well as for constant-output drives used with unwinding and winding equipment.

This article examines a specific example from the cable industry, whereby an intelligent drive system (see Fig. 1) can save the user significant quantities of power and reduce energy costs accordingly.

Internet of Things – A definition The term Internet of Things represents the fourth Industrial Revolution (see Fig. 2) and a new way to organize and control the entire value-creation chain throughout the product lifecycle. This cycle is oriented on increasingly individualized customer expectations and covers everything from the initial product idea, through contracts for development and production, to delivery of a product to the final customer, and even recycling, including associated services. It is founded upon the real-time availability of relevant information through networking of every link in the value-creation chain as well as the ability to derive from the data the optimal flow of value creation at any given point in time. By bringing together people, objects, and systems, it is possible to create dynamic, real-time-optimized, and self-organizing value-creation networks across multiple organizations and to optimize these networks according to various criteria such as costs, availability, and resource consumption.

WJI: What’s the most important news in your presentation?

Villar: Winding and unwinding drives, traversing drives, and drives used in the pushing, pulling and drawing equipment of a system may use only one motor size/motor type.

The described drive system maximizes generator power, minimizes motor power and standardizes the entire drive system. It provides significantly higher overall efficiency and allows installation of smaller-output motors with lower operating costs.

For designers, this offers lower development costs, economical production with unit-price degression, several series of identical design, and consistent and straightforward assembly processes. For users, exchangeable modules make repairs fast and economical. Compatibility and use of shared parts reduce the need to hold spare parts to a minimum. Consistent modularity greatly expands the benefits for both the manufacturer (sales, assembly, spare parts service) and users (purchasing, operation, repairs).

WJI: Were you surprised that European motors are often used for less

than 60% of rated load capacity?

Villar: I consider this figure, which figure comes from an EU-sponsored study, to be too optimistic for the wire and cable industry. Compare the net power requirement to the installed power and you’ll see. I am intrigued how some companies use the term “energy efficiency.” I see this as marketing without substance.

WJI: Will development engineers ever give up their “safety cushion”?

Villar: The so-called “safety cushion” found its way into machines at the beginning of the third industrial revolution in the 1980s and 1990s.

Then, every machine had standard switching gearboxes and continuously variable transmissions (CVT), but today there is a large motor sized for the model's maximum required torque and a beefy single-line gearbox sized for the maximum required machine speed. When energy costs are low, no one cares, but when the price is much higher, a rethink is in order.

WJI: Will the “Smart Factory” eventually force manufacturers to better optomize drive capacities?

Villar: As was evident at this year’s Hannover Fair, the Smart Factory, based on cyber physical sysVillar tems, is still in the developmental phase. It will take years, if not decades, until they have penetrated all areas of industry. Without 100% data security, there will be no Smart Factory. This “security” must be established first. The third industrial revolution cut back on mechanical drive engineering in the machines and inflated reliance on electrical engineering. The fourth industrial revolution—based or not-based on cyber physical systems—will bring back the mechanics and cut down on electrical engineering. At that time, mechatronics will have asserted itself definitively. The era in which machine builders use motors that are 10 times the size they need will finally be in the past.

Questions for the author? Contact him at gonzalez-villar@t-online.de.

Partial loads & elevated energy costs The extrusion process remains the core discipline within the cable manufacturing process.

These manufacturing systems not only place insulation around the conductor, they also impart the essential characteristics that make a cable a high-tech product, such as fire resistance, flame retardancy, permittivity, impedance and other properties. During the cable extrusion process, the endless material (provided in coils or drums) is generally fed to the extruder head by way of an insertion or feeder device and then jacketed by a viscous synthetic material that is worked and conveyed under the application of heat and pressure. After leaving the extruder head, the hot strand is directed through a series of water-cooled guide rollers and drawn or pushed by a conveyor apparatus to the traversing winding device. Extrusion systems commonly use over-

Fig. 2. The four stages of the Industrial Revolution.

JULY 2016 | 73

TECHNICAL PAPERS

What’s noteworthy in this paper

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER sized constant-torque and constant-output drives with high power reserves that are not fully exploited. Does this make sense?

Even today, oversizing a drive system is considered to be good practice in order to ensure stable operation of the machine. If the development engineer cannot be certain of the mechanical loads, the load spectrum, or the environmental conditions, he can stay on the safe side by specifying an oversized drive. In addition, drives with specific loads and speeds must be selected to match the maximum operating conditions. So in many cases the presence of power reserves is fully justified. Consider,

for example, an extruder that conveys a viscous compound for the production of a high-value final product, such as LWL cable, high-voltage cable, telephone cable, etc. Overheating and failure of the motor on a hot summer day could have expensive consequences.

It is a similar situation with winding and unwinding machines, where the nature of the process requires oversizing. Although winding drives do not need to produce high speeds and high torques simultaneously, the motor must be capable of both. In such cases, the installed power capacity is much greater than the power consumption of the process. As a result, high-output electric motors must be used, but their capabilities are only partially exploited.

The use of converters permits operation of motors in the field weakening range and expands the winding driveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speed range. This can justify the additional power costs that result from oversizing of the drive systems. But are there any alternatives?

IDS: installed capacity should not be too big or too small

Fig. 3. Efficiency of a standardized motor.

Fig. 4. Constant output curve and 2 alternatives.

74 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

For a standardized asynchronous motor (see Fig. 3), maximum efficiency, i.e., the ratio between yielded mechanical output and absorbed electrical power, is usually in the range of 60% to 100% of the rated load. Below 25% of the rated load, efficiency drops quickly. If one consider only efficiency, it appears wise to operate motors within the load range where they exhibit maximum efficiency. But if one is also concerned about service life, choosing a somewhat oversized motor is advisable. This results in a higher purchase price, but the motor will have power reserves and will not heat up so quickly.

