Wireless Update

WIRE JOURNAL JANUARY 2015

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INTERNATIONAL www.wirenet.org

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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

JANUARY 2015

Volume 48 | Number 1 | January 2015

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

update

FEATURES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News. . . . . . . . . . . . 10

People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

International Wire & Cable Symposium

Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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523 Proceedings of the 63rd IWCS Conference

Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Photo

Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 23

Report to Members . ď&#x201A;Ą. . . . . . . . 24

WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll and 2014 WAI President Bill Avise discuss the past year, which will go down as a good one for the Association.

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A â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supermanâ&#x20AC;? phone booth, one of three that will remain on West End Avenue in Manhattan. Credit Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times The modern New York pay phone will provide no shelter from the rain, no alcove for the quarreling couple seeking a private moment to reconcile. It will afford little refuge to the prospective superhero requiring a wardrobe change.

Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . . 37

In fact, the pay phone of tomorrow will include no traditional phone at all â&#x20AC;&#x201D; nor any payment, for that matter, at least for communication within the United States.

But beginning next year, city officials said on Monday, the relics will evolve into something deemed far more practical: thousands of Wi-Fi hot spots across the city, providing free Internet access, free domestic calls using cellphones or a built-in keypad, a charging station for mobile devices and access to city services and directions.

Wrapup: IWCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Continue reading the main story Related Coverage

Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Technical Papers . . . . . . 52-67 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Career Opportunities . . . . . . 71 Advertisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Index . . . . . . . . 71

IWCS 2014 was noteworthy for both good attendance as well as the introduction of its new leader.

Wireless update . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 In a way, wireless is not a competitive story as the focus is mobile, but the myriad of ways in which it has become part of our social fabric is simply stunning.

TECHNICAL PAPERS Part 2: Properties of high carbon steel wires drawn at extremely slow speeds Yoshira Yamada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Next issue February 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Packaging

Modernization opportunities for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aluminum mills David Gow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Scrap reďŹ ning for the copper rod production - Maerz Direct-to-WireÂŽ pair cables Timm Lux and Bernhard Hanusch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Cover: These are heady days for wireless technology, with a steady ďŹ&#x201A;ow of news about the latest advances. Demand for wireless access seems insatiable...as well as somewhat narcissistic...but the technology continues to blaze forward, much like the early days of optical ďŹ ber.

JANUARY 2015 | 3

CONTENTS

www.wirenet.org

CONTENTS CONTENTS

INSIDE NSIDE THIS THIS ISSUE ISSUE Wire workslevel on industry multiple levels. . .10 A ‘platinum’ webinar 32

Promise oftradition ‘new’ acontinues tech draw An industry . . . . . 40 36

Sweden’s Fatzer AG, part of the Brugg Group, is supInteger Rearch’s Philip Radbourne provided expanded plying 50-mm rope to expand the world’s highest aerial content during an Oct. 21 webinar that followed up transport system by five new lines. One one level, it the Electrical Sector report that was provided to WAI will connect two Brazilian cities (La Paz and El Alto), Platinum Members. Below is a slide from his presentbut proponents of the project say that equally important interest. it will also bring people together in a way that was not The webinar also included further discussion by a panel previously possible. of industry experts.

One element of IWCS that seems to get more popular Robert Bache, a director at U.K.-based Bache Pallets each year is the new product presentations. The 2014 Limited, performs the clockwinding duties at the Oct. 15 staging of the event at the Rhode Island Convention event at WAI’s headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut.

Center saw a healthy audience for the dozen or so Bache spoke to guests and staff about the importance of 15-minute presentations. Topics ranged from “Superior having a close relationship. He observed that in today’s Low Density PTFE for Coaxial Cables” to “Inspection world we all need a wingman, and for the U.K., “I think standards for Polymers in the Cable Industry.” that there’s a wingman in America, in the USA.”

US economy seems to be showing some solid signs of growth..but also some concerns

Positive  Economy recovered from worst recession in 80 years  US consumer confidence at 7 year high  US gas prices fall to lowest since 2010  US oil extraction booming  US auto sales at record highs  US weekly jobless claims drop to 14 year low of 264,000  US unemployment at 5.9%  US budget deficit below 3% of GDP Longest run (54 months) of private sector job creation on record

Negative X Real wage growth has been modest at best X Recovery not evenly split X US Housing starts still well below 2007 peak X US still running large budget deficit X Labour participation rates continue to drop, lowest levels since 1970s X Lower US oil prices may hit fracking boom expansion X US National federal debt still at highest level in 70 years X Further potential dispute over the debt ceiling extension www.integer-research.com

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL 4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL

®

EDITORIAL

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

WAI posed well for 2015 We have begun the New Year. There was much energy in 2014 and we have many good things to reflect on and of which to be proud. As I begin my tenure as President of our Association let me reflect on our progress as the premier Association for our industry.

I am reminded of what I call the 3 P’s: Purpose, Process and People. As much as anything these three are a philosophy that develops practices, culture, improvement and the thought of being better every day.

We have come a long way in the Association through the dedicated people involved through board members, committee volunteers, industry volunteers and the Association leadership. We have a well-defined purpose: to be that valued resource for the global wire and cable industry. Our people are committed to this purpose through the many committees and volunteers. It is in these committees we evaluate what we do and how we do it; our processes.

Look back and you will see many improvements and changes.

We have challenged ourselves and given our membership and our industry tools, techniques and forums for networking, learning, participation, growth and sustainability.

As we enter into 2015 you will see these results continue. We are a few months away from our leading Industry Conference, Interwire 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia. Staying to our purpose of value we have redefined the learning component. Changes in format will serve technical, processing and application orientations.

It is important that we look at processes to yield the expected outcomes; that purpose we are trying to achieve. Our Global Continuous Casting Forum will once again bring together international leaders for discussion, learning and review. We have a keynote speaker who will complement these improvements and show that as you look at purpose, it is people who make it happen.

Let people work in and improve processes and results will show significant improvements. People will make you successful when they are allowed involvement and know they are part of and have an impact on the process.

Think about your own successes and you will find that you have a similar path of Purpose, Process and People. We have it in our Association and as a result are very strong. We have a great year ahead of us through our worldwide network of members shaping our industry.

William Reichert WAI President

6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Publisher | Steven J. Fetteroll Editor-in-Chief | Mark Marselli Media Production Manager | Paul Streeto Director of Sales | Robert Xeller Advertising Sales | Anna Bzowski Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications | Janice E. Swindells Proofreader | Livia Jacobs Publications Committee Dane Armendariz | Chemetall Ferruccio Bellina | TKT Group/President ACIMAF, Italy Malcolm Michael | AWIA Australia Don Schollin | Q-S Technologies, USA Ralph Skalleberg | Skaltek USA Dave Stackpole | Nutmeg Wire, USA Giulio Properzi | Continuus Properzi, Italy Robert Wild | Niehoff Endex North America, USA Technical Advisors John Drummond | Scotia Group R. M. Shemenski | RMS Consulting, Inc.

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL (ISSN-0277-4275) published monthly by The Wire Journal, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wire Association International, Inc., which is located at 1570 Boston Post Road, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA, and can be contacted at tel. 203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail editorial@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in USA. Subscription rates: $110 per year, USA; $120 per year, Canada and Mexico; other countries, $140 per year (includes air mail). Back copies: $10 WAI members, $15 non-members. Periodicals postage paid at Guilford, CT 06437, USA, and at additional offices.

Wire Journal International grants photocopy permission to libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, USA, for a fee of $0.50 per article. Payments should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders or reprints should be sent to the Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA. © 2015 by Wire Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Publisher of WJI assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein. Back issues of WJI are on microfilm and available from University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313-761-4700.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

www.sikora.net/fiberseries6000

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Online quality assurance of optical fibers The FIBER Series 6000 from SIKORA is sophisticated equipment for continuous process control and online quality supervision of optical fibers in the drawing tower by: • Diameter measurement before and after coating • Determination of the fiber position, vibration frequency, tension and spinning • Airline detection • 100% lump detection • Temperature measurement • Concentricity evaluation

See us at Interwire, Apr 27 - 30, Atlanta GA, USA, Booth 812

CALENDAR

CALENDAR Feb. 3, 2015: 1st Advanced Cable Middle East 2015, Abu Dhabi, UAE. To be held at the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, this new event is organized by Integer Research See p. xx for preview and contact information.

March 26-28, 2015: Tel Fair 2015: International Istanbul Wire Fair Istanbul, Turkey. To be held at the Istanbul Expo Center this Tel Fair 2015 covers wire, wire-making and processing/testing equipment, dies, lubricants and more.

The biennial event is sponsored by Ihlas Fair. Contact: http://tube-wire-coil-fair.com.

April 27-30, 2015: Global Continuous Casting Forum Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, first staged in Atlanta in 2011, will be co-located with Interwire 2015. It returns with a new format: the scope has been expanded to include aluminum. Contact: www.castingforum15.com.

April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015 & WAI’s 85th Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center to stage its biennial trade show, technical programs and 85th Annual Convention.

Contact: WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777, www.wirenet.org.

June 9-12, 2015: Guangzhou International Wire, Cable and Accessories Fair Guangzhou, China. To be held in the China Import and Export Fair Complex, this even will feature the latest equipment, materials, machinery and detection instrumens

in the wire an cable market for attendees from top-level executives to engineers. Contact: www.wire-cable-china. com, wire@china.messefrankfurt.com.

June 21-25, 2015: Jicable 9th International Conference on Insulated Power Cables Paris, France. Held every four years, this international forum is an exchange of information in the fields of research, industrial development, installation, operation and diagnoses relating to insulated power cables and their accessories. Contact: Jicable, tel. 33-1-56-90-37-04, jicable@see.asso.fr, www.jicable.org.

April 4-8, 2016: wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany. This biennial event will be held at the Messe fairgrounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

June 8-9, 2016: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. This WAI event, which will be held at the Mohegan Sun Resort Center, will include its trade show, technical programs and WAI’s 86th Annual Convention. WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-4532777, www.wirenet.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.wire-india.com.

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL EVENTS For more information, contact the WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777; fax 001-203-453-8384; www.wirenet.org.

Jan. 29, 2015: New England Chapter Meeting Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. The chapter will hold its 21st annual meeting at the Mohegun Sun Resort Conference Center. Contact: Anna Bzowski, tel. 203453-2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015 & WAI’s 85th Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center to stage its biennial trade show, technical programs and 85th Annual Convention. www.wirenet.org.

April 27-30, 2015: Global Continuous Casting Forum Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, first staged in 2011, will be co-located with Interwire 2015. It returns with a new format: the scope has been expanded to include aluminum. Contact: www.castingforum15.com.

June 8-9, 2016: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. See main listing.

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS Finland plans to deploy submarine cable system from Germany Finland plans to invest some 60 million euros to deploy a submarine cable system from Germany to attract more data centers and improve security by diversifying connections.

Good News from Finland, an online news service, reports the following about the project, dubbed “Sea Lion,” which is being directed by Cinia Group, a Finnish government-owned venture, and Alcatel-Lucent.

Finland currently gets data transmission from Denmark and Sweden, and this will be the first direct cable link between Finland and continental Europe. A 100G system spanning more than 1,100 km would run from Helsinki in Finland, to the Rostock-Ribnitz area in Germany. The system will bolster and secure ultra-broadband connectivity for cloud and data center applications. Designed with an ultimate capacity of 15 Terabit per second (Tbit/s), data will be then transported across the country through the Finnish fiber-optic network running along the national rail infrastructure. The project is due for completion in early 2016.

In Brazil, cable helps connect cities via world’s highest aerial transport system The president of Brazil announced that some $450 million will be invested to build five new lines to bolster its innovative cable-car system, the highest such operation in the world, which provides a vital link to two cities.

in the Andes Mountains has been lessened by the initial establishment of the mass-transit aerial cable-car system, a cross between a ski gondola and an elevated train. It cost $234 million price tag for the first three lines. The first line, 2.6 km long, was reported to carry two million passengers in its first 51 days of operation. The second line was 7.3 km.

Doppelmayr, an Austrian firm, built the cable cars while the cable was supplied by Sweden’s Fatzer AG, part of the Brugg Group. A spokesman for the cable company said that it is supplying 50-mm rope, 6 x 36 WS, with compacted strands and a tensile grad of 1960 N/sq mm.

The cables are designed for each project, and the expected life span depends on the bending cycles and length.

The splices are inspected every month and the rest of the rope every year, including MRT non-destructive testing.

The cable-car system appears to be meeting the goal of drawing La Paz and El Alto closer together.

Advertisements for the service use slogans like “Uniting our lives” and “A meeting place.”

In a report in The New York Times, René Pereira, director of the school of social science at San Andrés University in La Paz, discussed the importance of the system. “The thread of the cable car will permit a dialogue between the two cultures, a connection. And that is going to break down borders, and we will probably start to seriously reconsider the reality that is Bolivia.”

Bolivia has also signed a contract with French firm Pomagalski to build a cable car line in the Andean city of Oruro.

Zapp to expand Summerville plant

Sweden’s Fatzer AG is providing the cable for the world’s highest-altitude cable car system in Brazil.

A press release said that President Evo Morales pledged that the further support of the link to the high-altitude cities of La Paz—the seat of government, old money and a lighter-skinned elite—which sits in a valley at 3,600 meters, while on a plateau at 4,000 meters is the city of El Alto, “which is poorer, younger and generally darker-skinned.” It said that the schism between the two cities

Zapp Precision Wire, Inc., part of Germany’s Zapp Group, is investing $30 million to expand its plant in Summerville, South Carolina.

A press release said that the project calls for the Summerville plant to be expanded by about 30,000 sq ft, allowing for a new production line. The company, which produces stainless steel, nickel alloys and titanium wire, expects to add about 20 jobs, it said.

Founded in 1701 in Germany as a craft trade firm, the Zapp Group today has three main business areas: precision strip, precision wire and materials engineering.

The organization has operations in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. It opened its first U.S. production facility in 1996.

“Zapp has found South Carolina to be a welcoming, family-oriented location for our American wire operations,” Zapp Group Executive Board Member Stefan Seng said. “As a 300-year-old, family-owned company, we have enjoyed being part of the Summerville and Charleston area

Does your company have news that belongs here? E-mail it to the WJI at editorial@wirenet.org.

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WireCo steel wire rope was used

by NASA for a high-flying project WireCo created the special cables used to attach the Orion Space Capsule, NASA’s first spaceship designed to reach Mars, to its parachutes.

Per a report by James Dornbrook in the Kansas City Business Journal, WireCo World Group provided specially designed steel rope riser cables for the parachutes that helped bring NASA’s new Orion Space Capsule safely back to Earth on Friday, Dec. 5. The capsule is being developed for use in NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS), which is hoped will someday send humans to Mars or an asteroid NASA conducted a test flight for the new Orion Space Capsule on Friday, and after making two orbits of the Earth, it reentered the atmosphere and was brought to a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Guiding it to a safe landing were parachutes tethered to the capsule by steel ropes produced by Kansas City-based WireCo WorldGroup.

Airborne Systems of North America contacted WireCo in 2010 to design the strong and lightweight rope, which possess more abrasion-resistance than ever seen before. The parachute cables were designed by WireCo engineers Bambad Bamdad Pourladian, Kyle Bowland and Tim Klein. The cables were made and Wire supplied by WireCo is put to tested in Missouri. use by NASA. “We are proud to be a part of this important project that will affect the future of space exploration,” WireCo Vice President Richard Humiston said in a release. “WireCo has a long history dating back to the 1960s and 1970s when we supplied parachute cables to NASA for the Apollo program.”

JANUARY 2015 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

community for the past 20 years. … While Zapp operates similar equipment in Europe today, this state-of-the-art equipment will give us the ability to better support our North American customers while also increasing our global capacity to produce close-tolerance metallic bars.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

South African cable companies face fines for unfair competition

power supply authorities, municipalities, railway and transport authorities and construction companies, according to the commission.

The report said that the commission found that the cartel members held regular meetings, sometimes in coffee shops, and had telephone conversations discussing price adjustments, related to fixing the prices of power cables sold to manufacturers, wholesalers and others.

The conduct had been going on between 2001 and at least 2010. The cable raids represent a new area of focus for the South African authority. The commission has already targeted the airline, oil and bread industries in 2010, launching investigations and slapping fines on domestic and international companies.

Moneyweb reports that another South African company, ATC (Pty) Ltd., has already agreed to pay just under $7 million in an agreement with the Competition Commission after admitting to collusion.

South Africa’s Competition Commission has asked that the country’s Competition Tribunal impose penalties of 10% on the turnover of companies, all members of the Association of Electric Cable Manufacturers of SA (AECMSA), involved in power cable price fixing and market allocation.

ESI-Africa.com reported the following about the case. The involved companies produce both high-voltage cables for industrial use and low- and medium-voltage cables for households. Important customers include power-supply authorities, municipalities, railway and transport authorities and construction companies. The investigation into price collusion and market allocation contraventions started in March 2010 when one of the firms, Aberdare Cables, applied for leniency from prosecution. In exchange for the information that led to the uncovering of the cartel, Aberdare would not receive an administrative penalty. Other firms that would appear before the tribunal during hearings were Alvern Cables, South Ocean Electric Wire and Tulisa Cables. The four companies are based in the central Gauteng province and produce both high-voltage cables for industrial clients and low- and medium-voltage cables for household use. Their customer base includes

Belden acquires cybersecurity company U.S.-based Belden Inc. has agreed to acquire Tripwire, a global provider of cybersecurity technology, for $710 million in cash.

A press release said that Tripwire’s expertise in advanced threat, security and compliance solutions “will bring an important element to Belden’s portfolio.

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Prysmian wins €90 million contract for submarine cable in the Philippines The Prysmian Group reports that it has won a contract from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), a Filipino grid operating company, to design, supply, install and commission a submarine power cable link to connect Negros and Panay islands in the Philippines.

A press release said that the €90 million contract for the Negros-Panay connection project, known as CNP-1

(Cebu-Negros-Panay phase 1), is the first stage of a larger development plan by NGCP, aimed at connecting the Cebu, Negros and Panay islands to each other and at strengthening the country’s power transmission network.

The existing 138 kV oil-filled cable circuit is currently the only connection among the islands.

The new system will include three HVAC 230 kV single core cables with XLPE insulation and single-wire armoring along a 22-km submarine route across the Guimaras Strait.

Prysmian will also supply and install underground cables for the land portions of the link and will erect the two Cable Terminal Stations in Barotac Viejo on the Panay side and in Magalona on the Negros side. The cables will be produced at the company’s plant in Arco Felice, Italy, with delivery and commissioning set for the first half of 2016.

Massimo Battaini, Prysmian Group’s senior vice president energy projects, said that the order reflects the company’s strong position. “Our submarine cables order book hovers around a record-breaking stable value of 2.5 billion euro, and we have secured the CNP-1 contract against tight competition from Far Eastern manufacturers.”

The Prysmian Group notes that it is already a leading supplier and installer of submarine cable links in the Asia Pacific Region, including projects such as the Penang Island in Malaysia, the Java-Bali link in

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Together, the companies will work to deliver the next generation of cybersecurity solutions that can be deployed across enterprise, industrial, and broadcast markets.”

“As a leading supplier of signal transmission solutions for mission-critical networking applications, this acquisition is an important and natural extension of Belden’s capabilities,” said Belden President and CEO John Stroup. “This positions (us) as a leader in helping customers deploy and secure the ‘Internet of Things.’”

In September, Belden and Tripwire had announced a joint initiative to improve critical infrastructure cybersecurity in manufacturing organizations. The partnership provided comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to specific customer requirements.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Indonesia, the Cheju Island in Korea, the Ha Tien-Phu Quoc in Vietnam, and more. The CNP-1 project is the Group’s first turn-key in the Philippines.

Nigerian company continues to invest in future of company and country In 2009, Coleman Wires and Cables (CWC) opened a new plant in Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a floor capacity of 15,000 sq m, manufacturing a range of electrical wire products. Recently, George Onafowokan, the company’s managing director and CEO, presented ambitious plans to double its current capacity at a tour of the facility with investor representatives.

In several articles in AllAfrica.com, Onafowokan said that the company’s “mega-high voltage XLPE factory,” described as the first of its kind in the West Africa region, plays an important role both as a manufacturer and as a role model for the country. During a facility tour of the factory, with representatives from backers Fidelity Bank Plc, he said that the company had so far invested more than US$11 million “to enable it to achieve its target of meeting demands of wires and cables not only in Nigeria, but across Africa.” He also said that it is vital for the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to continue its efforts to prevent the flow of low-quality electrical products and improve the reputation of products made in the country.

From l-r, CWC Managing Director George Onafowokan, Fidelity Bank’s Nnamdi Okonkwo. and John Obi at a tour of the company’s plant in Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Speaking further on the investment, Onafowokan said that the company has set ambitious goals for production, which currently includes flexible wire and cable, control cable, flat cable, single-core cable, copper and aluminum conductors and aluminium connection cable. “We are targeting 48,000 at full capacity for cables and 30,000 at full capacity for aluminum. We also aim at over 50bn capacity in the next 24 months. Our expectation is not only in Nigeria but across Africa. We give kudos to Fidelity Bank, which made this possible...coming at a time when most banks shy away from such a venture.”

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Prysmian Group invests in production at its cable plants in Finland and Italy The Prysmian Group reports that it plans to invest more than €40 million to upgrade production capabilities in its cable plants in Pikkala, Finland and in Arco Felice, Italy.

A press release said that the new investment in the factories, part of the Group’s centers of excellence for high voltage and submarine cable production, will enable both plants to be fully equipped to manufacture and test large cross-section 3-core cables up to a voltage of 400 kV AC. The investments, it said, follow an initial €40 million invested in Finland in 2012 for the start-up of the submarine cables production unit in Pikkala.

The plant started producing transmission cables for HVDC power systems that allow large amounts of energy to be transmitted over long distances and the expansion of production capacity, the release said. In Arco Felice, an additional €50 million were invested in the period 2012/2014 to increase capacity for the production of mass impregnated cables (both paper and PPL).

Pelican Wire acquires Rubadue Wire The Pelican Wire Company announced that it has bought Rubadue Wire, an acquisition that was described as a very good long-term fit.

“This was a perfect opportunity to expand our business with a well-run, quality focused company playing a niche role in the wire and cable industry” said Pelican Wire President Ted Bill. “(This) combination will allow us to leverage the strengths of the two man-

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Fidelity Bank Managing Director Nnamdi Okonkwo commended Coleman Wires and Cables for their initiative, noting that the company has provided employment opportunities for more than 650 people.

“Coleman has taken the game to a higher level. If we have five companies like this on this axis, social impact of the economy would be improved and crimes would also be reduced.”

SON Managing Director Dr. Joseph Odumodu said that his organization will follow through to make sure the rules are followed. “We will work … to ensure that no substandard cables come into the market and also remove the substandard cables in the market to create opportunities for this specialised industry to be successful in this market. We are also using this opportunity to send a word to other cable manufacturers to emulate Coleman. This investment will be creating jobs and not just any kind of jobs, but skilled and specialised jobs. We are also working on a new national quality infrastructure to make made-in-Nigeria products more appealing to the world. I am looking forward to the day I will come and certify the first export of your products even if it is to Ghana. It is something that is possible and achievable.”

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ufacturing plants and increase the product offerings to all of our customers.”

Rubadue Wire President Sue Welsh said that the deal works out well for both companies. “In partnership with Pelican Wire, we will be building on the unique capabilities of both operations to grow the company. Both companies have such great brand presence in their respective industries; I’m excited about the future of both businesses working together.”

The two companies, a press release said, will be united as sister companies operating under the umbrella of Pelican Holdings Group. Rubadue Wire will continue to maintain its brand, facility and management team in Greeley, Colorado, and Pelican Wire will continue to operate out of its Naples Florida facility. Ted Bill will serve as CEO of Pelican Holdings Group.

Pelican Wire manufactures products used for electrical heating and temperature measurement, specializing in resistance wire, thermocouple wire and custom wire. Rubadue Wire, which notes that it created the world’s first triple-in-

sulated wire and developed the self-bonding fluoropolymer product line known as COILBOND, also offers a variety of multi-layer insulated wires and other value-added solutions in the wire and cable industry.

General Cable to cut jobs at Altoona General Cable plans to cut 160 of 210 jobs this year at its plant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

A report in the The Altoona Mirror said that the cuts are being made as the company moves its automotive ignition wire manufacturing operation to its plant in Nogales, Mexico, the report said. The Altoona plant will remain open to make ignition wire assemblies that are not used in automobiles, and to keep a finished products warehouse open The story cited company spokeswoman Lisa Lawson as saying that the automotive ignition wire business is dwindling because most cars being built in Detroit now have direct ignition.

Alliance formed to create 300-mile, wind-water energy source for New England market,” said Ed Krapels, head of Anbaric.

U.K.-based National Grid and U.S.-based Anbaric have An article in the Boston Globe said that the alliannounced a partnership to bring energy to New England ance plans provide enough energy for up to 300,000 through a 300-mile underwater cable that will have duocustomers. GLIA’s timeline is to submit its plans to source power generation.

Massachusetts and regulators by 2015, and have the A press release said that the alliance, to be called Green project completed by 2020.

Line Infrastructure Alliance (GLIA), plans to bring 1,000 National Grid, MW of wind power which owns and from Northern Maine, operates the U.K.’s as well as hydropower national electric and from eastern Canada, gas infrastructure, to Massachusetts, for notes that it owns natwhat will be called the ural gas and electric Maine Green Line. Per transmission networks a company statement, across New England the companies will and New York, and work together to bring distributes electricity both onshore wind and natural gas to and hydropower to the more than 7 million region, with the goal customer accounts. of developing “largeAnbaric Transmission scale, high-voltage delivers power from direct-current (HVDC) energy producers to transmission projects population centers that combine wind and through the use of hydropower.” underground and sub“We wanted to create the most efficient way Schematic showing how duo-energy plan would work. Image courtesy marine transmission lines, specializing in to meet the clean ener- of Green Line Infrastructure Alliance. the development staggy mandates of New es of transmission projects including conceiving, designEngland states and did so through innovative thinking ing, and leading projects’ proposal processes. on how to bring wind energy and hydro together into the

16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

U.S.-based Alpha Wire announced that it has acquired Coast Wire and Plastic Tech, Inc., which will continue to operate at its location in Carson, California, manufacturing under the Coast name but carrying the tagline, “From Alpha Wire.”

Founded in 1963, Coast Wire and Plastic Tech manufactures custom wire and cable products for the medical, instrumentation, industrial, semiconductor, military and entertainment industries. It uses an assortment of insulation materials, from FEP to silicone, and a conductor range of 4/0 to 50 AWG. The Coast leadership team is staying on and will transition to similar roles in the new, combined organization.

“With the addition of Coast’s expertise in custom cable design and manufacturing, we offer a superior array of cabling solutions for our targeted markets, including medical device manufacturers and industrial machine builder,” said Alpha Wire President Mike Dugar.

“Being part of Alpha Wire creates new opportunities and broadens our, global customer base,” said Coast President CEO Mark Vanderwoude.

Alpha Wire Marketing Director Tim Howlett said that there is little overlap between the two companies as “almost everything Coast does is custom, and Alpha is primarily standard products. The offerings are very complementary, which is what attracted us to Coast.” The acquisition, he said, bodes well for the future. “We have a very aggressive growth strategy in place for the new Alpha Wire. Given our unmatched product set for the medical device market (with Alpha’s EcoGen® line and Coast’s custom cable), we think we are well-positioned for growth in that market. Other applications, including and especially industrial machinery, semiconductor capital

equipment, lighting, and military, will also be areas of focused.”

Howlett said that there are plans to further expand the manufacturing capabilities in the Carson plant among its three manufacturing locations. “The overall result of this expanded capacity will be shorter lead times across the board, long with our existing low minimums (100 feet on most products for both Alpha and Coast).”

JANUARY 2015 | 17

INDUSTRY NEWS

Alpha Wire reports the acquisition of Coast Wire and Plastic Tech Inc.

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS India minister has ambitious broadband goals for country in upcoming years It may be hard to envision the goals outlined

by Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad soon turning to reality, but he has certainly put a very strong focus on the issue of digital technology. He also has been very forward in his remarks, speaking in multiple venues about plans to provide broadband, which is excerpted as follows.

The Hindu reports that Prasad, in a statement, has proposed that some 750,000 km of cable be laid over next three and a half years to provide broadband in every village of the country.

“This project aims at digital empowerment of people and will be a game changer,” he said at the first MyGov Samvaad program, held Nov. 29, where he interacted with contributors of ideas for the Digital India project.

The report provided the following details.

India now has about 300 million internet users, a number that tops the number of internet users in the U.S., and is second only to China. While in urban India mobile connectivity is 146%, it is only about 46% in rural areas. As a backdrop, it should be noted that electronic manufacturing is being promoted in the country in a big way.

MyGov is an internet-based platform for citizen engagement launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26. The organization received more than 40,000 suggestions for how to go about improving technology, with 20 participants chosen for further consideration.

Speaking to those individuals at theNov. 29 meeting, Prasad said that there is a need to sensitize people about the power of technology.

In an interview with The Economic Times, Prasad said that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to ensure a smartphone in the hands of every citizen by 2019. Currently, nearly 74% of the population has mobile phones, most of which though is in the hands of urban India.

“The prime minister is very keen on this project. ... We have got about a million km done in the last 25 years,” said Prasad while speaking at an event organized by Chase India, a consulting firm specializing in public policy and government affairs.

18 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

In order to use the mobile phone to help achieve financial inclusion, the government will need to structure the delivery of financial services in a manner that encourages a villager to go for mobile banking, the minister said. For instance, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, a financial inclusion plan the Prime Minister announced on August 15, can be effectively rolled out through mobile handsets. The program seeks to give every household in rural India access to a bank account, along with a RuPay debit card and insurance coverage. At present, nearly 60% of the nation’s population doesn’t have access to financial services.

Digital India promises to transform India into a connected knowledge economy offering world-class services at the click of a mouse and will be implemented in a phased manner, according to information released by the government.

Plans to digitally connect the entire country will be supported by 20- and 40-hour modules on digital literacy in regional languages, which the government plans to run over the next few years. “During a presentation, the PM remarked IT+IT equals IT. This means India Today plus Information Technology (through Digital India) will yield India Tomorrow,” said Prasad.

The government feels that open access to “broadband highways” across cities, towns and villages would bolster trade across the country. “The other important benefit we see is surge in e-commerce. If we can bring broadband to the remotest corners of the country it will give rise to trade and warehousing,” Prasad said. Supporting the initiatives will be six or seven manufacturing clusters for electronic goods which have been approved to be set up in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for products such as mobile handsets, microchip and chip-less designs and set-top boxes, he said.

While the above project is a government initiative, mydigitalfc.com notes that industrialist Mukesh Ambani has single-handedly announced plans to provide commercial 4G broadband and internet connectivity to 90% of India’s population across 5,000 towns and cities, besides hundreds of thousands of villages under the Reliance Jio brand name. At the June 18 annual general meeting of Reliance Industries, Ambani first talked about his investment plans that would eventually connect all 600,000 villages across India.

As the world economy evolves, so does that of China, which has seen its steel industry enter a “New Normal” stage. Xinhua cited Zhu Jimin, head of the China Iron and Steel Association, as saying that China’s steel firms must change if they want to avoid more hard times. According to the latest CISA figures, the warning comes at a hard time for steel makers. In the first nine months of 2014, a quarter of China’s steel makers operated at a loss. Revenues of large and medium steel companies dropped in the January to September period.

In the article, Zhu explained that the steel sector is entering its new normal, just like the whole economy, the idea seeking slower but higher quality growth. He attributed the bad days mainly to this new normal, which he said is likely to lead to shrinking steel production and consumption. The industry also faces challenges from higher environmental protection standards that just took effect.

The story also cited Zhou Guoquan, vice president of Jiangsu Zenith Steel Group, as saying that steel enterprises only suffered losses in the first quarter, and that they even made money, US$65 to $80 per metric ton, when the market was on the rise.

ASIAN FOCUS

China’s steel industry: a “New Normal” stage

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN NEWS BRIEFS

Spark and Vodafone considering project linking New Zealand and Australia Spark and Vodafone reportedly are considering investing in a new submarine cable linking New Zealand and Australia.

Per a media report, Spark initially announced its plans to deploy the cable in partnership with Vodafone and Telstra in February 2013.

That project, estimated to cost some US$60 million, did not happen, but Spark CEO Simon Moutter recently said that he was determined to proceed with the investment to provide the “resilience and security New Zealand will need to enable ‘a cloud future’ for big business customers in particular” and that work on the cable would begin very soon.

The cable, the report said, is expected to provide an alternative link to existing or planned data centers as well as provide back-up in case of an outage on the trans-Tasman leg of the Southern Cross Cable. It would also offer an alternative route for internet traffic to the U.S and Asia that could be routed from Sydney over other networks.