With this in mind, the solution is to develop an energy-efficient drive system that is not only economical, modular and maintenance-free, but one that also exhibits exceptional precision, dynamics and reliability within the optimal efficiency range of the motor and the entire mechanical drivetrain. Smooth operation of the drive system and the mechanical power train must be ensured even with high product, parameter and process variability. The optimal efficiency range of the motor is at 0.75 Âą 0.15 x rated speed and 0.75 Âą 0.15 x rated torque. An invention (patent applied) by Kabel.Consult.Ing fulfills these requirements. A major advantage of the new drive system is that rated losses and no-load losses of the drive motor are sev-

Comparison of technologies using a winding machine for high-voltage cables as an example.

Coil dimensions Flange diameter: max. 3150 mm Core diameter: min. 630 mm Winding width: max. 2200 mm Winding factor: 5 Weight: max. 20,000 kg Technical data of the system Cable diameter: min. 20 ; max. 100 mm Winding speed: min. 3 ; max. 30 m/min Winding tension of product web: 2000 N (max. 4000 N) Winding torque - Coil: 3000 Nm (max. 6000 Nm) The following calculation is an example that illustrates the benefits of the new drive (installed in a complex extrusion system from the cable industry) over the existing state of the art: Technical State of New data of motor the art technology Motor types used:

Asynchronous servo Rated output: 7.5 kW Rated torque: 30 Nm Rated speed: 2300 rpm Rated current: 17 A Rated voltage: 400 V Magnetizing current: 8.2 A Weight: 40 kg Moment of inertia: 0.017 kgm² Additional power train: N/A Power costs (€0.14 € / kWh) Annual power costs (7500 h): Power costs, 8 years (60,000 h):

Synchronous servo 2 x 0.85 kW 2 x 3.5 Nm 2 x 3000 rpm 2 x 2.9 A 2 x 400 V N/A 2 x 5.5 kg 2 x 0.0005 kgm² 14 kg

€3150 €450 €25,200 €3600

are used properly, one can obtain a situation where the installed output for an application with a constant output curve is not significantly greater than the process power consumption. Nevertheless, there is still an adequate level of safety, e.g. against external thermal influences or a long-lasting overload situation that was not considered during the planning phase. As a result, the drive system will have a very high level of overall efficiency, an optimized energy balance, and therefore low energy costs.

And since the motor and the power transmission components constantly run in their optimal efficiency range, most of the drive output is utilized efficiently in the process itself. The new energy-efficient drive system is SIGNO-funded and has been registered for patent protection.

It is also part of a funding initiative by Germany’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. n

Juan Carlos Gonzalez Villar is proprietor of Kabel.Consult.Ing, Mönchengladbach, Germany, a provider of consulting, development, and modernization services for the wire and cable industry. He has 25 years of professional experience in the wire- and cable-making Villar industry, and has worked with numerous manufacturers of wire and cable and stranding machines. Following his graduation from studies in mechanical engineering at Niederrhein University in Krefeld, he joined cable-making machine manufacturers FRISCH Kabel- and Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH as a mechanical engineer. He previously completed vocational training and worked for five years as a machine technician at a cable-manufacturing company in Monchengladbach. He also took a postgraduate course in industrial engineering at Niederrhein University in Mönchengladbach, with specialization in marketing. González Villar This paper was presented at Interwire 2015, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 2015.

JULY 2016 | 75

TECHNICAL PAPERS

eral times lower than the current state-of-the-art. Another advantage is the fact that all of the mechanical power trains involved in the drive can be operated continuously within the optimal efficiency range. The no-load torque of the mechanical drive or the individual power trains is likewise reduced by several times compared to the stateof-the-art. Fig. 4 shows that when several small drives

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL ECHNIC PAPER Acid purification: technical and economic benefits for the wire industry This case study of a company’s experience in trying to improve its use of chemicals found that an acid purification process—which is not the same as acid regeneration—when deployed with an appropriate filtration system, can be beneficial for both improving employee safety as well as reducing expenses.

By Dr. Roger Francois and C. Tom Philipp, P.E.

This paper presents a case study of one of its customer’s experiences deploying its technology, in tandem with its efforts to install a filtration system. Each element is integral to achieving the desired results.

Much of the focus in this paper is on the choice of filtering systems, but a key to the process includes the use of catalyzed silicate chemistry that was developed some 25 years ago by the late Dr. John Wagner. It was first used commercially in 1999 in an electroplating shop. In 2003, PRO-pHx, Inc., was formed to expand the applications of the chemistry into the wire, HDG, steel fabricating, electroplating and electro-polishing industries.

The catalyst is held in solution with water-soluble sodium silicate. The catalyst changes the solubility of ferrous chloride and ferrous sulfate into insoluble iron precipitates. Organics normally present in acid tanks are also precipitated. Other common di and trivalent metals like zinc, nickel and aluminum are also precipitated. The process converts contaminants (metals and organics) into insoluble precipitates that are removed by continuous filtration. This process is acid purification technology, not acid regeneration technology, and when properly used with an effective filtering system it can eliminate the need for acid dumps. Below is experience of one multinational wire company.

Wire project During 2007, a company’s corporate environmental department in Europe did an initial evaluation of the process feasibility. One of their U.S. wire plants was selected for a full plant trial. This plant produces approximately 35,000 tons/yr of zinc-coated and electro-galvanized wire from one line. The plant has two 800-gallon hydrochloric acid (HCl) pickle tanks that typically operate at 160ºF. The last pickle tank is followed by a vacuum recovery system and a 12-stage counter current rinse system.