DECEMBER 2014 | 19

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Fluoropolymer Resources, LLC, has named Mike Canterino as executive vice president, responsible for day-to-day operations of the company’s manufacturing facilities.

He most recently was vice president of operations for Remee Products, where he worked for 20 years. Prior to that he was manufacturing manager at Rockbestos Wire & Cable, and was a plant engineer at Pirelli Cable Canterino and Intermagnetics General Corp.

(IGC). He will report to President Dave Ely. The company also named Chris Ogden as materials manager. He most recently was a senior supply manager with Honeywell Life Safety, where he earned a Six Sigma Core Green Belt certificate.

He previously worked at Goodrich Corporation and Intelligent Motion Systems. Based in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Fluoropolymer Resources, LLC, is a value-added supplier and re-processor of melt fluoropolymers.

Ogden

MFL S.A. has named Erhard Haeuser as sales area manager of Frigeco machinery, responsible for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He has more than 25 years of experience in the wire machinery business, having served Henrich GmbH from 1989 to 2003 as a mechanical designer and service engineer, and from 2009 to 2012 as general manager.

Prior to that, he was a technical and technological consultant with Frigeco from 2003 to 2009. The nonferrous machinery division of Italy’s Mario Frigerio SpA, Frigeco supplies a wide range of wire processing, insulating and sheathing equipment as well as rod breakdown lines.

Leoni AG reports that Dieter Bellé will become chairman of the company’s management board on May 7. A member of Leoni AG’s Management Board since 2000, he has served as CFO and labor director. When he replaces the retiring incumbent, Dr. Klaus Probst, he will assume those duties as well. Based in Germany, Leoni AG supplies cables and cable systems to the automotive sector and other industries. n

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FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH Corning reports agreement to buy Samsung’s fiber-optic business

Corning announced that it has agreed to buy the fiber optics business of Samsung Electronics, a deal that would include two Asian manufacturing facilities for an undisclosed price.

A press release said that the purchase, expected to close in the first quarter of 2015, includes plants in Gumi, South Korea, and Hainan, China, that will become part of the Corning Optical Communications business segment. The deal was described as the latest in a series of non-core asset sales by Samsung. Corning already has one of its manufacturing facilities in China, the release said. Integrating the plants in South Korea and China will augment its manufacturing capacity and increase its exposure to the Chinese fiber optics market, it said.

“We believe that apart from the inorganic growth in revenue and earnings from the acquisition, the resulting consolidated Optical Communications segment should see considerable revenue accretion driven by growth in China’s fiber optics market, which is the largest consumer of fiber optics products in the world.”

The release noted that the market for optical cable has much potential. A key initiative in China is that the government has been pushing to implement its Broadband China

22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

plan to universalize broadband Internet in the country and increase penetration, which was around 40% in 2012. The goal is to bring FTTH to more than 250 million users by the end of 2015, compared to 94 million in 2012.

The Broadband China plan, the release said, is focused on providing bundled services, which will include cable television, telecommunications and internet. This will invariably require the use of a fiber optic network since it has higher bandwidth relative to copper cable. “This will likely help the Chinese fiber optics market grow at a rate higher than the global average of 5.1% CAGR between 2014 and 2019.”

Joint venture plan calls for $15 million investment in optical fiber plant in Brazil A joint venture by Solverde, a Brazilian distributor, and ZTT, a Chinese manufacturer, announced plans to open an optical fiber cable plant in the Brazilian state of Alagoa as soon as this month.

Citing Telesintse, CET News reports that the factory is located in the city of Marechal Diodorus, 28 km from the capital Maceio. It will employ about 80 people, estimates the president of ZTT Brasil, Alexandre Prioste. It will be able to produce all kinds of optical cables used in the national telecommunications market, as well as OPGW cables, also used in the energy sector.

Study: worldwide industrial fastener demand to hit $93.8 billion in 2018 “World Industrial Fasteners,” a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm, projects that worldwide demand for industrial fasteners will reach $93.8 billion in 2018.

A press release from Freedonia said that worldwide demand for industrial fasteners is expected to climb 5.4% a year through 2018, accelerating from the 2008-2013 pace.

Contributors to the growth, it said, include increases in motor vehicle, machinery and other durable goods production as the global economy expands and fixed investment expenditures rise.

Fastener prices, the report said, will climb at a faster pace than during the 2008-2013 period, boosting demand in value terms, as the industrial fastener market experiences strong growth in both developing and developed regions through 2018.

“Advances in developing areas including the Asia/Pacific and Africa/Mideast regions, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe—will outpace demand in the U.S., Western Europe and Japan,” said Ken Long, a Freedonia analyst.

Sales increases will be driven by healthy economic growth and ongoing industrialization efforts in most developing nations, resulting in higher manufacturing output and fixed investment spending, the release said. Rising standards of living in these areas will help fuel demand for motor vehicles and other fastener-containing durable goods, boosting both original equipment manufacturing and aftermarket fastener sales, it said. Rebounding levels of fixed investment, along with higher durable goods manufacturing output, will be a primary driver of fastener demand increases in the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan.

Motor vehicle original equipment manufacturing, the leading market for industrial fasteners, will post the largest value gains through 2018. In addition, rising fixed investment spending and industry output will boost demand for fasteners used in machinery applications, the second largest market. Although it is comparatively small, the construction market will register the fastest growth through 2018, spurred by an acceleration in construction expenditures worldwide.

The report, 502 pages, is available for $6,500 from The Freedonia Group, Inc. For further details or to arrange an interview with the analyst, contact Corinne Gangloff at tel. 440-684-9600 or pr@freedoniagroup.com or go to www.freedoniagroup.com. 

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Pressure Welding Machines Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1233 820847 Fax: +44 (0) 1233 820591 E-mail: pwm@btinternet.com www.pwmltd.co.uk

JANUARY 2015 | 23

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE

REPORT TO MEMBERS WAI: well positioned for continued service to the industry

REPORT

2014 was a very busy year for the Wire Association International, and fortunately, a good one as well. The Operations Summit and Wire Expo in Indianapolis was a success, with many positive comments about the show and the location. I was pleased about the quality of the electrical sector report that was sent to our Platinum Members, and look forward to the 2015 report on the ferrous sector. Another positive step for the Association was the sale of our property at 1570 Boston Post Road in Guilford, Connecticut, and the subsequent purchase of a new, smaller location in nearby Madison. This move bolsters our reserves and lowers operating expenses while maintaining a very professional setting. It has also been exciting to see our membership continue to increase over the past couple of years.

I really enjoyed working with the entire staff of the Wire Association and appreciate the great job that they do. My year as president was made pretty easy thanks to them, the volunteer help from all our committee members and the support from all of our members. This type of involvement is what keeps the Wire Association International growing and able to be a very valuable resource to both members and the industry. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as your president in 2014.

Bill Avise, immediate past president President, Leggett & Platt Wire Group

Manufacturers’ support a key role in WAI’s success

By Steve Fetteroll, WAI Executive Director have a first-hand perspective of the impressive Lucas Oil As executive director, my job is to help guide the Stadium, home to the NFL’s Colts.

Association to be a meaningful industry resource. To sum Later this year, up WAI President the Interwire Trade Bill Avise’s comExposition will be ments in this section, held in conjuncone hopes to take tion with the 2nd the right steps, then Global Continuous have the right people Casting Forum. At in place to make it the same time, the happen. There are no Association will guarantees, which hold its 85th annual is why when it does meeting. Interwire work out well it is truly the gathmakes all the colering place for the lective effort seem North American worthwhile 10 times wire and cable over. That, I am industry, and the pleased to say, is my take for 2014.

Opening Reception at the new College Indianapolis The WAI scored a touchdown with its reception at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Football Hall proved to be an of Fame will give attendees a chance to experience excellent new venue for WAI, which staged the 2014 Atlanta’s newest attraction.

Operations Summit & Wire Expo there. General Cable The management of these events is truly an “all in” for was a gracious host as they opened the doors to their the nearly 100 volunteers and staff. Hundreds of hours nearby award-winning plant, and reception attendees now

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

REPORT Membership Committee co-chairs Tom Heberling, Southwire, and Tim Wampler, General Cable.

Welcomed by Mid-South Wire Company President John T. Johnson (3rd from left) for an executive committee meeting at his Nashville plant were WAI officers (l-r) Tony De Rosa, Andy Talbot, William Avise, David Hawker and Bill Reichert.

MBER PLATINUM ME electrical

sector

PLATINUM ME MB

2014

2014

REPORT

ER REPORT electrical

sector

WAI issued its first Platinum Member Report, the focus on the electrical sector.

The WAI will be moving to the second floor of this office building in Madison, Connecticut.

of volunteer time are dedicated to the exhibit floor, educational programs and producing networking activities.

Interwire is a gift for the industry, from the industry.

The contribution of the volunteers is critical in all functions of the Association and this is certainly evident in the membership category. In 2012, the Board of Directors agreed to reset the trend line in membership and the Member Relations Committee became the vehicle to re-energize our approach to retaining and attracting membership.

The committee, led by Tom Heberling of Southwire and Tim Wampler of General Cable, analyzed, strategized and deployed. The near term results have been impressive. Even with some recent fallback, the membership has grown some 15% since the project’s inception, easily outpacing industry trends. However, the impact has been much more than numbers.

The project of reaching 3,000 members has served to unify the Association and expand our expectations. At the core of this revolution is the renewed commitment to the organization by the manufacturers. On every single

committee as well as the Board of Directors (see pp.

26-27), there are representatives from both ferrous and nonferrous manufacturers rolling up their sleeves and supporting their industry through the Association.

Working side by side with the manufacturers at every step is the supplier constituency, which has long supported the organization through exhibits and volunteerism. Many suppliers have told me that they are buoyed by the approach and enthusiasm of the Heberling/Wampler-led committee members. As they astutely point out, it is hard not to be motivated by individuals that find time in their very busy schedules to give back.

On behalf of the staff, we thank all of the Association’s supporters. You have made a difference and energized us for continued Steve Fetteroll advancement.

JANUARY 2015 | 25

WAI NEWS

WAI

NEWS

William Reichert to serve as WAI president in 2015 William Reichert, Champlain Cable Corp., will serve as WAI president for 2015, succeeding William (Bill) Avise, Leggett & Platt. The other 2015 officers are 1st Vice President Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., 2nd Vice President David R Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables North America; WAI Executive Director/Secretary Steve Fetteroll and WAI Treasurer David LaValley.

The WAI officers are key to the direction and planning for events, products and services to serve the WAI’s more than 2,500 members.

President: William Reichert William Reichert is Chief Operating Officer for Champlain Cable Corp. in Colchester, Vermont. He has been in manufacturing industries for 30 years, 28 of these in wire and cable in various operations, engineering, sales and marketing assignments, with the last 11 at Champlain Cable, where he is responsible for facilities in Colchester, Vermont; El Paso, Texas; and Leeds, Massachussetts.

A founding advisor for Wire & Cable FOCUS and a member of the Wire and Cable Manufacturer’s Alliance (WCMA), he is an active member of the WAI, where he has served as a member of the board of directors and the finance committee as well as several conference committees. He has also served as a part-time instructor at the University of Vermont, where he teaches Production and Operations Management in the MBA program. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and an MBA.

1st Vice President: Andy Talbot Andy Talbot, vice president and general manager of Mid-South Wire Co. Inc, in Nashville, Tennessee, is a 32-year veteran in the ferrous wire industry. Mid-South Wire is one of the largest independent steel wire producers in the US, with plants in Nashville and Scott City, Missouri.

Prior to joining Mid-South Wire in 1999, he served as Plant Manager of the Metrock Steel & Wire Plant (now Leggett and Platt) in Montevallo, Alabama. Prior to that, Talbot held the position of Plant Engineer for

2015 WAI organizational chart

Board of Directors

Following are the committees/boards and chairmen that will help direct the WAI’s activities this year.

William Avise, Leggett & Platt Richard Baker, General Cable Corp.

Steven Bonnell, Marmon Specialty Wire & Cable Group Anthony De Rosa, Frigeco USA, Inc. David Ferraro, Carris Reels, Inc. Jaime Fuente, Condusal SA de CV Dave Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables N. America Steven S. Jones, Asarco LLC - Amarillo Refinery Allen Lindholm, Arcelormittal Long Carbon N. America George “Jay” Munsey, S&E Specialty Polymers Patricio G. Murga, Conductores Monterrey SA de CV William Reichert, Champlain Cable Sheldon Scott, Whitney Blake Co. Jan Sorige, Enkotec Co., Inc. Gary Spence, Encore Wire Corp.

Jeffrey Stafford, Sonoco Reels and Spools Division Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. Mark Thackeray, General Cable Corp.

Richard Wagner, Insteel Industries Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Gerdau Ameristeel

Executive Committee President: William Reichert Champlain Cable Corp.

1st V. P.: Andy Talbot Mid-South Wire Co. 2nd V.P.: David Hawker Nexans Energy Cables North America Member: Richard Baker General Cable Corp.

Jan Sorige Enkotec Co., Inc. Immediate Past Pres: William Avise Leggett & Platt, Inc.

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

2nd Vice President: David R Hawker Dave Hawker is Vice President and General Manager of the Nexans Energy Cables North America. With operations in both Canada and the U.S., the division manufactures a wide range of products that include residential, commercial, industrial and utility cables. He previously has served in engineering, manufacturing and commercial roles at different Nexans’ cable plants. He attended the University of Waterloo where he earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. He has been a member of the Wire Association International since 1987, and currently serves on the Board of Directors as well as the Conference Planning Committee and the Member Relations Committee.

Bylaws Committee Sharon K. Young, Versitech

Conference Programming Committee Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire David Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables North America

Education Committee Brian Parsons, Southwire Co.

Exhibition Planning Committee Joe Snee, Joe Snee Associates

Finance Committee Richard Miller, Southwire Company

Memorial Awards Committee Anand Bhagwat, Minova International

Executive Committee and Board of Directors for 2015 This year, the WAI Executive Committee will consist of William Reichert, Champlain Cable Corp. (President); Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co. (1st Vice President); David Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables North America (2nd Vice President); William (Bill) Avise, Leggett & Platt (Immediate Past President); and members Richard Baker, General Cable Corp., and Jan Sorige, Enkotec Co., Inc. WAI’s full Board of Directors includes William Avise, Leggett & Platt; Richard Baker, General Cable Corp.; Steven Bonnell, Marmon Specialty Wire & Cable Group; Anthony De Rosa, Frigeco USA, Inc.; David Ferraro, Carris Reels, Inc.; Jaime Fuente, Condusal SA de CV; Dave Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables N. America; and Steven S. Jones, Asarco LLC - Amarillo Refinery.

Also, Allen Lindholm, Arcelormittal Long Carbon N. America; George “Jay” Munsey, S&E Specialty Polymers; Patricio G. Murga, Conductores Monterrey SA de CV; William Reichert, Champlain Cable; Sheldon Scott, Whitney Blake Co.; Jan Sorige, Enkotec Co., Inc.; Gary Spence, Encore Wire Corp.; Jeffrey Stafford, Sonoco Reels and Spools Division; Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc.; Mark Thackeray, General Cable Corp.; Richard Wagner, Insteel Industries; and Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Gerdau Ameristeel.

Member Relations Committee Steven Bonnell, Marmon Specialty Wire & Cable Group Richard Wagner, Insteel Industries

Nominating Committee Dane G. Armendariz, Chemetall

Oversight Committee David Hawker, Nexans Energy Cables North America

Paper Awards Committee Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Gerdau Ameristeel

Publications Committee Dane G. Armendariz, Chemetall

WAI Chapters India, Italy, Poland and U.S. (Mid-South, Midwest, New England, Ohio Valley, Southeast and Western)

JANUARY 2015 | 27

WAI NEWS

Elco Industries /Anchor Wire Division. He worked for several years as an independent wire processing consultant, travelling to Russia, China, Peru, and various parts of Europe and the U.S. Talbot joined the Wire Association International in 2010. He was a member of the Conference Programming Committee that developed the Interwire 2011 technical program. He holds a joint patent for an innovative retail package used in the point-of-purchase nail and fastener market.

WAI NEWS

WAI

Jeffrey B. Goldstein, “Jeff Gold” WAI Member #9537 Vice President, ACS Industries, Inc., Retired

SPOTLIGHT

Instead of a profile of either a new or Platinum WAI member, this column presents a letter sent to the Association by a longtime member.

Jan. 2015

MEMBERSHIP

This section (usually) introduces a new WAI member each issue.

Dear Wire Association International: I regret to inform the Wire Association that after over 30 years with ACS Industries, Inc., and nearly as many with the Association, I have retired and am ending my membership. I would like to add that my association with WAI has been a wonderful experience.