The customer evaluated four filters: a 2008 Global 1x PVC, a 2009 Westech Gravity bag filter, a 2011 Siebec bag and cartridge and a 2012 Global 2x CPVC. In 2008, a Global 1X (one chamber) PVC fully automatic

76 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

back-pulsing filter system was installed. This 1X system, which is typically rated at 5 lb of iron precipitate per backwash cycle, proved to be undersized for the iron dissolving rate. Also, a high concentration of acid vapors plus a chemical leak destroyed the control panel within six months. Data collected during this period indicated that the chemistry performed as represented.

Later, it was decided to use a high-capacity, gravity-bag filter manufactured by Westech in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The filter, containing 20 filter bags, did remove the precipitates; however, the operator had to enter an enclosure to remove/replace the bags. This was a safety problem due to the hot acid vapors, and its use was discontinued.

The next filter system evaluated was supplied by Siebec. Two Model P-52 filters were purchased. One a P-52 unit (two chambers) was equipped with a total of eight bags. The second P-52 unit contained a total of eight L-TECH cleanable and reusable 20-micron cartridge filters. New bags or cartridges would provide two to three days of service before cleaning was required.

Subsequent reuse of cleaned bags and cartridges gave service life of one to two days and gradually deteriorated to one day or less.

The cartridges and bags had to be removed from the 160ºF acid solution, which posed safety problems. The labor expense required to remove, clean and replace the filter elements made an automatic filter mandatory.

In July 2012, a Global 2X CPVC fully automatic filter containing 10 permanent 20-micron bags was placed into operation. The filter will automatically backwash on either pressure differential or time. Typical backwash frequency has stabilized at approximately 90 minutes.

To reduce the hydraulic load to the wastewater treatment system, a combination of rinse water and scrubber blowdown water is collected and used for backwashing. The Global filter has a purge cycle to remove unfiltered acid prior to backwashing. See Fig. 1.

The filter has operated trouble-free for 33 months and the original 20-micron permanent filter bags are still being used. Precipitates are retained on the outside of the

WJI: What are the primary benefits of the acid purification technology?

Philipp: You have to understand that change is not necessarily easy, but if a manufacturer that uses traditional acid pickling considers what they could be doing, the potential bottom-line improvements are pretty amazing. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible? With a proper filtration setup and our products, one customer was able to reduce its virgin HCl purchases by 30 to 50%. Using our 80 g /l HCl concentrations in the pickle tank makes it feasible to eliminate pickle tank decants or dumps, and that, in turn, eliminates the need for an alkali neutralizing agent. Further, the lower acid concentrations in the rinse waters reduces by 50-70% the

quantity of alkali for neutralization.

This is an across-the-board, win-win deal for manufacturers currently using a traditional method.

WJI: Why is the volume of wastewater filter cake reduced with the chemistry?

Philipp: Metals are precipitated directly by the chemistry; therefore, an alkali is not necessary.

Without acid purification, alkali is first required to raise the pH of pickle tank dumps and rinse water before alkali is used to form ferrous hydroxide. Ferrous hydroxide with six waters of hydration increases the volume of filter cake compared to the very dense ferrous silicate precipitate.

bags prior to backwashing with a combination of air and water. One automatic valve did require replacement. The total cost of the filter system was $42,000, including two pumps and spare parts. It is important to communicate the actual acid concentration and temperature to the filter supplier to allow them to select the right grade of construction materials for the filter unit. See Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 shows the classic formation of ferrous chloride as the acid concentration decreases. As the iron concentration approaches 80 g/l, a portion of the bath must be decanted. No acid was fed during the 500 minute evaluation. Fig. 4 shows the benefits of the chemistry and continuous filtration. In this case, acid was fed continuously and the iron gradually dropped from 74 g//l to 70 g/l.

After several weeks of operation, plant personnel gradually reduced the acid concentrations to 80-100 g/l HCl and the iron now ranges from 40-80 g/l Fe.

Project economics The consumption of the catalyzed reagent is 0.06 liters/ ton of production with acid consumption at 350 Kg 32% HCl/day. Plant data has confirmed the following: Bath Concentration g/l HCl Bath Decants Iron Concentration g/l Virgin HCl Reduction Lime Neutralization Reduction Filter Cake Reduction

Before 160 Yes 100 Max None None None

After 80 No 40 -80 30% 70% 65%

WJI: What is the effect on wire cleanliness from acid purification chemistry?

Philipp: Wire cleanPhillip liness is improved because the g/l of HCl (or H2SO4) and g/l of contaminants (ferrous chloride, organics) are held constant due to the precipitation chemistry and automatic continuous filtration.

Questions for the author? Contact him at pro-phxinc@aol.com.

African wire project Many of the larger HDG and wire plants send acids to central thermal acid regeneration facilities under long term contracts. At the thermal facility, the metals (primarily iron) are removed and 16% HCl is produced. The recovered acid is shipped back to any customer.

Whereas thermal recovery is a preferred environmental alternative to chemical neutralization and land fill disposal of solids, the drawbacks are: excessive recycle costs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ($0.65/gal); in and out hauling of dilute acids; and storage requirements for hazardous waste acid.

The catalyzed acid purification chemistry was first used in Africa at several electroplating shops. Based on these successful applications, a major wire company began an investigation in 2013. The wire company has two continuous wire lines that produce approximately 50,000 metric tons/yr of galvanized wire.

Based upon the U.S. wire data, the plant installed a Global 2x CPVC filter on one of their lines. The line has two 7,600 liter HCl pickle. Fig. 5 shows the flow schematic for the trial line. One problem immediately developed: the filter cycle was much shorter than required for continuous operation. Several replacements of the permanent membranes were required and the membranes were quickly fouled. This initial problem was corrected. Rinse water was used for backwashing and the volume of rinse water was insufficient for backwashing, so the use of city water solved that problem. Also, calcium soaps were used that form insoluble solids in the pickle tanks. Both pickle tanks were then completely cleaned and the chemistry and filtration resulted in normal operation. See Fig. 8.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noteworthy in this paper

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER The one line has now operated successfully for nine months and plant management has issued a purchase order for the second line.