Over my career, the Wire Association helped me with resources which benefitted ACS. I knew nothing about making wire when I started. No school teaches you what it’s like out on the shop floor. I had resources at ACS, but through WAI I found many more that helped open windows for me. I found new ways of doing things, met new vendors and made friends. I enjoyed the opportunities to communicate with the wire community and the support of our industry.

I now am enjoying retired life, pursuing my hobby of restoring cars. I used to squeeze that in as time permitted over the years, largely due to an understanding family, but now I have the time to fully pursue this life-long passion. Life is good.

I wish the best for the future of the WAI, the Wire Journal (which I’ll miss receiving) and wire manufacturing, where I spent the bulk of my career.

Thank you for your help!

Jeffrey B. Goldstein Editor’s note: Jeff Gold was made an honorary WAI Life Member and will receive a lifetime subscription to WJI.

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Michel Richard Prod Eng Belden Inc

Ricardo Venegas Dir Stat Sourc King Wire

Doug Brenneke VP Belden Inc

Wayne Roussel Pckg Eng Belden Inc

Shane A Weller Dsgn Proc Engr East Penn Mfg Co Inc

Scott Dillon Dir Mfg Eng Belden Inc

Mike Senesac Eqp Dev Mgr Belden Inc

Bill Fuller VP & Gen Mgr Ind Cables America Belden Inc

Phil Stine Grp Ldr Eqp Dev Belden Inc

Alfred G Pratt Pres Jersey Strand & Cable Inc

Martin Van Der Burgt Dir Cbl Eng Belden Inc

JANUARY 2015 | 29

WAI NEWS

Joe M Becerra Plt Mgr Texas Welded Wire

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

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

CONVENTION: APRIL 27-30, 2015

EXPOSITION: APRIL 28-30, 2015

A meeting this productive shows up every other year.

GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER | ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA

Industry leaders are following www.Interwire15.com for details on the largest wire and cable meeting place and marketplace in the Americas. Decidedly the most valuable use of your time...until 2017.

WIRE & CABLE MAKING MACHINERY | LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS | SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT | NEW TRENDS & PRODUCTS | GLOBAL NETWORKING | EDUCATIONAL FOCUS: DUST CONTROL, RAW MATERIALS, PROCESSING, APPLICATIONS, RECRUITING & RETENTION, MANUFACTURING WORKSHOP | PLANT TOUR: SOUTHWIRE SCR | ALSO WITH WAI’S 2ND GLOBAL CONTINUOUS CASTING FORUM

CORPORATE SPONSORS: PLATINUM | SONOCO REELS AND SPOOLS • WIRE & PLASTIC MACHINERY CORP. GOLD | CONTINUUS-PROPERZI S.P.A. SILVER | BASF • CARRIS REELS INC. • GEM GRAVURE CO. INC. • NEXANS • NIEHOFF ENDEX NORTH AMERICA • SIKORA INTERNATIONAL CORP. BRONZE | RICHARDSAPEX INC.

SUPPORTING SPONSORS: BAUM’S CASTORINE CO. • CHEMSON • COMMISSION BROKERS INC. • HERITAGE WIRE DIE • LLOYD & BOUVIER INC. The Wire Association International, Inc. | TELEPHONE: (001) 203-453-2777 | WWW.WIRENET.ORG

PARTICIPATING EXHIBITORS A. Appiani Srl Ace Metal Inc. ACM AB ADVARIS GmbH Aeroel Srl Agape Industry Inc. AIM Inc. All Forming Machinery Inc. Allied Mineral Products Amacoil Inc. American & Efird Inc. American Kuhne Inc. Anbao Wire & Mesh Co. Ltd. Assomac Machines Ltd. AW Machinery LLC Axjo America Inc. Aztech Lubricants LLC B & H Tool Co. Inc. B & Z Galvanized Wire Ind. Balloffet Die Corp.

Baum’s Castorine Co. Inc. Beacon Reel Co. Bechem Lubrication Technology LLC Beijing BIHI International Exhibition Co. Ltd. Beijing Orient PengSheng Tech Co. Ltd. Bekaert Bergandi Machinery Co. Beta LaserMike/NDC Technologies Beta Steel Blachford Corp.

BLM Group USA Corp.

Bloom Engineering Co. Inc. Boockmann GmbH/The Slover Group Bow Technology Breen Color Concentrates Inc. Brookfield Wire Co. Buhler-Wurz Kaltwalztechnik GmbH Butt Welders USA Caballe SA Cable Consultants Corp.

Cable Services & Systems Calmec Precision Inc. Candor Sweden AB Canterbury Engineering Co. Inc. Carris Reels Inc. Ceeco Bartell Products, Bartell Machinery Systems Cemanco LC Central Wire Industries Ltd. Ceramtech CERSA-MCI Chase Wire & Cable Materials Chemetall Chengdu Centran Industrial Co. Ltd. Cimteq Clifford Welding Systems Clinton Instrument Co. CM Furnaces Inc CMEC International Exhibition Ltd. CN Wire Corp.

Collins & Jewell Co. Inc. Cometo Commission Brokers Inc. Condat Condat Lubricants Conneaut Industries Inc. Conoptica A/S Continuus-Properzi SpA Custom Machining & Fabrications LLC Daloo Davis-Standard LLC Die Quip Corp.

Domeks Makine Ltd. Sti Dynamex Corp.

Ebner Furnaces Inc. EJP Maschinen GmbH Electron Beam Technologies Inc. EMSCO Enercon Industries Engineered Machinery Group Inc. Enkotec Co. Inc. Er-Bakir ERA Wire Inc.

Ernst Koch Esteves Group USA Etna Products Inc. Eurobend SA Eurolls Group Srl Eurowire Magazine George Evans Corp.

EVG Inc. Evolution Products Fabritex Inc. Fastener Engineers - Lewis Machine Fenn LLC FIB Fil-Tec Inc. Filtertech Inc. Fine International Corp.

Finoptics Inc Fisk Alloy Wire Inc. Flymca & Flyro FMS USA Inc. Foerster Instruments Inc. Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc. Fortune Machinery Freedom Technologies Fridea Srl Frigeco USA Inc./ MFL USA Service Corp.

OM Frigerio Frigerio USA Frontier Composites & Castings Inc. FSP-One Fuhr GmbH & Co. Kg Gavlick Machinery Corp.

GCR Eurodraw SpA Gem Gravure Co Inc. Genca W. Gillies Technologies LLC GIMAX srl GMP Slovakia s.r.o Granite Falls Furnace Guill Tool & Engineering Co. Guney Celik Hafner & Krullmann GmbH Hangzhou JR Exhibition Co. Ltd. Hariton Machinery Heany Industries Inc. Heatbath Corp.

Henrich Maschinenfabrik GmbH Heritage Wire Die Inc. HFSAB H Folke Sandelin AB Holland Colours Americas Inc. Houghton International Inc. Howar Equipment Inc. Huestis Industrial Huttner Maschinenfabrik ICE Wire Line Equipment Inc. IDEAL Welding Systems INFLEX Inc INHOL LLC InnoVites Inosym Integrated Control Technologies Interequip SA International Wire & Cable Machinery Association Intras Ltd. IP Automation Inc Isotek Corp.

IW/Bare Wire Division IW/High Performance Conductors IWE Spools & Handling GmbH IWG High Performance Conductors Inc. Joe Snee Associates, Inc. Joe-Tools Jouhsen-Bundgens Inc. Kablosan Turkey-FBC Yayincilik Ltd. sti Kalmark Intergrated Systems Ltd. KEIR Manufacturing Inc. Keystone Steel & Wire Co. Kieselstein GmbH King Steel Corp.

Kinrei of America KMB Maschinenfabrik GmbH KMK Lamnea Bruk AB Kopilowitz Engineering Ltd.

Lake Michigan Metals Inc. LaserLinc Inc. Leggett & Platt Wire Group Leoni Wire Inc. Lesmo Machinery America Inc. Lloyd & Bouvier Inc. Lubrimetal Corp.

LUKAS Anlagenbau GmbH M+E Madison Steel Inc. Magnetic Technologies Ltd. Maillefer Extrusion Oy Mario Frigerio SpA Mathiasen Machinery Inc. Messe Düsseldorf North America Metal Resource Solutions Inc. Metalloid Corp.

Metallurgical Council of China Metavan nv MFL USA Service Corp.

MGS Manufacturing Inc. Micro Products Co. Microdia USA Mid-South Wire Morgan-Koch Corp.

Mossberg Associates Inc. Mossberg Industries Inc. Nanjing Xiandai Diamond Products Co Ltd Neptco Nextrom OY Niagara Composites Int’l.Inc. Niehoff Endex North America Inc. Maschinenfabrik NIEHOFF GmbH & Co KG Nimsco LLC / SB2C Numalliance North America Inc. Oklahoma Steel & Wire OMCG North America Inc. OM Lesmo Otomec Srl Ozyasar Tel Ve Galvanizleme P & R Specialty Inc. P/A Industries Paramount Die Co. Parkway-Kew Corp.

Pave Automation Pentre Group Ltd.-Hearl Heaton Phifer Wire Inc. Pioneer USA Pittsfield Plastics Eng. Inc. PKG Equipment Inc. Plas-Ties Co. Plastic Equip LLC Plasticolor Plymouth Wire Reels & Dies Inc. Pneumatic Power Tool & Co. Polytec Inc. Pourtier Pourtier & Setic of America Precision Die Technologies Inc. Premier Wire Die PrintSafe Process Control Corp.

Progressive Machinery Inc. Promostar srl Properzi International Inc. Proton Products PWM QED Wire Lines Inc. Queins Machines GmbH Raajratna Stainless Wire Inc. RAD-CON Inc. Radyne Corp.

Rainbow Rubber & Plastics Rautomead Ltd. Reber Systematic GmbH + Co KG REDEX Reel-O-Matic Inc. Refractron Technologies Corp.

RichardsApex Inc. Rizzardi Rockford Manufacturing Group Inc. Roloil Rosendahl GmbH continued

32 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

New Interwire exhibitor profile WAI NEWS

WAI NEWS

PARTICIPATING EXHIBITORS (cont’d) Rosendahl GmbH Rosendahl Nextrom Technologies Roteq Machinery Inc. RSD Group USA RTD Manufacturing S&E Specialty Polymers Saco Polymers Inc. Saint-Gobain SAMP SpA SAMP USA Inc. SAMPSISTEMI Sarkuysan SA Schlatter Inc. Schmidt Maschinenbau GmbH Schnell SpA Scienscope International Setic Shanghai Pudong International Exhibition Co. Sikora International Corp.

SIMPACKS Sirio Wire Sivaco Wire Group Sjogren Industries Inc. SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH Skyline Industries Sneham International Sonoco Reels Spirka Schnellflechter GmbH STAKU- Anlagenbau Starrett-Bytewise Measurement Systems Steel Cable Reels Stolberger Inc DBA Wardwell Braiding August Strecker GmbH & Co KG Subec AB Sudhir Enterprises Sylvin Technologies Inc. T & T Marketing Inc. Talledega Castings & Machine Co. Tantec Est Inc. Tapeformers Ltd. Taubensee Steel & Wire Co. Taymer International Inc. Tecnofil SA TECVIL Teknikor Teknor Apex Tensor Machinery Ltd. Thermoplastics Engineering Corp.

Tien Chen Diamond Industry Co.Ltd. Top Tapes (TT Okroglica DD) Trafco Cortinovis Sictra Tramev Traxit North America LLC Troester Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Tubular Products Co. Tulsa Power Inc. United Wire Co. Inc. Unitek UPCAST OY Vandor Corp.

VINSTON US Corp.

Vollmer America Inc. Vom Hagen & Funke GmbH W3 Ultrasonics LLC WAFIOS Machinery Corp.

WCISA / Wire Forming Technology International Weber & Scher Mfg. Co. Inc. Welding Wire Machineries Windak Inc. Wire & Cable Technology International Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.

Wire Association International, Inc. Wire Journal International Wire Lab Co. Wire Machine Systems (WMS) Wire World WiTechs Witels Albert USA Ltd. Woodburn Diamond Die Inc. Worth Steel & Machinery Inc. Woywod Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH & Co Vertriebs KG Yield Management Corp.

Zumbach Electronics Corp.

Company: Tantec EST, Inc. Booth: 1908, www.tantec.com Description: A privately held company founded in 1974, Tantec is a leading manufacturer of standard and customized plasma and corona systems for surface treatment of plastics and metals to enhance adhesion properties.

Representative: Jeff Gradus WJI: Why will you be exhibiting at Interwire for the first time in 2015?

Gradus: We have identified this industry as a market segment that can benefit greatly from Tantec’s advanced surface treatment technology. We have spoken with previous exhibitors and they have given this particular show very high reviews.

WJI: What type(s) of innovation do you plan to present at the event?

Gradus: We plan to demonstrate how plasma and/or corona treatment can improve the quality and process control of the printing and coating in the industry. We have seen with the advancement of polymers, inks, glues, and coating a rise in general adhesion issues which our technologies can help overcome.

WJI: Why should attendees want to stop by your booth?

Gradus: To learn more about how Tantec can resolve adhesion and coating issues without the need for primers and other chemical processes. _________________________________________

Interwire 2015 update: just 4,000 sq ft of GWCC exhibit space remains available Four months out from WAI’s staging of Interwire 2015 in Atlanta, the available space on the 106,100 sq ft floor plan is down to about 4,0000 sq ft.

“All the larger booth positions have been taken,” said WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller. At this point, most of the remaining space floor space at the Georgia World Congress Center is made up of 10 x 10 booths, he said. While the larger booths are gone, if there is enough interest it may be possible to expand the floor plan.

The best way to deliver an encore is to add to the cast.

Aluminum joins copper for WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum April 27 - 30, 2015 | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | With Interwire 2015 Join a renowned ensemble of continuous casting practitioners, raw material suppliers, and equipment manufacturers on an educational journey from ore to more at WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum.

Shared sessions. Independent technical tracks. Unalloyed networking. All focused on saving money through performance-based casting technologies. www.castingforum15.com.

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Platinum: Continuus-Pro roPPerzi sPA | riChArdsAPex, inC. | sMs-Meer GMbh | southwire sCr teChnoloGies Gold: AsA sAr ArC rCo llC | rAuto AutoMeA eAd eA Ad ltd. | uPCAst oY | Silver: hAzelett A -striPP CAstinGG | houGhton internA nternAtion AtionA tionAl Al inC. | sAint A -GobA obAin Ain 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

ADVANCE REGISTRATION FORM Convention: April 27-30, 2015 | Exhibits: April 28-30, 2015 Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Register at: www.wirenet.org, or use the form below 1. COMPLETE & MAIL OR FAX THIS FORM TODAY

4. EVENT REGISTRATION (Required) *advance (on or before March 29, 2015) | *on-site (after March 29, 2015) *advance

LAST NAME

*on-site

FULL REGISTRATION PLUS NEW WAI MEMBERSHIP (BL/AEM) FIRST NAME

MIDDLE

Includes exhibits, opening reception, technical sessions & online proceedings, production solutions, keynote, and one year WAI membership.

TITLE

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$425 q

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Tuesday-Thursday, April 28-30, 2015 Includes exhibits and production solutions.

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FUNDAMENTALS OF WIRE MANUFACTURING (Includes Exhibits) (GDS) Monday, April 27, 2015 Includes program handouts, lunch, exhibits, and production solutions. q Ferrous Track (FT) q Nonferrous/Electrical Track (NT)

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$275 q

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A. Which ONE of the following best describes your company’s type of business? CHECK ONLY ONE. WIRE MANUFACTURING 10 q Aluminum & Al. Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 20 q Copper & Copper Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 30 q Steel & Steel Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 40 q Other Metal (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 50 q Electrical (Insulated Wire) 53 q Communication (Insulated Wire) 55 q Fiber Optics FASTENERS, WIRE FORMING, FABRICATING 61 q Fastener Manufacture 62 q Four-Slide Forming 64 q Hot and/or Cold Forming and Heading 66 q Spring Manufacture 68 q Wire Cloth Mesh Screening 69 q Other Forming and Fabricating Please Specify ___________________________

SUPPLIERS TO THE WIRE INDUSTRY 72 q Machinery 74 q Process, Accessories, Materials WIRE END-USER 11 q Appliance 12 q Communications (Voice/Data) 13 q Computer 14 q Construction/Building 15 q Electrical (Equip./Components/Power) 16 q Transportation/Vehicular 17 q Wire Formed Durable Goods OTHER 80 q Service Cntrs, Distrib. & Warehouses 90 q Consultants 92 q Govt., Library, Others Allied to Field

B. Which ONE of the following best describes your primary job function? CHECK ONLY ONE. 10 q General & Administrative Management 20 q Engineering and/or Operations and/or Production 30 q Technical and/or Research & Development and/or Quality Control 40 q Purchasing 50 q Sales & Marketing 90 q Other Please Specify _____________________________________________________________

SOUTHWIRE ROD MILL TOUR (SR) Monday, April 27, 2015 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants. Individual registrations subject to approval.

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$50 q

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$75 q

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MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP (MMW) Thursday, April 30, 2015 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants.

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$125 q

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$175 q

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with Full Registration

$50 q

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GLOBAL CONTINUOUS CASTING FORUM (CCF) Monday-Thursday, April 27-30, 2015 Includes Global Continuous Casting Forum AND Interwire 2015 Exhibits, Full Technical Program, and Opening Reception.

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$495 q

$595 q

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$595 q

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$545 q

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5. TOTAL REGISTRATION FEES, U.S. $ 6. REGISTRATION FEE IS PAID BY:

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q Check enclosed payable to THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL, INC. (Checks must be in U.S. dollars drawn on U.S. bank)

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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

General “Continuous plasma cleaning and surface activation of ferrous and nonferrous wire and rod,” by Igor Rogelj and Primoz Eiselt, Plasmait GmbH, Austria.

WAI NEWS

“We feel confident that we will be building on the strong showing we had at the last Interwire, Xeller said.

The 2013 event in Atlanta, Georgia, drew more than 4,000 attendees from 59 countries. Based on surveys, key influencers and purchasers from more than 300 wire and cable manufacturng operations were represented.

Interwire and GCCF technical papers

The technical programs are largely complete for Interwire 2015 and the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF), which will be co-located in April at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The March issue will have the full programs and time slots, but below are lists of paper titles/authors to date. For the latest information on Interwire 2015, go to www.wirenet.org, and for GCCF, go to www.castingforum15.com.

Interwire 2015 technical papers Ferrous “Meeting the customer demand for improved rod qualities through improvements to operating practices and rod mill equipment,” by Bruce V. Kiefer and Wade P. Krejdovsky, Siemens Industry Inc.; and Bhaskar Yalamanchili, Peter Power, Richard Gordon, Thad Boudreaux, and Leonardo Cunha, Gerdau Long Steel North America, USA. “Improvement of the limit of drawing a fine high-car bon steel wire by decreasing back tension,” by Shiori Gondo, Shinsuke Suzuki, and Motoo Asakawa, Waseda University; Kosuke Takemoto and Kenichi Tashima, Factory Automation Electronics Inc.; and Satoshi Kajino, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan.

“Economic and chemical comparisons of hydrochloric acid recovery technologies for galvanizing operations,” by Jared Cullivan, Beta Control Systems Inc., USA. “Acid purification—technical/economic benefits,” by C. Tom Philipp, PRO-pHx Inc., USA.

Nonferrous “Practical methods of reducing nonferrous fines generation in wiredrawing,” by Gil Baker, Confident Instruments Inc., USA. “Additional details on fines analysis,” by Gil Baker, Confident Instruments Inc., and Horace Pops, Horace Pops Consulting Inc., USA. “Possibilities for copper and wire-producing environments,” by Anna Franzkowiak, RHI AG, Austria.

“Multi-pass wiredrawing of Mg alloys in a heated die with controlled recrystallization,” by Andriej Milenin, Piotr Kustra, and M. Pietrzyk, AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland.

“Alternate cold drawing of magnesium alloy wires,” by Vladimir Stefanov Hristov and Kazunari Yoshida, Tokai University, Japan.

“The correlation between hardness in Webster scale and selected mechanical properties,” by Piotr Romański, Grzegorz Stradomski, and Jan W. Pilarczyk, Czestochowa University of Technology, Poland.

“Establishing the manufacturing process of Ti-6Al-4V 1.6 mm-diameter filler wire for strategic applications,” by M. V. Prasad, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd., India.

“The new era in aluminum wiredrawing lubricants,” by Troy Carr, Bechem Lubrication Technology LLC, USA, and Harry Hofmann, Carl Bechem GmbH, Germany.

JANUARY 2015 | 35

WAI NEWS

“Optimizing productivity through improved maintenance of oil-based and water-based wiredrawing lubricants,” by Bill Coode and Gardner Tripp, Etna Products Inc., USA. Electrical “How to use single-ended measurements to understand problems in cable production,” by Peter Fischer, AESA SA, Switzerland.

“Energy-efficient drive system for extrusion lines,” by Juan Carlos González Villar, Kabel Consult., Germany “Authentication and traceability in wire and cable,”

by Craig L. Shoemaker and Sean Bernhardt, PolyOne Corporation, USA. “Rodents and pests—a chronic threat to wire and cable,” by Varsha Pote, C Tech Corporation, India.

“Impact of adverse cable handling on lifetime of optical fiber,” by Sudipta Bhaumik, Sterlite Technologies Limited, India.

GCCF technical papers Copper Session “Processing and Performance Differences Between Continuously Cast FRHC, ETP, and OF Copper Rod Into Wire Products,” by Matt Reinoehl, SDI LaFarga LLC, USA.

“Melting Options,” by John Hugens, Fives North American Combustion Inc., USA. “Lining life of silicon carbide or chromic oxide cast linings in pour pots/tundishes,” by Bryan Nelson, Allied Mineral Products Inc., USA. “Continuous Cast Copper Rod Coolant Filtration,” by Tom Horn, Filtertech Inc., USA. “ETP vs. FRHC Copper Rod: Correlation With ASTM Standards,” by Horace Pops, Horace Pops Consulting Inc., USA. Aluminum Session “Molten Metal Management - An Aluminum Association Perspective,” by Curt Wells, The Aluminum Association, USA.

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WAI NEWS

Operations, USA; “Refractory Dave Quilter, Selection for Pyrotek Inc., Aluminum USA; and Sylvain Casthouses,” by P. Tremblay, Benjamin Stanton, Pyrotek Inc., Harbison-Walker Canada.

Refractories Co., “A Decade USA. of Continuous “Benefits of Improvements in Regenerative Aluminum Rod Combustion Casting at Rio Systems,” by Keith Tinto Alcan,” Nieszczur, Bloom

by Michaël Engineering, USA. Lalancette, Rio “Furnace Tinto Alcan Inc., Efficiency USA. Improvements,” “Development

by Jim Grayson, of Innovative Pyrotek Inc., USA. Aluminum Alloys “ACDTM – for Production of In-line Aluminum A group photo of 2011 GCCF forum attendees, all casting practictioners.

Overhead Cables,” Degassing in

by Miroslaw Ozog, Boryszew S.A., Oddzial Nowoczesne Continuous Casting Operation,” by Florent Gougerot, Produkty Aluminiowe Skawina, Poland.

STAS Inc., Canada. “Ultrasonic Degassing,” by Reed “Endless Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys Rod von Gal, Southwire Co., USA. Mill Plant,” by Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche “Metal Flow Improvement in the Properzi Caster SpA, Italy.

Lower Tundish,” by Kevin J. Condlin, Alcoa Messena

I can help WAI members learn more about copper, continuous casting, and process innovation.

Q: Why did you join WAI? A: To network and connect with like-minded business professionals and enhance my career development through WAI technical programs and contacts. I also like the ability to meet many suppliers in one location.

Q: Why do you renew your membership?

A: To stay abreast of the latest technologies for a competitive edge and keep in touch with friends and colleagues from around the world. I am at the point in my career that I would like to give back to the WAI and our industry by being a voice for manufacturing.

Q: What would you be doing if you hadn’t become involved in the wire industry?

A: I’d be in the metals industry. I like metallurgy and molten metals.

Gary Spence VP Nonferrous Metals | Encore Wire Corp.

Member Since: 1980

Q: What do your co-workers say about you?

A: They think I am always trying to improve something, innovative, very knowledgeable of copper continuous casting, results oriented, outspoken, and fair.

Q: What did your most valuable WAI contact help Meet Gary Spence.

One of WAI’s worldwide members.

One compelling story.

You’ll find Gary where innovation and old-world ethics collide. He’s continuously improving. In 43 years he’s gathered more information on copper continuous casting than most will ever learn—until April 2015, that is, when he will join a casting call of his international colleagues at Interwire for the second global continuous casting forum of his design. The encore? Aluminum will join his cast.

He’s an expert. An optimistic leader. And, he’s emblematic of the knowledge base accessible through WAI. Gary’s profile reveals key themes familiar to all distinguished personalities, namely:

you do?

A: Many helped further my professional development and assisted me in achieving product and process improvements. I now have global contacts to communicate with via the Internet at anytime.

Q: Who was your mentor?

A: My parents; they instilled a strong work ethic. I have also been fortunate to work for three outstanding companies all with strong, innovative leadership.

Q: Who is the most famous person you’ve met?

A: I met Brooks Robinson—the Baltimore Oriole third baseman with a golden glove—at a ball game in San Francisco.

Q: What do you do for leisure?

A: You can find me at a health club, on my Harley, or by the water.

Bold Optimism | Intrepid Innovation | Achievement | Hot Metal | Cool Mettle | Moving Ahead | Giving Back A global networker, he stays connected. When you meet Gary be sure to ask him what he’s working on. He’s clearly advancing but he’s always ready to give back.

1

MNEMONIC TIP: GARY SPENCE. GARY SPENDS TIME ON INNOVATION.

Q: What is your lifelong ambition?

A: In business to be recognized as an expert by my peers.

To be the best I can be at whatever I pursue.

Q: What is your greatest accomplishment?

A: I am optimistic; the best is yet to come.

Watch the forum bloom: www.castingforum15.com

Meet your peers. Achieve your goals. Join WAI’s community at www.wirenet.org.

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

N.E. Chapter meeting date is Jan. 29 The New England Chapter’s annual meeting will be held Jan. 29, 2015, at the Mohegan Sun Resort Conference Center.

The event, to include a production by a traveling comedy troupe from Brickroad Productions that promises to be amusing, will also see the naming of new officers, much camaraderie and a raffle to benefit the scholarship fund that will include tickets to a Boston Red Sox game.

Different company sponsorships are available, with Platinum at $500, Gold at $350, Silver at $250 and Bronze at $150. Tickets are $120 for chapter members, $130 for WAI members, and $140 for non-members. To register and for more details, contact WAI’s Anna Bzowski at tel. 203453- 2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

Members of 3 WAI chapters can seek college scholarship for their children Three Wire Association International chapters, in conjunction with the Wire Foundation, are seeking applications from the children of chapter members in good standing for their 2015 Scholarship awards. Members of the New England, Midwest and Southeast chapters will soon receive letters inviting applications. Submissions must be postmarked by Monday, March 31, 2015.

The chapter scholarship program got its start in the New England chapter in 2006, and then the Midwest and

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Southeast chapters in 2008. The Wire Foundation connection allows donations to support the chapter scholarship funds to be tax deductible. For the New England and Midwest chapters, eligible candidates for the awards are graduating high school seniors continuing their education in college. The Southeast Chapter also allows continuing college students to apply. Non-members of WAI who have students who would be eligible for the scholarships are welcome to join WAI and their respective chapter.

For more details, contact WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll at tel. 203-453-1777, ext. 115, or at sfetteroll@wirenet.org.

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER

Correction The December issue listed the winning team at the Western Chapter’s Oct. 20 golf tournament as Michael Weiss, Paul Gemelli and Marty Kenner.

Paul Gemelli was not there but Ray Sprinkling of Whitmore/ Wirenetics was, for he was From l-r, the winning team of Michael the man in Weiss, Ray Sprinkling and Marty Kenner. the middle.

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EVENT REVIEW

WRAP-UP Numbers only a part of the 2014 IWCS story cially as more women are being chosen. “As a father of The 2014 staging of the International Cable daughters, I am thrilled.” In terms of ending his career Connecivity Symposium, better known as IWCS, saw a after 47 years, he concluded, “You have to recognize boost in attendance at its traditional “home” location in when it’s time to go. It’s been a wonderful ride and it’s Providence, as well as a changing of the guard. (my) time to go.”

Robert Wessels, Jr., chairman of the board of direcBarteld also expressed tors, thanked IWCS CEO/ utmost confidence in the Director John Barteld for capabilities of his succeshis service, then quipped, sor, Dave Kiddoo, chair“I hate to see him go, but man of the IWCS Program I think his wife, Gwenn, is Committee, who on the next here to make sure that he page shares his thoughts on does.” his new role with WJI. Barteld, who was retirIn terms of numbers for ing from the post after IWCS 2014, the final atten10 years, discussed how dance was 1,055, up 20% moved he was by the from the 2013 event, held in industry support IWCS has Charlotte, North Carolina. received over the years.

A total of 120 technical pre“IWCS is just a meeting sentations were made while point,” he observed. What the Supplier’s Exhibition makes the event valuable featured 118 stands. The are the collective efforts of new products introduction, many volunteers who make From l-r, IWCS BOD Chairman Robert Wessels, Jr., the program what it is. presents a plaque to retiring CEO/Director John Barteld held by that area, was especially well attended.

As technology has as incoming leader Dave Kiddoo looks on.

The full technical proevolved, so has IWCS, in gram, featured a total of 16 terms of the range of what is sessions that collectively covered a wide range of induspresented and how it is provided to attendees, including try focuses on copper, fiber optic, connectors and more. the organization’s updated website, Barteld said. He is Each year at IWCS, CRU International speakers give very proud of the IWCS scholarship program, which he their observations on both copper and fiber. described as a very good investment in the future, espe-

CRU provided updates for both copper and fiber.

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Activity on the floor of the Supplier’s Exhibition.

EVENT REVIEW Attendees could sit in on presentations in copper, fiber and materials tracks.

The New Products Introduction drew a lot of attendee interest.

Richard Mack, CRU, gave his year end review and outlook. He said that the global economic recovery is continuing, and that global metallic cable consumption in 2014 looked to be stronger than it was for 2013. However, profitability, as in previous years, overall remains low. In terms of future growth, he said that one big driver would be countries needing to provide power to large areas. He also said he expects to see further consolidation in wire and cable manufacturers in China.

Addressing the fiber side, CRU’s Patrick Fay said he was pleased to report that the news was better this year.

He estimated that global demand in 2014 for cabled

fiber would top 300 milllion km, largely due to largescale FTTX projects. As of 2013, he noted that 23% of the world’s 1.8 billion households were passed by FTTx premises.

Keynote speaker Clifford J. Thomas, managing director, Cisco Systems, Inc., spoke about the potential for connectivity. He noted that there are more “connected things” than there are people in the world yet less than 1% of all “connectable” things are connected.

The next IWCS event will be held Oct. 5-8, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. For more details, go to www.iwcs.org.

IWCS veteran to head body as well as CCCA It was all a matter of timing for Dave Kiddoo, who is transitioning from his position as global business manager for wire and cable insulation and sheathing products at AlphaGary to head not just one but two prominent industry organizations: IWCS (International Wire and Cable Symposium), which has a strong focus on technical innovations, and CCCA (Communications Cable and Connectivity Association), that has a strong issues and advocacy focus. In both cases, the current leaders were retiring, and Kiddoo, who had been active with both groups, was chosen by their separate boards to be the successor. Below, he explains to WJI how this came to be and what he hopes to accomplish.

Director of IWCS, and that Frank Peri was retiring as executive director of the Communications Cable & Connectivity Association, but I didn’t seek out these opportunities. I was approached by members of the separate boards. It was a surprise and a tremendous honor to be considered for these positions. What made it easier for me to agree to do this was that AlphaGary has always been was very supportive of me and our participation in various industry trade associations. I’ve spent a lot of time doing industry advocacy and it’s become second nature to me. I’m not retiring from AlphaGary as much as I’m following a natural progression. I’m very excited about what’s to come.

WJI: It’s almost hard to believe how the pieces fell together here. Was this something you had lobbied for?

WJI: Do you see challenges in balancing your time between IWCS and CCCA?

Kiddoo: This all happened in just a few months. I knew earlier that John Barteld was retiring as CEO/

Kiddoo: I see the two groups as being complementary and with a number of effective synergies. CCCA is very

JANUARY 2015 | 41

EVENT REVIEW

action-orientated, focusing on important industry issues such as non-compliant and counterfeit cables, data center performance protocols and ICT environmental sustainability, while IWCS is educational. I’ve been very involved with IWCS for some 20 years, and I’ve also been active with CCCA since it was started in 2007. I feel comfortable with both, I understand their missions and I believe in them.

WJI: What about CCCA?