The Global fully automatic filter is preferred for applications where the use of standard cartridge filters would be uneconomical due to kg/day of iron dissolved. The six filter cycles are described below: Cycle Service Blowdown Fill Backpulse Blowdown Fill

Average monthly savings for first 5 years Period to recover investment

The reduced costs for wastewater treatment are not included in the ROI.

Summary Three wire plants have installed the precipitation chemistry and filtration for continuous acid purification. The technology accomplishes: lower acid pickling concentrations; elimination of bath decants or dumps; reduced virgin acid purchases; reduced neutralizing chemical purchases; reduced filter cake production; and improved process control.

Function Filtered acid to pickle tank Unfiltered acid to pickle tank Cylinder fills with water Air & water discharge solids Cylinder emptied of fluid Cylinder fills with acid

The total time required to clean a filter cylinder is five to seven minutes. With a duplex unit, one cylinder remains filtering while the second cylinder is in backwash.

With continuous removal of dissolved iron, which is precipitated by the chemistry, periodic decants or dumps of the pickle tanks has been eliminated. This greatly reduces the use of the neutralization chemical and also reduces the volume of filter cake produced per the following: It is common practice in the wire industry to decant a portion of the pickle bath to control the iron concentration.

For a 5,000 liter bath, decanting 1,000 liters per week is normal. The amount of caustic required to precipitate the iron and to neutralize the acid in 1,000 liters of 160 g/liter HCl and 100 g/liter Fe can be calculated from the following equations: FeCl2 + 2NaOH → Fe (OH)2↓ + 2NaCl

Eq. 1

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + HOH

Eq. 2

The amount of caustic required for these two reactions for 1,000 liters is 318 kg of 100% caustic. The sludge produced is 161 kg (dry weight basis), which is actually 322 kg assuming the filer cake is 50% dry solids.

Since the catalyzed reagent eliminates decants, the annual savings in caustic required for neutralization and iron precipitation would be 15,900 kg/yr. of 100% caustic.

Annual sludge production is estimated to decrease from 16,100 kg/yr. to approximately 7,000 kg/yr. The reagent eliminates 100% of the caustic used for iron precipitation and acid neutralization (i.e., no decants) and 50% of the caustic used for rinse water neutralization

References 1. “Is acid extender technology viable,” John Danks, SA Metal Finisher, Nov. 2010.

2. “Elimination of Acid Dumps,” Ken Lemke, C.T. Philipp, AGA Tech Forum 2004.

3. “The Acid Test,” David French, Clean Tech, April, 2005.

4. “Acid Extender Really Works,” Empire State Development, Plating and Surface Finishing, March, 2005, pp. 10-17.

5. “Acid Purification Chemistry – The Kleingarn Curve:, C.T. Philipp, AGA Tech Forum, Oct. 2007.

6. “Processes to Reduce Production Costs,” Pascal Moirand, C.T. Philipp, AGA Tech Forum, Oct. 2011.

7. Private communications USA wire plant personnel.

Phillip

Economics Based upon one line producing 30,000 MT/yr, the following economics were proven: Historic cost for regenerated acid Initial cost: equipment installed Annual operating cost: chemistry/utilities First year savings Future yearly savings

78 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

$ 6,015 6.5 months

$116,800 $ 43,950 $ 35,830 $ 37,020 $ 80,970

François

C. Tom Philipp, P.E., is president of PRO-pHx, Inc., Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA, which supplies acid purification chemistry to the wire, galvanizing and electroplating industries. A chemical engineer, he has more than 45 years of experience in the design of industrial inorganic wastewater treatment systems and pollution prevention technologies.

Roger François has decades of experience in chemical surface treatment. He holds degrees in industrial chemistry and a Ph.D. in applied sciences from KUL (Catholic University Leuven). This paper was presented at Interwire 2015, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 2015.

TECHNOLOGY ‘The Commander’ offers advanced control system for single extuder lines At Wire Expo 2016, FACTS showcased its recently introduced complete control system for single extruder lines: The Commander.

Per the company, The Commander is installed and configured by the customer and eliminates discrete temperature controllers, buttons and knobs. The Commander is supplied with a 15 in. operator touch screen on a plate to mount in the door of the existing enclosure and an I/O rack to mount inside of the enclosure.

The Commander supports temperature control for eight barrel temperature zones and eight tooling and die zones (heat only) as well as for speeds, pressures and temperatures. It also provides automatic control of blocking contactors, water pump and lube pump. Current transducers are available as an option to monitor heater currents.

Features include: unlimited recipes; cold start protection; an alarm system that includes control tolerance and machinery protection alarms; configurable security codes and operator access restrictions; trending for any controlled or monitored process parameter; built-in diagnostics; and on-the-fly tuning.

FACTS ’s Total Line Control systems control and monitor the entire extrusion process, including all rates, speeds, temperatures, pressures and product dimensions.

FACTS, which is celebrating 25 years in business, has shipped nearly 1,000 systems with installations presently in 14 countries, with all systems backed by 24/7 technical support.

Contact: FACTS, Inc., tel. 330-928-2332, sales@facts-inc.com, www.facts-inc.com.

Rod breakdown unit is flexible, needs less maintenance and saves energy Italy’s Frigeco, part of the Mario Frigerio Group and represented in the U.S. by Frigeco USA, Inc., reports that the company’s single-frame, multi-motor, rod breakdown

machine offers multiple advantages to manufacturers.

Per the company, the technology of the Frigeco single-frame, multi-motor rod breakdown machine with minimized slippage, introduced at the beginning of the nineties, has gone through a continuous improvement over the last few years. These improvements have allowed it to attain a very high production speed, up to 35 m/sec, will providing an excellent final wire surface quality and a reduction in the overall operating costs.

The model is very flexible in that it is possible to adapt the machine with a taper elongation to cover many different drawing ranges and short holing for process optimization and longer die-life. It is also more cost-effective to operate due to its reduced energy consumption that was due to several reasons. One is the minimization in slippage, which results in a decrease in generated heat generated as well as e dissipated power caused by the friction between the wire and the capstan. Transmission of the last drawing blocks is realized by means of direct axis motor. The use of gears, and the requirement to disengage them when not in use, is not required. In some cases, this results in a reduction of the total absorbed power equal to some 8-10 %. In case of short holing, the motors of the final blocks can be excluded, avoiding any energy consumption caused by rotating gears.

The machine offers increased capstan life, increased wire quality and reduced maintenance. Beyond those advantages, the Frigeco rod breakdown machine, even without the sound-proof cover, is also quit, with a noise level below 85 dBA. The cooling is highly efficient, since minimized slippage machines do not generate significant heat that is transmitted to the wire. Capstans and dies are completely immersed in the coolant. Delivery of coolant is through jets on the capstans and is also directed at the dies, which produces a cleaning effect on the dies.

Contact: Tony DeRosa, Frigeco USA, Inc.,/Mario Frigerio Group, tel. 908-894-5801, t.derosa@mflgroup. com, www.mariofrigerio.com.

JULY 2016 | 79

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Take-up line ensures continuity of extrusion process for manufacturers At Wire Expo 2016, AW Machinery LLC displayed information on a variety of machines and systems ranging from our various payoff systems, tension monitoring and control systems, extrusion Line de-signs and control systems, our cooling troughs and cooling capstans, dancers and accumulators, as well as our various take-up/winding machines.

an AC servo motor.The model ensures continuous running of extrusion lines by enabling automatic crossover of products from one reel to the other during line operation.

It has an ergonomic reel loading ramp and it is designed for reels sizes up to 36” diameter reels. Optional adapters are also available in order to run smaller reel sizes.

The machine is operator safe and can run at speeds up to 3000 feet per minute and for a product range of 20 to 6 AWG stranded single wire and up to 1/2” multi-wire jackets. For larger size products requiring manual cutting, the machine can be optionally operated in a manual mode utilizing an accumulator.

Contact: AW Machinery LLC, tel. 973-882-3223, www.awmachinery.com.

‘Greener’ casting by recycled copper

Highlighted was the company’s new semi-automatic dual reel take-up, a rigid shaft and fully guarded machine. The AWM DTU-36-RS machine uses two independent motors for control of each shaft and a common traverse system utilizing a compact sub-assembly mecha-nism and operated by

Finland’s Upcast Oy reports that its technology can help customers seeking a process using 100% recycled materials.

Per the company, the traditional Cu rod casting process had long seen the charging of small quantities of recycled material with pure copper cathodes because of concerns of metallurgical impurities. That method cost more, which led the company to find a better way.

Upcast Oy’s first UPCAST® OF-Cu rod continuous casting line, designed specifically for using 100% recycled material, was successfully delivered some years ago. The final product determines the criteria and limit values for the raw material. Thus, the purity of the recycled materi-

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al is crucial for the process. When using scrap from other processes of the same manufacturer, the customer can be certain that the material is exactly the kind needed for the casting process. The material feeding and melting process of recycled material also for smaller pieces is well taken care of by pre-handling of the material and assured by a hydraulic press forcing all the pieces into the melt.

The automated processes, together with the advanced control system, have remarkably added to production efficiency.

For example, the automatic transfer of the melt results in less manual work, minimizing the probability of human error. The remote access system allows for very quick fault

At Wire Expo 2016, Vision Engineering launched the Wire Series, systems dedicated to measuring wire insulation with a simply click.

A press release said that the wire measurement module allows users to easily obtain the maximum, minimum and average thicknesses along with area dimensions and export results for reporting or cataloguing. The “click and measure” technology is easy and simply and operators are up and running very quickly with minimal training.

For single hole insulation, the minimum wall thickness is determined then measurements are taken every 60 degrees to calculate the average. When calculating the average thickness for multiple strand samples, measurements are taken at the top of each ‘mountain’ and each measurement determines the average wall thickness.

Vision’s Swift Duo and Xpress systems are ideally suited

JULY 2016 | 81

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

detection, followed by fast repair actions. This is extremely important to avoid any longer disturbances or breaks in the process. It allows the customers to have all the possible process data enabling them to make adjustments to improve the efficiency.

Contact: Upcast Oy, upcast.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA to host the wire measurement module. The Swift Duo offers both optical and video edge detection giving users the best of both worlds and the Xpress is ideal for instantly measuring and detecting failing profiles within set tolerances.

“Many wire manufacturers are currently using optical technology and caliper gauges to inspect wire samples taken from the production line,” said Simon Cosham, national metrology manager, Vision Engineering. “Optical inspection is subjective and results tend to vary across operators. The main benefits of our wire series are accurate and repeatable results across users.” He noted that this capability ensures safety codes are met and regulating insulation quantity can reduce production costs. The Wire Series is available for shipping now.

Contact: Simon Cosham, Vision Engineering, tel. 860355-3776, scosham@visioneng.com, www.vision eng.com.

Automatic machine excels at making truss and ladder reinforcement mesh Italy’s A.W.M. SpA, represented in the U.S. by Straus-Artys Corp., has new automatic machines for the production of truss and ladder reinforcement mesh.

A press release said that A.W.M.’s “Laddermatic” and “Trussmatic” models are exceptionally operator-friendly machines that provide completely automated production and high working speeds. Both models can process galvanized drawn wire or stainless steel wire from coil, producing reinforcement mesh with variable widths.