Kiddoo: In conjunction with the broad supply chain membership in CCCA, Frank Peri made significant progress to bring market awareness to significant issues facing the communications cable and connectivity industry. Through strong advocacy and market surveillance, CCCA has worked closely with third-party certification entities such as Underwriters Laboratories WJI: Regarding IWCS, as well as governmenwhat are your initial tal agencies including plans? What about longHomeland Security and term goals?

Port Authorities to alert Kiddoo: First, I’d like them on the performance to say that John Barteld and safety dangers of the has provided outstanding significant trafficking of leadership to re-establish counterfeit cables into the both a strong financial USA. CCCA and UL have basis, in the face of tough worked hard to educate economic conditions, and the Supply Chain, includbusiness model over the ing Contractors, OEM’s past 10 years. The plan and Building Owners on is to build on the sound the issue and liabilities of foundation he has created Dave Kiddoo discusses future plans for IWCS. installing such non-comfor IWCS. We won’t be pliant cables in commerrestructuring so much as cial buildings (www.cccaswe will be expanding the brand recognition. We want soc.org). In addition, CCCA is providing leadership and IWCS to be more than an event that takes place once direction on issues of Data Center installation protocols, a year. We’re looking at offering webinars through the environmental sustainability measures and recognition Cisco WebEx Events online forum and making past for the Information Communication Technology (ICT) papers and presentations more readily available on our components in Green Building rating programs, prevalent re-vamped website (www.iwcs.org). performance issues of patch cords and connectors, as well We are also looking for stronger affiliations and synas the evolution of codes and standards. I’ve been active ergies with other global industry groups, in addition to with each of this issues from my days with AlphaGary, so partners such as CRU, which has long been providing in some ways it feels as if I will be continuing what I’ve industry outlook presentations for IWCS, the Wire and been doing on behalf of the W&C industry for the past Cable Manufacturers Alliance and the International 30 years. CCCA is all about superior product safety and Cable Federation. performance. While I am very sensitive to the integrity of We want to offer more, but we also have to respect materials and cable/ network components in the supply what has brought us to this point. IWCS has long been a chain, the most important aspect of our CCCA efforts is very prestigious global industry event. Our authors/premaking this understood across a wide spectrum. We will senters receive significant career recognition by presenthave to continue to focus on education. CCCA will coning at IWCS and we don’t want to lose that. The goal tinue to be a sentinel, and we hope to widen its focus. is to expand IWCS as the prominent global technical information and networking forum for the W&C indusWJI: How confident are you at this point? try. Early in my tenure, I plan to talk to folks in Europe, Kiddoo: In IWCS and CCCA, we have two organiAsia and the Middle East to promote the IWCS brand zations, two missions and two sets of expectations. To and ask them what regional and global issues they want excel in the performance of each, we are going to have to hear about in upcoming forums. to continue to have strong industry support and leaderI think this is all very healthy. As a supplier, I’m used ship. There are a lot of issues and challenges before us, to working with others. I want to energize participation and I think it’s going to be a very exciting and energetic through sessions geared to specific topics. We’ll be starttime over the coming years. I’ve always been driven to ing in 2015 but this will be an evergreen process over work hard with customers and colleagues, and now I’ll many years. It’s all about creating a forum to help the continue to do that for IWCS and CCCA, on behalf of next generation of industry leaders. our collective wire and cable.

42 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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FEATURE

Wireless update There's plenty of wire used in infrastructure for wireless, but the big story has less to do with the seemingly endless advances in the technology than it does about the demand for it. This feature looks at a sliver of aspects, such as drivers and hot spots, and more. subscriber connections in the U.S. topping 104% of the It's hard to grasp just how much demand for wireless population... Unfortunately, the spectrum that these wirebandwidth has grown, so in this case it seems fitting less networks run on are running thin.” to let a few financial numbers do the talking. A recent A wireless connection uses a cellular network and Bloomberg story noted that in February 2012, Facebook allows use of the Internet almost anywhere while a Wi-Fi purchased Instagram for $1 billion. Less than two years connection requires hardware installed in either your later, a Citigroup analyst has pegged the value of the home or within range of a router you can access. photo-sharing app at $35 billion. To put that in perspecCiting recent data, Christenson said that wireless tive, American Airlines is worth about $36.5 billion. data traffic doubled The accompanying in 2013, with 3.2 CommScope chart trillion megabytes eloquently shows traveling on wireless increasing bandwidth networks. Mobile demand —from data usage increased Facebook to data by 65% in the last accessing—in which year alone. More wireless will play an licensed spectrum increasing role. is needed for both Per Bloomberg's wireless broadband report, mobile sales as well for Wi-Fi are expected to have capabilities. As more grown $3.78 billion businesses, hotels, (46%) in the last restaurants, coffee quarter of 2013. shops, libraries There are more takers and other comfor higher-quality munity gathering ads, targeting and places offer Wi-Fi, premium video advertising, which enabled A look at projected bandwidth demand, Chart courtesy of CommScope. the bands become stressed. Wi-Fi netFacebook to more work traffic is expected to exceed wired traffic by 2018. than triple prices for promotions in the last quarter comMore Wi-Fi traffic could ease data loads off the wirepared with a year earlier. It cited EMarketer as saying that less broadband networks on an already overworked Facebook is projected to take 8% of the $140.7 billion network, Christenson said. The problem is that shared global ad market this year, up from 5.8% last year.

Wi-Fi networks often have a slow, congested online Getting back to Instagram, a mobile-only platform, its experience. The FCC has proposed to free up and allow monthly active users now top 300 million, giving it more satellite spectrum to be used for Wi-Fi capacity by oneusers than Twitter, which had 284 million in October. third in the very popular 2.4 GHz band. The FCC plan Facebook’s stock has also more than doubled. could generate an additional $11 billion to the GDP. The A recent article in Forbes by Zack Christenson, who spectrum crunch is coming and it could be a big problem writes on digital tech issues, for the American Consumer in the future, both for wireless broadband networks and Institute Center for Citizen Research, paints the flip side Wi-Fi networks. Getting more spectrum online would be to the demand issue. “Demand for wireless Internet is a huge economic benefit for consumers. growing faster than ever, with the number of wireless

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The banking industry is one of many sectors that is intrigued by wireless technology because it is cheaper.

Incredibly cheaper. But the story is still not quite a slam dunk for the sector.

A story by Daniel Huang cited a report by Fiserv, a provider of financial-services technology, which found that digital transactions cost on average 17 cents each, compared with 85 cents for an ATM transaction and $4 for an interaction with a bank teller.

Further, in 2014, U.S. customers interacted with their banks for the first time more through mobile devices than any other means, per a study by consultancy Bain & Co. Mobile interactions are now 35% of the total, more than any other type, including traditional online channels, automated-teller machines and branch visits, it said.

The Bain report found that customers in 13 out of 22 countries complete more interactions through smartphones or tablets than any other channel. Global customers using mobile applications to access banking services climbed 19% in the past year and now comprise nearly half of all customers, it said.

The story cited Gavin Michael, head of digital at Chase, a unit of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., as saying that “Mobile users are redefining how we think about banking.” The company, the nation’s largest bank by assets, has 18 million mobile users who have logged on within 90 days, up 23% from November 2013, it said. Further, more than 40%

FEATURE

Banking (literally) on more wireless activity

of customer households today use the mobile channel, up from 25% in 2012.

However, mobile banking has its limitations, the Bain report said. “Digitalonly” customers buy fewer products and score lower on a loyalty and engagement scale than those who only visited branches or used branches and digital channels. Also, some customers prefer human interactions, especially for bigger and more complex transactions, and that is where banks tend to earn revenues, the story said. It noted that Wells Fargo & Co. found that “high-intensity” customers—those who frequently interact with the bank across multiple channels—tend to be 1.7 times more profitable, and typically own six more products, than low-intensity customers.

NYC pay phones: renewal as cutting-edge wireless tech?

20 times as fast as average home Internet service in the The lowly New York City pay phone, a one-time vital city. A two-hour movie, officials said, could be downloadelement of society that over the years lost its technical ed in about 30 seconds. luster and was allowed to wear away like old unwanted The kiosks’ Wi-Fi range cars, may soon undergo a will extend 150 feet in any reformation that will make direction, officials said. Up to them glam in the eyes of the 250 devices would be able to cell-phone toting throngs. use the network at each kiosk Per a report in The New without diminishing service York Times, Mayor Bill and in heavily trafficked areas de Blasio’s administration access points can be added. plans to “evolve” the relics The department first tested pay into thousands of Wi-Fi hot phone Wi-Fi as part of a pilot spots across the city, proprogram in 2012. Now the city viding free Internet access, hopes to install about 10,000 free domestic calls using kiosks, each tall and slender— cellphones or a built-in about 9.5 feet high and less keypad, a charging station than a foot wide. There are for mobile devices and now about 8,400 pay phones. access to city services and Unwanted pay phones may soon be bandwidth wonders.

It is expected to cost more directions. The initiative, than $200 million to build the known as LinkNYC, will be network. Blasio called expanded broadband access “essenpaid for by advertising revenues from the kiosks’ digital displays. The city’s Dept. of Information Technology and tial for everything we need to do to be a fair and just city,” Telecommunications said the network would be 100 times adding that the system would be “the fastest and largest municipal Wi-Fi network in the world.” as fast as average municipal Wi-Fi systems, and more than JANUARY 2015 | 45

FEATURE

FEATURE

Big-time events without big-time data bandwidth = 1 unhappy wireless crowd Attending a concert or a football game is supposed to be a memorable experience, but in an era of social media, showing that one was there seems to mean far less than being able to show that one is there.

A recent article by John Jurgensen in The Wall Street Journal posed the following existential question: “If you can’t send a selfie from a rock concert or an NFL game, does it still count as being there?”

Increasingly, the answer is a resounding “No!”

Fans everywhere are clamoring for more cell-phone wireless bandwidth.

At Lollapalooza 2014, some 100,000 fans packed Chicago’s Grant Park. Many struggled with their phones as the cellular network for the site was overwhelmed by the digital demands.

“Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter—literally any social media gets cut off at concerts like this,” said Mia Eriksson, a college senior who along with her friends tried to used Snapchat but were unable to upload videos. “It sounds whiny, but I want people to know that I’m there right then,” she said. “If I post a video at 9 am the next day, no one really cares about it.”

The article observed that large events often have a parallel life online, only many “fail” due to dead zones. How much bandwidth can be needed? At one single event (the 2012 Super Bowl) AT&T’s wireless customers set new records for data traffic being sent from a sports site, sending and receiving a total of 215 GB of wireless traffic.

Tech companies, such as Cisco Systems, Inc., are outfitting sports stadiums with wireless networks, and startup companies are setting up temporary Wi-Fi at weekend music festivals. In some cases, antennas have been set up in VIP areas to boost the Wi-Fi signal for fans who paid top dollar for their tickets. Also, event organizers want to benefit from the ripple effects on social media, a critical marketing form that can lead to sales of future tickets and/or merchandise.

Some sports organizations, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball, have set minimum Wi-Fi and cellular standards that all their venues must meet.

The music industry has gradually become more tuned in to wireless bandwidth. The story cited Doc McGhee, whose clients include KISS and Darius Rucker, as saying that bands want to use interactive tools so fans can post their photos on video screens during concerts or text song suggestions for the encore. “When the show starts and the bandwidth goes down, you’re out of business.”

46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

cable. A short-length coaxial cable jumper is used only for RF transmission between the RRU and the antenna— an approach much different than a conventional radio transceiver connected to antennas via one long coaxial cable. This configuration minimizes RF losses and thereby improves cell site performance. It eliminates the need for long, heavy coaxial cables and it reduces wind load.

There are two basic ways to approach tower connecWireless networks in many regions have evolved from tions: a single hybrid cable containing both fiber and the legacy cell site architecture where large radios are power, or separate power and fiber cables run in parallel. located remote from the antennas, typically in a small A hybrid configuration comshelter or enclosure at the base bines power and fiber conducof a tower. The new network tors in a single, high-perforarchitecture places a portion mance cable for greater effiof the radio functionality close ciency, capacity and savings. to the antennas while keeping When choosing a breakout baseband radio units at the system to facilitates connectower bottom or a centralized tivity with the RRU, one can location. Putting the remote use traditional junction boxes radio units (RRUs, also called or a new streamlined method remote radio heads) close to using pre-connectorized canisthe antennas involves deployters integrated directly into the ing fiber and power cable up trunk cable. The latter option towers instead of the coaxial eliminates the need for a junccable traditionally used on towtion box and allows the use of ers. This evolved architecture is often called fiber-to-the-anThe wireless trend is fiber/power cable up the towers. a single, universal hybrid fiber trunk cable that mates to RRU tenna (FTTA), and it is a big specific cable tails. These tails are configured at one end change for an industry that has relied on the traditional to match the specific fiber and power inputs of the differarchitecture for 20-plus years. ent RRU brands and models in the industry and plug into With change, of course, comes challenge in terms of the canister at the other. When changes are made at the learning how best to deploy the new architectures…and tower top, only a simple change of cable tails is required. the challenges of deployment can be daunting. How can By deploying active electronics at the top of cell towers you best optimize your current infrastructure to protect it in the form of RRUs, one can meet network speed benchwhile upgrading to these new technologies? What is the marks by placing the RF portion of the radio close to the best method for adjusting existing tower components so antenna. you can deploy RRUs without overloading the tower?

The FTTA evolution is going to continue in the wireless The solution begins with the basics: your cabling sysindustry. Knowing how to do it right in terms of fiber and tem. It is the core component of your infrastructure. In a power cabling product selection and installation will be typical FTTA configuration, baseband units communicate critical. with RRUs via CPRI or OBSAI protocol over fiber-optic From a technical perspective, the good news is that wire, indeed, will continue to be needed for wireless infrastructure. The below piece was edited from an OSP Magazine article, The New Architecture for Wireless Networks, by Mike Guerin, vice president and general manager, HELIAX Products, CommScope.

JANUARY 2015 | 47

FEATURE

Wire still part of wireless story, but where and type is changing

FEATURE

Hotspots a hot topic (and search goal) for wireless faithful Hotspot deployment of wireless is a boon for users, whether at home or on the road.

Today, worldwide there is one Wi-Fi spot for every 150 people, and that number ... shock! ... is expected to increase to every 20 people in 2018.

A report from joint-venture Maravedis-Rethink, two wireless infrastructure analyst ďŹ rms, said that Wi-Fiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth is both fragmented and not across the board. One of the biggest drivers is from home internet providers offering a separate WiFi hotspot service through the home router so anyone with an account can access a separate network that is broadcasting from your home or business. As a result, there has been an 80% increase in worldwide hotspot availability in the

iPass Wi-Fi growth map as of November 2014.

48 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

• By 2018 there will be more than 340 million hotspots.

• Europe is the current continent leader of Wi-Fi, but by 2018 Asia will hold that title.

• Today, China has five times more commercial Wi-Fi hotspots than any other country.

• Community Wi-Fi has been driven by Europe and then North America, but Asia will catch up in 2018.

• 22.7 million Wi-Fi hotspots are enabled for roaming between different provider networks today; this number rises to 289.3 million in 2018.

• Wi-Fi is now available on 16% of planes and 3% of trains. Those numbers will climb to 60% and 11% by 2018.

• Half of all commercial hotspots are controlled by brands whose core business isn’t telecom.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen the emergence of the ‘Wi-Fi first’ generation. Wi-Fi has become

cool again; in fact it’s seen by most as an essential utility, just like water or electricity,” said Evan Kaplan, President and CEO of iPass. “Most of the devices we use are Wi-Fi only and even on the most advanced 4G handsets, 78% of data goes over Wi-Fi. Simply put, it’s the network of choice for consumers and soon they’ll be able to roam this alternative network of millions of hotspots. ... A messy and fragmented global Wi-Fi network is emerging; the challenge is that it needs to be easy for consumers to access and simple for providers to monetize. This is where we’ll see the platform players like Facebook and Google come to the party.”

“For many years, all the talk around mobility has been on 3G/4G and a handful of mobile operators,” said Peter White, Maravedis Rethink. “The fixed line operators with superfast broadband in the ground are converting residential customers to community hotspot providers at the rate of 1 per second. Our data shows that in the coming years it’s Wi-Fi that will steal the limelight as consumers thirst for data goes beyond anything that cellular can deliver, and as business owners see the value Wi-Fi brings to helping them differentiate and innovate.”

JANUARY 2015 | 49

FEATURE

last year alone. In North America, that increase looks more like 690%.