82 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The “Trussmatic” innovative shaping and welding module allows the production and welding of diagonal wire in a single operation, making use and adjustment of the system exceptionally easy, the release said. Upgraded wire guides assure easier adjustments and high quality product while the roll advancement unit permits notching of the longitudinal wires for improved end use functionality. The rolling unit can be used in-line for flat profiles for longitudinal wire. PLC controls with LCD display make for easy machine operator programing. A.W.M. also offers lattice girder machines, cold rolling lines, wire mesh welders, automatic wire mesh benders and straighten/cut machines with hyperbolic roll technology.

Contact: Straus-Artys Corporation, tel. 516-5761690, info@straus-artys.com, www.straus-artys.com, www.www.awm.it.

Line of Turks Head models comes in 2 designs, can be customized At Wire Expo 2016, FENN displayed its model 2U-HP Turks Head, which it notes uses custom-shaped rolls designed, as do all its such models, to meet a client’s particular wire or rod shaping requirement.

A press release said that FENN offers two styles of Turks Heads: “Pull Through” and “Power Driven.” The Pull Through style is a cost-effective machine that requires a power source, such as a bull block, double capstan, shedding drum or rolling mill; the Power Driven model (pictured) uses driven rolls that effectively force the material through as it is shaped. Because the power-driven Turks Head eliminates the need for a pull-through device, such as a capstan, users can effectively save precious floor space and reduce scrap rates on expensive materials.

The displayed Turks Head at the event offers fine adjustment. It can be compared to an adjustable draw die, but it is actually infinitely adjustable within its limiting dimensions, so it enables the direct formation of round wire to square, rectangle or special shaped wire or tube.

The Turks Head operates on the Rolling Mill principle and imparts the same qualities including superior finish, accurate size and shape, and improved grain structure of the metal. It differs from a rolling mill in the number and arrangement of rolls. The Turks Head uses two pairs of rolls, one pair that is arranged horizontally, while the other is arranged vertically.

Contact: FENN, tel. 860-259-6600, www.fenn-torin.com, sales@fenn-torin.com.

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Patent Update PATENTS

(Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d. from p. 22)

conductors; and a shield tape wound around the insulator in longitudinal wrapping. In the differential signal transmission cable, both ends of the shield tape in a direction of the winding around the insulator have a first overlapping region and a second overlapping region which overlap each other, and the first overlapping region of the shield tape is covered with the second overlapping region. In a tangent line of two tangent lines of a first signal conductor which is orthogonal to a line passing through centers of the signal conductors, when the tangent line positioned at radially outside of the first signal conductor is set to be a first tangent line, an end of the first overlapping region is positioned at outside of the first tangent line.

Compression method for electric wire and electric wire with terminal obtained thereby U.S. Patent No.: 9,350,109 Patent date: May 24, 2016 Filed: Feb. 7, 2014 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation, Japan Inventors: Kentaro Ohnuma; Tadahisa Sakaguchi An electric wire with terminal includes: a waterproof seal sleeve that is attached to a tip of a conductor part of a covered electric wire from which a covering section is removed; an inner terminal that is compressed in an area containing a boundary between the conductor part and the covering section of the covered electric wire; and an outer terminal which includes an electric connection section connected to a mating terminal, a compression section having a front part, a center part and a rear part, and an interconnecting section that connects the electric connection section with the compression section. The front part of the compression section compresses the waterproof seal sleeve, the center part of the compression section compresses the conductor part, and the rear part of the compression section compresses a front part of the inner terminal.

Reinforced high temperature superconducting silver wire U.S. Patent No.: 9,349,936 Patent date: May 24, 2016 Filed: June 19, 2014 Assignee: Alexander Otto Inventor: Alexander Otto Reinforced high temperature superconducting silver wire and materials, and methods of producing reinforced high temperature superconducting silver composite wire. More specifically reinforcement materials and assemblies for

84 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

attaining much higher stress, bend and surface indent tolerances at practical conductor dimensions are described. The reinforced wire or methods can include a silver wire core and a layer of high strength reinforcing metal.

Electric cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,349,505 Patent date: May 24, 2016 Filed: Dec. 17, 2013 Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Masahiro Tozawa; Taro Fujita; Atsuko Shinomiya; An electric cable for improving flexibility of an insulating resin portion of the electric cable expressed by a secant modulus value is provided. In an electric cable 10a in which an outer periphery of a conductor 11 made of wires with diameters from 0.15 to 0.5 mm and having a cross-sectional area of 20 mm.sup.2 or more is covered with an insulating resin 12 including a flame retardant, a ratio of an electric cable diameter to a conductor diameter is from 1.15 to 1.40, and a secant modulus of the insulating resin 12 is from 10 to 50 MPa.

Drop cable 9,349,502 May 24, 2016 Filed: Dec. 19, 2012 Fujikura Ltd., Japan Takeshi Kizaki; The present invention is an automotive wire provided with a conductor including at least one solid wire composed of a core and a metal film that covers the surface of the core, and an insulator that covers the conductor, wherein the core is composed of carbon steel, and the metal film has a thickness of 12.4 .mu.m to 29.6 .mu.m.

U.S. Patent No.: Patent date: Assignee: Inventor:

Mapping wire with heating element to allow axial movement during cryoballoon ablation U.S. Patent No.: 9,345,529 Patent date: May 24, 2016 Filed: July 15, 2013 Assignee: Medtronic CryoCath LP, Canada Inventor: Teresa Ann Mihalik A method and system for cryotreatment of target tissue using a cryotreatment catheter through which a mapping catheter may be freely movable, even during activation of the cryotreatment element. The cryotreatment system may include a cryotreatment catheter, a mapping catheter

Differential transmission cable and multipair differential transmission cable U.S. Patent No.: 9,343,882 Patent date: May 17, 2016 Filed: Feb. 27, 2014 Assignee: Tyco Electronics Co. Ltd., Shanghai Inventors: Wayne Kachmar; William Wright; Thomas Huegerich; Lizhang Yang; William Jacobsen; Aly Fahd The disclosed power cable enables optical fibers to be installed after the power cable has been installed, there-

by forming a hybrid cable. Segments of the power cable are manufactured with fiber installation tubes containing pulling members. When the power cable segments are coupled together, the fiber installation tubes and pulling members also are coupled together to form a fiber installation conduit and an extended pulling member. A fiber pull arrangement can be coupled to the extended pulling member and drawn through the fiber installation conduit within the power cable at any time subsequent to installation of the power cable.

Insulated wire and coil U.S. Patent No.: 9,343,197 Patent date: May 17, 2016 Filed: Nov. 29, 2012 Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Yuki Honda; Takami Ushiwata; Shuta Nabeshima; Hideyuki Kikuchi An insulated wire includes a conductor, and an insulating covering layer including a first insulation layer formed around the conductor and a second insulation layer formed around the first insulation layer. An elastic modulus of the second insulation layer at 300.degree. C. is not less than 300 MPa, and a relative permittivity of the insulating covering layer is not more than 3.0. 

Contact us for a demo of new software options to assist in handling data.

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JULY 2016 | 85

PATENTS

slidably disposed within a lumen of the cryotreatment catheter, and one or more heating elements. The one or more heating elements may be disposed on the mapping catheter or within the lumen of the cryotreatment catheter. Activation of the one or more heating elements prevents the freezing of, or thaws, fluid within the lumen of the cryotreatment device when one or more cryotreatment elements are activated. The lack of frozen fluid within the lumen allows the mapping catheter to freely move within the cryotreatment catheter during a cryotreatment procedure, so that the mapping catheter may be positioned proximate the treatment site after initiation of cryotreatment.

CLASSIFIEDS

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• Blind box numbers, add $25. • Boldface headlines, add $6 per line (up to 18 characters per line). Specify category.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY SERVICE TECHNICIAN. Schlatter North America, located in Rockford, Illinois, is looking for a seasoned service technician with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in installing and troubleshooting industrial machinery.

The successful candidate must have a strong mechanical and electrical background. A working knowledge of Siemens PLC technology along with Bosch/Rexroth Servo Drive Technology would be a plus.

DEADLINES: Copy is due a full month in advance.

Contact: classified@wirenet.org for more details.

The successful candidate primary responsibility would be to commission and train machine operators on the proper operating techniques for new Schlatter wire resistance welding equipment for the North America market.

In addition, the successful candidate would be responsible for installing upgrades accessories on existing equipment. The successful candidate must be willing to travel up to 75% of the time.

Interested candidates can submit their resumes to sales.north-america@schlat-

FOR SALE 1 - NEB 72-C #2 Braider, Long Legs, Motor 2 - NEB 48-C Harness Braiders, Motors 1 - HACOBA Model DF24 24-Carrier Braider 2 - J.B. HYDE 24-C, 48-C Braiders 1 - WATSON 6+1 60” Planetary Cabler 1 - CEECO 60” Rotating Cabler 1 - REEL-O-MATIC 24” Caterpuller Capstan 1 - GOODMAN 18” Caterpuller Capstan 1 - ROYLE 48” Belt Wrap Capstan 1 - VITECK 36” Belt Wrap Capstan, CBW-36-D 2 - NEB 12-Wire 8” Vertical Planetary Cablers 1 - ALLARD 36” Closer, Model STC-36 2 - SYNCRO FX13 Rod Breakdown Drawers 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 4.5” 24:1 Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 3.5” 24:1 Extruder Line 1 - ENTWISTLE 2” 24:1 Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 1.5” 24:1 Extruder 2 - TULSA 96” Payoffs, Model CTPO-30, 2005 1 - SKALTEK 1600mm Payoff, Model A16-4K Commission

1 - DYNAMEX Tape Payoff, Model TPB30-2-D 1 - WATSON 61-Wire 24” Rigid Strander 1 - TULSA 96” Gantry Traversing Take-ups, GTU-30 1 - SPHEREX 18” Dual Reel Take-up, refurbed 1 - CLIPPER Model SP16 Dual Spooler 1 - AL-BE Model MS12 Respooler, 18” Reels 5 - REEL-O-MATIC B12, B12X Respoolers 1 - REEL-O-MATIC HJ/CVS Reel to Coil Machine 1 - GRAHAM INT’L 72” Rewind Line, 2015 1 - CEECO Tape Line 7 - KINREI 560mm D.T. Twisters 1 - METEOR Model ME301 3-Head Winder 1 - ENTWISTLE 4WDT24 4-W 24” D.T. Twister 2 - NEWMCO 16” D.T. Quadders 1 - HALL Tape Accumulator 2 - IMCS Bulk Bag Unloaders, 4,000lb capacity 1 - ONE PRESS Type ANCON CCL Swager 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model CC36 CrimpCenter 1 - ARTOS MTX10, MTX5 Wire Processors 1 - B&H Model 225 Crosshead

Commission Brokers Inc., Cranston, RI 02920 • 401-943-3777 www.CommissionBrokers.com • marty137@aol.com

B r o k e r s

86 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tergroup.com. The position reports to the General Manager of Schlatter North America.

POSITIONS WANTED WIRE & CABLE REPRESENTATIVE AVAILABLE FOR THE AMERICAS. Do you need an experienced salesman in Mexico, Central and south America? Please contact Antonio Ayala at 1953ayala@gmail. com.