The report said that by the end of 2014, there would be 47.7 million public Wi-Fi hotspots deployed worldwide. Other Wi-Fi facts include:

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY Adapters help manufacturers use equipment to test LAN cables At IWCS, one of Swiss-based AESA Cortaillod’s featured products was the company’s new patchcord adapters for COBALT balunless automatic test equipment.

COBALT is AESA’s high precision balunless measurement system for LAN cables. Its unique single ended way of measuring makes full dynamic range available and works over the full frequency range (>4 GHz), avoiding additional losses due to balun. A high-tech switching with at least 2 million cycles secures stable, repeatable and high accurate measurements.

Easy to operate, our highly modular COBALT is now a wellknown partner for your LAN cable measurements.

AESA has added a technical innovation with a new recently developed feature: patchcord adapters that allow using the benefits of a balunless system combined with the ability of patchcord testing. Single ended and mixed mode parameters are accessible to deliver more information about the patchcord.

The new adapters use an easy interface and can be mounted or removed in few seconds from the COBALT cable interface. The measurement can be done automatically from both sides according customer specification or standard values. If requested many additional parameters can easily be taken into account as for example Insertion Loss, TCL or in pair skew.

As AESA is an ISO 17025 certified company, the highest accuracy can be expected also for patchcord testing.

Including de-embedding method allows removing the adapters mathematically and provides the opportunity to use any other connector if required.

Contact: Denis Milz, AESA Cortaillod, 41-32-841-51-77, dmilz@aesa-cortaillod.com, www.aesa-cortaillod.com.

Enhanced XLPE compound offers processing advantages Borealis and Borouge showed the industry how they are “Bringing Energy All Around” at IWCS. For nearly 50 years, Borealis has been a leading supplier of advanced energy and infrastructure plastics solutions for the pipe, wire and cable and capacitor film industries. Together with Borouge, its joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Borealis provides services and products to customers around the world.

50 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Recently, the companies announced a true step-change HVDC innovation based on the Borlink™ technology platform. This new grade, Borlink LS4258DCE, supported by a unique track record of 15 years of proven operational excellence and industry leadership in extruded HVDC materials, will support the further integration of renewable energies into the grid and the establishment of more interconnections among countries in major infrastructure projects around the world.

At IWCS, both companies highlighted their jacketing and communication insulation portfolio under the Borstar® brand umbrella. The unique Borstar technology supports several innovative polyethylene (PE) compound applications in communication cable jacketing, as well as very low shrinkage high density polyethylene compounds (HDPE) designed especially for fiber optic cables. Optimizing fiber optical cable manufacture was also the focus of a tech paper at IWCS presented by Borealis, Maillefer Extrusion Oy and Nonlinear Oy, entitled “Achieving ultra-high speeds of polypropylene buffering for stranded loose tubes using nonlinear modelling.”

Contact: Ted Gormanos, Borealis Compounds, Inc., tel.

908-303-7518, theodoregormanios@borealisgroup.com, www.borealisgroup.com.

New additions to FEP product lines offers multiple manufacturing solutions At IWCS, U.S.-based Cable Components Group (CCG) showcased three forms of its FluoroFoam® chemically foamable FEP compounds to sell to the marketplace.

The products include: a ready-to-use, fully-compounded product that has uniform pellets; a FluoroFoam masterbatch concentrate that customers can blend with their own FEP resins to achieve the exact foaming rate desired; and a newly introduced ready-to-use masterbatch blend where foamable concentrate is pre-blended with FEP resin in optimized proportions.

The masterbatch blend is an extremely economical alternative for plenum-rated Local Area Network and fire alarm cable applications. This let-down mix is typically designed for a 30% foam rate, but can be tailored to meet the specific

Software tool provides companies with remote capabilities to printers At IWCS 2014, Gem Gravure Co., Inc., introduced diamondJET, the latest software tool for the control of ink jet printers.

The diamondJET connect software answers the question: How do you talk to your ink jet printers? Many printer owners wish to operate their coders remotely. Operations become easier when a data base of messages can be sent from the engineering office, out to the shop floor with the click of a mouse. diamondJET connect, designed through a cooperation between Gem Gravure and Marken Manufacturing, makes this possible.

The program resides on a user’s computer, allowing the construction of messages using database programs

such as Access®, Excel® and SQL®. Messages are sent to printers on the shop floor along with all the commands needed to configure the print job. Job changes and data entry are simplified. Message errors are reduced. Printers can be monitored remotely, keeping the engineering and maintenance offices informed of conditions on the manufacturing line.

A single diamondJET connect license provides connections for to up to four printers. Additional software licenses can be used to increase the number of printers under control from a single computer. The system works with alphaJET® ink jet and other makes of CIJ ink jet.

Flexibility is built into the program. diamondJET connect can be tailored to wide range of customer requirements.

Contact: Gem Gravure Co., Inc., tel. 781-878-0456 or info@gemgravure.com.

Extruder head design combines PVC flexibility with nylon toughness U.S.-based Guill Tool & Engineering Co., Inc., a designer and builder of extrusion tooling, displayed the scope of its ability to offer customized extrusion technology at IWCS. At the event, Guill Tool provided attendees an example of just how specialized it can be. A leading manufacturer of commercial and residential wire required the flexible properties of PVC with the toughness of nylon for a wire-jacketing application.

Normally a two-step process, with the inner layer applied at one station and the outer layer applied at a second station, the desire was to apply the inner and outer layers in one operation. The solution was a coextruded jacket with an AB layer configuration that has of an inner layer of PVC and a relatively thin outer layer of nylon that would meet tight specs for layer thickness and concentricity. The customer wanted to be able to apply the jacket with pressure tooling or as a sleeving operation as well as to be able to use an adjustable- or fixed-center crosshead. The challenge for Guill Tool was to produce a single crosshead that could process the two polymers which had significantly different melt temperatures and still provide the flexibility, adjustability and precision tooling to meet these extremely tight specifications.

The Guill design team accomplished all those goals. The die assembly has been installed and started up for a North American manufacturer, and the concentricity (between 91 and 95%) and layer thickness are excellent. The AB product has been a huge success, and the customer was able to maintain a competitive advantage their target market. Let us help you achieve your success story.

Contact: Bill Conley, Guill Tool & Engineering Co., Inc., tel. 401-828-7600, sales@guill.com, www.guill.com.

JANUARY 2015 | 51

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

needs of the customer. All three FluoroFoam versions are RoHS compliant, feature small crush-resistant cells, enhanced fire and smoke properties and are completely recyclable.

Cable Components Group also recently introduced FluoroFoam® Lite Tones™, a new line of FEP-based color concentrates that are specifically formulated for optimum compatibility with the aforementioned three product forms. This new offering enables CCG to provide an allin-one, drop-in solution of FEP color concentrates. Initial colors offered include the standard LAN insulation colors of blue, green, orange and brown.

Contact: Cable Components Group, tel. 860-599-5877, customerservice@cablecomponents. com, www.cablecomponents.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Shaftless series of next-generation payoffs and take-ups showcased At IWCS, Huestis Industrial spread the good word about the company’s next generation of shaftless series payoffs and take-ups.

The processing equipment is both efficient and “Huestis rugged,” featuring a small footprint that allowing customers to install them in tight places where manufacturing space is at a premium. The equipment is capable of handling package sizes from a 16-in. unit up to a 36-in. reel as well as weights up to 2,500 pounds. The models are offered with multiple options and possibilities and tailored to a customer’s needs. Pneumatic, hydraulic and electric lift versions are available, allowing customers to define the solution that will work best for their manufacturing processes. A variety of drives and motors are offered as options.

The series was developed to address the needs of circuit sized production. Huestis has allowed the customer to have single or multiple units that can be dropped in place and meet a variety of conditions. The ability to handle a small reel all the way up to a full-size production reel gives the customer a machine that can do it all. They can be as simple or sophisticated as the customer requires.

The company’s engineering department is available to consult on the design of each payoff or take-up to suit, all backed by a sterling warranty and outstanding customer service that are the hallmark of Huestis.

Contact: Howard Fancher, Huestis Industrial, tel.

401-253-5500, ext. 102, hfancher@huestis.com, www. huestis.com.

Bedding compounds should be part of fire protection for cables Inhol and Melos introduced a new approach at IWCS in fire protection for cables that it believes offers superior protection as well as more flexibility in cable design.

52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The wire and cable industry refers to the Limiting Oxygen Index test (LOI) as a screening tool for materials intended not to support combustion. Applying Mecoline bedding compounds having LOI values up to 80 allows companies to create a protective fire barrier within the cable construction.

Fire prevention and health issues have become a main concern in the global cable industry, and increased use of LSFOH bedding compounds in cable constructions will result in a safer world. These halogen-free bedding compounds might offer an economic solution by acting as a fire fighter from the inside of the cable. The Mecoline bedding compounds can form a tough fire-resistant layer underneath the jacket and all around the cores simply because these multi-functional bedding compounds are offering a high LOI. If used in combination with halogen free- jacketing and insulation compounds, it will contribute to more safety and cost reduction for cables.

By using these bedding materials, it is even possible to use favorably priced non-flame retarding insulation materials, such as polyethylene, and still improve the total performance of a cable construction. In other words, bedding compounds should be considered a fundamental part of smart cable constructions. This approach may remove the barriers for the industry to go all along the safe halogen-free and low smoke way in cable design. As a result the toxicity of smoke will no longer be the highest concern, especially within enclosed spaces where means of escape by persons are limited.

Contact: Inhol, www.inhol.com, and Melos, www. melos.com.

Measuring equipment can provide manufacturers accuracy of +/- 0.05 µm One highlight at SIKORA’s booth was the FIBER Series 6000 that includes professional equipment for continuous online quality control of optical fibers in the drawing tower.

The FIBER LASER 6003 measures the diameter of uncoated and coated fibers. Depending on its point of installation, it provides information on the position, vibration frequency, tension and spinning. The measuring principle ensures an accuracy of ± 0.05 µm.

For the detection of airlines SIKORA offers the FIBER LASER 6003 AIRLINE. In addition, the gauge heads provide information on concentricity and temperature of the optical fiber. The newly developed FIBER LUMP 6003 MICRO detects lumps and neckdowns on the optical fiber surface to 100 %. This is the result of the integration of 6 measuring axes. Shadow areas are eliminated and even the smallest faults from 5 µm

Hal-free jacketing compounds provide exceptionally high flame retardance At IWCA, Teknor Apex Company highlighted a line of new halogen-free, flame-retardant jacketing compounds--for data center cables, control cables, energy cables and other demanding applications—that exhibit a higher level of flame retardance than other high-performance HFFR materials without compromising physical or electrical properties.

The Halguard® 58300 Series of HFFR compounds, with limiting oxygen indices in the 53-56% range, enable cables to pass the stringent UL1685 vertical tray test (CSA FT4 / IEEE 1202) and achieve a UL94 rating of V-0 with test specimens as thin as 1/40 in. (0.635 mm). The compounds provide this outstanding flame performance while exhibiting the same physical and electrical properties of other high-performance HFFR materials (see accompanying table). Available grades are in the 48-52 Shore D hardness range.

Teknor Apex recommends Halguard 58300 Series compounds for data centers and other applications

requiring exceptional flame retardance. One example is the extensive “server farms” operated by Internet companies. “We believe that Halguard 58300 Series compounds are the most flame-retardant HFFR products on the market,” said Mike Patel, director of marketing and business development for the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex. “While modifying HFFR compounds to enhance their flame performance often involves sacrificing other properties, Teknor Apex has developed formulating and compounding innovations that avoid this tradeoff.”

Contact: Mike Roberts, Teknor Apex, tel. 40-1-6423292, mroberts@teknorapex.com, www.teknorapex. com, http://www2.teknorapex.com/l/26112/2014-08-18/ cl8mr.

Buttwelder can strand copper conductors from AWG 28 to AWG 18 At IWCS, a buttwelder from Germany’s August Strecker GmbH was highlighted by the company’s U.S. colleagues at the WAFIOS Machinery Corp. booth.

Strecker’s electric strand buttwelder, type SE 1, has a working range for stranding copper conductors from AWG 28-18, which was designed to ensure continuous production and avoid down times in cable production.

For welding, two stranded conductor ends are inserted into a ceramic tube so the point of contact is in the middle. After the weld is made, the welded strand is unclamped and the tube is smashed. The welded joint is free of any burrs, clean, smooth and hardly bigger in cross-section than the original material.

Strecker provides competent advice for customers to help them select the right welding machine for nearly any application in the wire and cable industry, including custom solutions for special-case needs. The company also offers repair service and maintains a large supply of common replacement parts locally.

In light of growing demand and very positive feedback from customers in North America, a Midwest Technical Center is being opened in Chicago due in large part to the successful collaboration between Strecker and WMC. Here, interested customers will find an opportunity to view this SE 1 welder along with a host of Srecker welding machines to have welding tests performed using their own materials.

Contact: Brian Davi, WAFIOS Machinery Corp., tel.

203-871-2072, briand@wafios.us, www.wafios.us.

JANUARY 2015 | 53

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

height and 50 µm length are reliably detected.

Other technological highlights included the PURITY SCANNER, a unique system for online inspection and sorting of plastic pellets as they are used for the insulation of medium-, high- and extra-high voltage cables and the LASER Series 2000 for classic diameter measurement in 2 or 3 planes. SIKORA also showcased the CENTERVIEW 8000e, for online quality control of coaxial cables, LAN cables as well as automotive and installation cables and the LUMP 2000 that detects the smallest lumps and neckdowns on the product surface precisely and with high reliability at all common line speeds.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

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A

TECHNICAL PAPERS

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MEDA

Part 2: Properties of high carbon steel wires drawn at extremely slow speeds

ARD

The first part of this paper focused on different aspect of high-tensile strength wires and strain aging. This part focuses on other factors, including static strain aging characteristics of cold-drawn, spheroidized annealed high-carbon steel wire.

By Yoshiro Yamada

Effect of intermediate strain aging on final strain aging characteristics The 2.5 mm wire drawn at a speed of 300 m/min at the final die, of which the tensile properties are shown in Fig. 14, was then drawn to 2.21 mm (21.9 % reduction of area) at a speed of 0.05 m/min in one pass. Test pieces cut from this wire were then aged at different temperatures for 5 minutes each and then tensile tested at room temperature. The results15 are shown in Fig. 15. Due to the extremely slow speed (0.05 m/min) final drawing, the tensile strength and the 0.2 % proof stress decreased and the reduction of area at tensile fracture was slightly improved. During plastic deformation of the wire to 2.21 mm in the final die at a speed of 0.05 m/min, some dislocations which had been anchored by carbon atoms (Cottrell atmosphere) in the 2.5 mm wire are considered to have been unanchored15 from carbon atoms,

Fig. 15. Tensile properties of 2.21-mm wire after static strain aging.

54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

because the average velocity of dislocations during the deformation is higher than the diffusion velocity of carbon atoms at room temperature. These free dislocations unanchored from a Cottrell atmosphere can move at lower stress than dislocations anchored by carbon atoms, contributing to lower 0.2% proof and tensile strength of wire.

The 2.21 mm wire shows static strain age strengthening by aging at the first stage (Fig. 15). This strengthening is considered to occur because free carbon atoms unanchored from a Cottrell atmosphere during the final low speed drawing diffuse to free dislocations to form a Cottrell atmosphere again during first stage aging.

In order to investigate the effect of second stage static strain aging put in between prior drawing and final drawing on aging characteristics of finished drawn wire, 1.4 mm patented high-carbon steel wire (0.77C – 0.24Si – 0.69Mn – 0.05Al – 0.0040N, in mass pct) was cold drawn to 1.2 mm in two passes (reduction area: 26.5 %) each at a speed of 0.05 m/min, then aged at 220°C for 10 min. This was followed by drawing to 1.0 mm (Reduction of area: 30.6 %) in two passes each at a speed of 0.05 m/min. For reference, the remaining part of the same patented wire was also drawn with the same die schedule and speed as the above-mentioned wire to 1.0 mm without intermediate strain aging. In Fig. 16, tensile strength (U. T. S.) and 0.2% proof stress of these specimens as-drawn and after aging for 5 min are plotted. First stage strain age strengthening is clearly observed for the wire strain aged intermediately before final drawing, in contrast to the wire drawn without intermediate strain aging that shows no strengthening at the first stage aging. The wire drawn in final pass at a speed of 0.05 m/min after having applied intermediate strain aging at the third stage (an over-aging stage following the second stage) instead of the second stage, also shows first stage strain age strengthening characteristics15.

Moreover, when high carbon steel wire is drawn at final pass at a speed as low as 0.05 m/min after drawing at relatively high speed that caused dynamic strain aging occurrence

TECHNICAL PAPERS

diate strain aging at 220°C for 10 min

in deformation zone in a/plural die(s), the finished wire is considered to be strengthened by first stage static strain aging.