PERSONNEL SERVICES “LET OUR SUCCESS BE YOUR SUCCESS” Wire Resources is the foremost recruiting firm in the Wire & Cable Industry. Since 1967 we have partnered with industry Manufacturers to secure the services of executives, managers, and thousands of key individual contributors. Contact: Peter Carino, pcarino@ wireresources.com or online at www.linkedin.com/in/petercarino1/ Wire Resources Inc., PO Box 593, Riverside, CT 06878, tel. 203-6223000. www.wireresources.com.

MACHINERY WWW.URBANOASSOCIATES. COM. For New (Hakusan Heat Pressure Welders, Ferrous & NonFerrous; Marldon Rolling Ring Traverses) & Used Wire & Cable Equipment (buttwelders, coldwelders, ers and pointers). Tel: 727-8634700 or by e-mail, please send to urbassoc@verizon.net.

ADVERTISER ............................ PAGE

ADVERTISER ............................ PAGE

Anbao Wire & Mesh Co Ltd ..............................24

Howar Equipment/Metavan...............................32

Black Sea Technology Inc ................................49

Huestis Industrial ..............................................29

BOXY SpA/Howar Equipment...........................81

IP Automation Inc ..............................................26

Carris Reels Inc ....................................... Cover 4

Inosym Ltd ...................................................11, 44

Cemanco ............................................................27

KEIR Manufacturing Inc ....................................43

Clinton Instrument Co .......................................35

Locton Limited ...................................................43

Commission Brokers Inc ..................................86

Metavan/Howar Equipment...............................32

Electronic Drives & Controls ............................40

Mexichem Specialty Compounds Inc ......Cover 2

Esteves Group USA...........................................47

Paramount Die Co ...............................................4

George Evans Corp ...........................................43

Pressure Welding Machines Ltd ......................41

Fenn LLC ............................................................33

Proton Products International Ltd .............23, 48

Gem Gravure Co Inc ..........................................85

Queins Machines GmbH ...................................31

Guill Tool & Engineering Co .............................32

Rainbow Rubber & Plastics Inc..........................2

Henrich GmbH .....................................................5

SCR / Tektapes...................................................21

Honeywell .............................................................1

SIKORA AG ..........................................................7

Howar Equipment/BOXY SpA...........................81

Sjogren Industries Inc ................................. 12-13

JULY 2016 | 87

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX PEOPLE

ADVER DVERTISERS’ ISERS’ INDEX ADVERTISER ............................ PAGE August Strecker GmbH & Co KG .....................15

September 2016 WJI

Tubular Products Co .........................................25

Specialty Wire & Cable

Upcast OY ..........................................................57

Preview: IWCS

WAFIOS Machinery Corp ........................ Cover 3

Preview: wire & Cable India

Wire & Plastic Corp .............................................9 Witels Albert USA Ltd........................................24 Wyrepak Industries .....................................46, 80 Zumbach Electronics Corp ...............................45

WIRE ASSOCIATION INT’L ADS WAI Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Wire Expo 2016 Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37 Monterrey ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61, 62 Interwire 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 WAI Industry Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

WIRE JOURNAL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

SALES OFFICES NORTH AMERICA

Robert J. Xeller/Anna Bzowski Wire Journal International Tel: 203-453-2777 Fax: 203-453-8384 sales@wirenet.org

ASIA/WAI

India Office Wire & Cable Services Pvt. Ltd. Rahatani, Pune - 411017, India Huned Contractor mobile - +91 988 1084 202 hcontractor@wirenet.org China Office Zhuang (Frank) zhilu Shanghai, China 200331 mobile - 0086-18018681117 zzs12151116@163.com

EUROPE

U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark & Scandinavia Jennie Franks David Franks & Co. Tel/fax: 44-1223-360472 franksco@btopenworld.com Germany, Austria, & Switzerland Dagmar Melcher Media Service Int. Tel: 49-8801-914682 Fax: 49-8801-914683 dmelcher@t-online.de

88 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Advertising Deadline: August 1

CNC-Controlled Dual-Head Bending Machine for the Production of Two- and Three-Dimensional Parts as well as Frames Made of Round Wire BMS 25 • Easy programming ( WPS 3.2 EasyWay) • CNC technology means low tool costs • Large bending space supports high variety of parts • Designed for producing car seat inlays

bend: Optimization of bending sequences wire: Simulation of wire bending processes smartbend: Automatic optimization of bending process inspect: Automaticmeasurement and correction of bent parts

more... efficiency flexibility control BMS 25 Technical Data Wire Ø < 1,900 N/mm2 (276 KSI) Wire Ø < 600 N/mm2 (87 KSI) Rod length Distance-bending heads to tool center Rotary angle, rotary gripper Rotary angle, bending and mandrel axis Bending torque Bending head, up/down stroke

.059 - .098 .059 - .137 9.84 - 78.7 min. 2.95 max. 74.8 endless endless max. approx. 23.6 max. 0.98

1.5 - 2.5 1.5 - 3.5 250 - 2,000 min. 75 max. 1,900 endless endless max. approx. 32 ft lbs max. 25 in in in in in

mm mm mm mm

Nm mm

Smart Fa tory4.0

Economical • Versatile • Profitable Engineered for What’s Next Spring Coiling & Forming Machines

WAFIOS Machinery Corporation 27 NE Industrial Road, Branford, CT 06405 USA Phone: 203-481-5555 / Fax: 203-481-9854 A Subsidiary of WAFIOS AG Precision Machinery for Wire, Tube and Formed Parts

Wire Bending & Forming Machines

Wire Straightening, Cutting & End Working Machines

Tube Bending & Forming Nail, Fastener & Chain Machines Machines

WAFIOS Midwest Technical Center 9830 W. 190th Street, Mokena, IL 60448 USA USA www.wafios.us sales@wafios.us Canada www.wafios.ca sales@wafios.ca

Visit our stand #1350 at Interwire 2015