It is to be remarked that the repetition of (i) static strain aging at the second and/or third stage just after each die and/ or (ii) dynamic strain aging in deformation zone in each die during multi-pass drawing, promotes the decomposition of cementite lamellae. If all the cementite is thus decomposed, then only first stage static strain aging and/or dynamic strain aging is thought to occur at room temperature or higher.

Effect of wire diameter and other factors on temperature rise during drawing The temperature of drawn wire depends on: (1) the initial temperature of the wire and the die before drawing, (2) heat generation due to plastic deformation and redundant (shear) work in the wire during deformation in die, (3) heat generation by friction at the die/wire interface, (4) heat transfer between the deforming wire and the die at their interface, and (5) heat transfer between the deformed wire emerging from the die and surrounding environment.

According to A. Geleji23, temperature rise of steel wire in drawing consists of two factors T1 and T2: T1 is caused by both uniform deformation and redundant deformation in wire and T2 is wire surface temperature rise due to friction at the wire/die interface. The maximum wire temperature during deformation T is expressed as T=T0+T1+T2, where T0 is the wire temperature before entering the die: Eq. 1

Eq. 2 Surface friction layer thickness b is expressed as follows.

Eq. 3 Where f 1 and f 12: Cross sectional area of wire before and after die respectively, m2 A : Mechanical equivalent of heat, 427 kgfm/kcal (=4.19 J/cal)

kgf/mm2 (MPa)

T1 °C

150 (1471)

101

200 (1961)

135

250 (2452)

168

300 (2942)

202

Table 8. Relation between Kfm and T1 (R=0.2, µ=0.05 and α=0.1047 (=6°).

Fig. 16. Effect of static strain aging on tensile strength and 0.2% proof stress of wires drawn with and without intermediate strain aging at 220°C for 10 min. : Average deformation strength, kgf/m2 (Mean wire yield stress before and after die)

: Die half angle, µ : Friction coefficient between wire and die, : Density of wire, 7800 kg/m3, l : Wire/die contact length, m, : Specific heat of wire, 0.13 kcal/kg°C (=0.54kJ/kgK), v : Drawing speed, m/h, m : Ratio of friction heat stored in wire to total friction heat, λ : Thermal conductivity of wire, 40 kcal/mh°C (=46.5 W/mK) When ( f1 − f 2 ) f1 = R and f2 = ( /4) (d2)2, l is expressed as follows: , where R is reduction of area per pass and d2 is wire diameter exited from die (Bearing length of die is ignored here for simplification of calculation).

5.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

0.2

0.2

300

300

300

600

300

600

Surface friction layer thickness b mm

0.19

0.12

0.086

0.061

0.038

0.027

Surface friction layer thickness ratio 2b d 2

0.08

0.12

0.17

0.12

0.38

0.27

Wire dia. d2 mm Drawing speed

m/min

Surface friction area ratio 0.15 0.23 0.31 0.23 0.62 0.47 to total wire cross section Table 9. Surface friction layer thickness b, surface friction layer thickness ratio 2b/d2 and surface friction area ratio calculated (under a condition: R=0.2 and α =6°).

JANUARY 2015 | 55

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Replacing l with the right-hand side of the above formula, equations (1) to (3) are expressed as follows: Eq. 4

Wire surface temperature rise T2 calculated for some drawing conditions are shown in Table 10.

Next, in continuous multi-pass drawing, the volumetric rate of wire entering a die is approximately the same as that emerging from the die. That is, when the total pass number is n and volume of wire produced per unit time is V,

Eq. 5 Eq. 8

Surface friction layer thickness ratio defined by 2b/ d 2 is expressed as-follows:

Where v1 , Vi, vn are wire speed and d1, di and dn are diameter of wire passed the first, ith and final die, respectively.

Then, following Eqs. (9), (10) and (11) are obtained for wire surface temperature rise at the ith die T 2i , b and 2b / d i , respectively.

Eq. 7

Eq. 9

Eq. 6

From equations (4) to (7), it is known that T1 is independent of drawn wire diameter d2, T2 and b are proportional to square root of d2, 2b/d2 is inversely proportional to square root of d2, both T1 and T2 are proportional to , and b and 2b/d2 are independent of .

Some calculation results as for T1 is shown in Table 8 under the condition that reduction of area per pass R is 0.2, µ is 0.05 and α is 0.1047 (6°). The ratio of friction heat stored in wire to total friction heat: m is 0.8 to 0.9 for drawing speeds above 60 m/min23. In the special case of the drawing speed 0.05 m/min where m is considered to be apparently zero, T2 can be treated as zero.

In normal drawing operation, because T2 and b increase with the drawn wire diameter d2 according to equations (5) and (6), strain aging brittleness at wire surface is considered to progress further in larger diameter wire than smaller and thus gives a reason why DLTS of as-drawn high carbon steel wire, JIS G3522 and other wire specifications are inversely proportional to wire diameter.

Surface friction layer thickness b, surface friction layer thickness ratio 2b/d2 and the surface friction affected area ratio to total wire cross sectional area, calculated for several conditions are shown in Table 9. The area ratios for the 0.2-mm wire are calculated to be 0.47 and 0.62, suggesting an important role played by the friction affected area on wire temperature rise and tensile properties of small wires, such as 0.2 mm wire. T. Ohki et al concluded that cementite extracted from the outer part of cold drawn 0.2-mm, high-carbon steel wire was paramagnetic and the interior part of the wire was ordinary ferromagnetic cementite and that the amount of ferromagnetic cementite decreased with heavy deformation24. It could be possible that higher temperature at wire surface friction layer thickness b accelerated the transformation of ferromagnetic cementite to paramagnetic carbide than the lower temperature core portion of the same wire, although the drawing condition they applied was not described in their paper.

56 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Eq. 10

Eq. 11 From the Eq. (9), in continuous multi-pass drawing, wire surface temperature rise caused by friction heat is inversely proportional to the square root of the wire diameter. This means as the wire passes through a smaller diameter die, temperature rise at the wire surface becomes more significant, in contrast to Eq. (5) where wire volumetric rate usually increases with wire diameter.

In continuous wet drawing of small diameter high carbon steel wire such as steel tire cord filament, finished wire usually increases its tensile strength during storage. In such a case, first stage static strain aging is considered to progress during storage of the wire, because the cooling speed of the finished wire emerging from the final die is rapid enough for it not to be strain aged sufficiently during cooling due to its fine wire diameter, and because the wire suffered second or third stage static or dynamic strain aging during drawing before passing final die. The second or third stage static or dynamic strain aging described above is caused by high deformation strength Kfm of steel cord filament even before the final die and a higher friction coefficient µ compared with that of dry lubricant drawing (Friction coefficient µ is reported to ranges from 0.08 to 0.15 for wet drawing and 0.01 to 0.07 for dry drawing, by J.G. Wistreich25 ).

Strain aging of high-carbon steel wire with non-lamellar cementite particles

2.8 mm diameter high-carbon steel wire (Chemical composition: 0.80C – 0.22Si – 0.54Mn – 0.02P – 0.026S – 0.0024N in mass pct) was lead patented at 500°C. According to the as-patented microstructure, some undissolved cementite particles remained at the prior austenitization as indicated by arrows on a microscopic

5

2

0.2

v

300

300

300

200 (1961 MPa)

200 (1961 MPa)

200 (1961 MPa)

300 (2942 MPa)

0.02

0.05

0.02

0.05

0.05

0.09

0.05

0.09

m: 0.8

241

603

167

418

229

412

297

535

m: 0.9

271

678

188

470

258

464

334

602

m/min kgf/mm2

µ T2 °C

0.2 600

Table 10. Calculated friction affected wire surface temperature rise T2

Fig. 18. Tensile properties of as-drawn and then static strain aged wire. image in Fig. 17. The patented wire (Tensile strength: 1177 MPa) was drawn to 1.8 mm (Total reduction of area: 58.7%). Test pieces cut from this drawn wire were aged at different temperatures for 15 min each. Fig. 18 plots room temperature tensile strength and 0.2 % proof stress of specimens as-drawn and as-aged at different temperatures. It is found from this figure that tensile strength peaks appear at aging temperatures 200°C and 300°C respectively. The former peak is considered to be caused by the second stage aging of cold drawn lamellar pearlite structure. It was postulated that the latter peak was caused by the Cottrell atmosphere formation due to diffusion of carbon atoms supplied by partial decomposition of non-lamellar cementite particles (residual undissolved cementite after patenting).

In order to verify this postulation, high carbon steel wire (Chemical composition; 0.81C – 0.016Si – 0.005Mn – 0.002P – 0.006S – 0.0015N in mass pct) drawn to 1.4 mm diameter was annealed at 650°C for 10 min., followed by water cooling. The microstructure obtained by this heat treatment was the so-called spheroidal microstructure. The wire was then drawn to 1.0 mm (49.0% reduction of area) in four passes (1,4 – 1.3 – 1.2 – 1.1 – 1.0 in mm) all at a speed of 0.05 m/min. Test pieces cut from the drawn wire was then aged at different temperatures for 5 min (Fig. 19).

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d2 mm

Fig. 17. A replica electronmicroscopic image of as-patented steel wire.

Fig. 19. Tensile properties of wire spheroidal annealed, drawn and then static strain aged20.

The tensile strength peak at the temperature 120°C is considered to be due to the first stage aging. A relatively large portion of carbon atoms in solid solution in ferrite at the annealing temperature of 650°C (approximately 0.01 mass pct) is considered to remain as solid solution in ferrite after water cooling, mainly because the larger distance between neighboring cementite particles in spheroidal microstructure than in fine lamellar pearlite makes it difficult for carbon atoms to precipitate as cementite on the nearest cementite particle during water cooling from the annealing temperature. Another tensile strength peak after aging is observed at aging temperature 280°C or above. It is known that the peak aging temperature of tensile strength and that of electrical resistivity coincide at second stage aging for drawn lamellar pearlite structure steel wire16. According to the measured electrical resistivity change with aging temperature for the drawn spheroidal structure wire, the peak temperature of electrical resistivity was found to be at 280°C20. This peak is concluded to have been caused by the Cottrell atmosphere formation by diffusion of carbon atoms supplied by partial decomposition of cementite particles.

The reason why second stage aging peak temperature in spheroidal microstructure is higher than that in lamellar pearlite structure steel is considered to be as follows: Globular cementite particles do not deform plas-

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

tically (Fig. 20), but some of them fracture in brittle mode leaving micro-voids as was reported by Keh26 and Gurland27.

Fine lamellar cementite lamellae deform plastically in cold working, resulting in high dislocation density in it28,29 and increased cementite/ ferrite interface area.

Fig. 20. A replica electronIt is considered that microscopic image of cold heavily deformed drawn (45% reduction of area) cementite lamellae in high carbon steel wire with drawn lamellar pearlspheroidal cementite particles. ite steel wire being in a more unstable state due to increased internal defects than non-deformed spheroidized cementite particles, tend to dissolve at a lower aging temperature than spheroidal cementite particles, in order to recover from the high energy state in deformed cementite lamellae. The concept that the dramatic increase in ferrite/cementite interface area by severe deformation is a reason for cementite decomposition, proposed by X. Sauvage et al30, seems not to be a prerequisite for cementite dissolution in strongly deformed high carbon steel wire.

Conclusions Properties of cold drawn high carbon steel wires were investigated and the following conclusions were obtained.

By multi-pass drawing at each pass speed of 0.05 m/min, high carbon steel wires with 200 to 450 MPa higher tensile strength than specified in JIS piano wire G3522 were obtained with sufficient torsion fracture characteristics or reduction of area at tensile fracture of 40 % or above.

In continuous multi-pass dry drawing of high carbon steel wires with 1.2 pct silicon, 300 MPa higher tensile strength than specified in the JIS specification were obtained exclusively when the Kobe direct water cooling apparatuses were operated.

Static strain age strengthening of high carbon steel wire drawn at a speed of 0.05 m/min at every pass progresses in two stages. The first stage aging occurs below about 150째C, which has little effect on wire properties. The second stage aging occurs below 200 to 220째C following the first stage with significant adverse effects on wire ductility.

The third stage is the over-aging stage following the second stage, in which tensile strength decreases.

Strengthening of wire by first stage static strain aging occurs prominently when the wire has suffered second or third stage aging prior to final die drawing.

58 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

One reason why fine high carbon steel wires normally tend to be strengthened gradually during storage is considered as to be as follows: Although an increase in the number of dies a wire passes through causes the maximum wire temperature at die exit to rise, thus causing second stage aging at certain middle passes, at the later passes of continuous drawing, the wire is cooled more rapidly owing to its smaller diameter, thus strain aging at the first stage is considered to progress during storage at room temperature after cooling.

High carbon steel wire which suffered dynamic strain aging due to cementite dissolution in drawing is considered to show first stage static strain aging after the later die drawing.

Based on equations by A. Geleji23, wire temperature rise during deformation in die was analyzed as follows: (A) Wire surface temperature rise due to friction and the friction affected zone depth from the surface were found to be proportional to the square root of drawn wire diameter, when drawing speed, reduction per pass, friction coefficient and flow stress of wire are constant.

(B) The friction affected wire surface layer thickness ratio to wire radius is inversely proportional to the square root of the drawn wire diameter. This means the wire tensile properties are affected more by surface friction layer properties as the wire diameter is decreased.

(C) In continuous multi-pass drawing operation, wire surface temperature rise is inversely proportional to the wire diameter.

Cold drawn spheroidized annealed high carbon steel wire showed first and second stage strain age strengthening below about 150째C and at 280째C.

Acknowledgment The author expresses his thanks to Dr. T. Fujita, Mr. T. Morita, the late Messrs. T. Yamada, T. Yokoyama and Dr. A. Mizuta and Dr. K. Takatsuka (now, Professor at Fukui Instite of Technology) Central Research Laboratory, Dr. H. Kawakami, Messrs. Y. Kawaguchi, K. Katsube and others, Wire Rod and Bar Development Department, Kobe Steel Ltd, and Dr. Y. Yamaoka, late H. Tsubono, Mr. T. Wakamiya and other members, Shinko Wire Co. Ltd. for their advice, numerical calculations, experimental work and/or assistance (The belongings are at the time of research conducted). The English language proof reading

by John Dean, International Communication Program, Kobe Steel Ltd. is also gratefully acknowledged.

References 1. Ferrous Wire, Vol. 1, 1989, Wire Association International, p. 270 and p. 322.

2. Y. Nakamura, T. Fujita, H. Kawakami and Y. Yamada, WJI, July 1976, p. 59, and Dec. 1976, p.76.

3. Ferrous Wire, Vol. 1, 1989, Wire Association International p. 297.

29. A. Inoue, T. Ogura and K. Masumoto, “Bulletin of Japan Inst. of Metals,” 13, 1974, p. 653, in Japanese.

30. X. Sauvage, J. Copreaux, F. Danoix and D. Blavette, Philosophical Magazine A, Vol. 80, 2000, No. 4, pp. 781796.

Yoshiro Yamada is a principal of a Japanese PE-Office, Yamada Research & Consulting, an adjunct professor at the graduate school, Kansai University, and an honorary member of the Japan Society of Spring Engineers. He holds bachelor, master and doctor degrees in metallurgy, all from Osaka Univ. In 1966, he joined Kobe Steel Ltd., and over 26 years researched and developed wire rod and related technologies as a researcher, a section manager and a general manager at its Central Research Lab. and Wire Rod and Bar development Department. He worked at Suncall Corp. from 1993 to 2002 as a director and as a technical adviser, focusing on spring wires and springs. He was a lecturer at Setsunan University from 2006 to 2012. This paper, which was presented at WAI’s 83rd Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, May 2013, won the Association’s Allan B. Dove Award for best ferrous paper, his third win (1985 and 1991), following an honorable mention (1976).

Yoshiro Yamada accepts his award at Wire Expo 2014.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

4. T. Fujita, Y. Yamada and H. Kawakami. “R&D Kobe Steel Engineering, Report 23, 1973, No. 3, p. 44 (in Japanese).

5. W. Lueg and K.H. Treptow, Stahl und Eisen 77, 1957, p. 859.

6. Y. Yamada, T. Yamada, T. Fujita and S. Kinoshita, “Tetsu to Hagane,” 61 1975, No. 4, S261 (in Japanese).

7. T. Takahashi, M. Nagumo and Y. Asano, WJI, November 1980, p.78.

8. N. Yamakoshi, Y. Nakamura and T. Kaneda, R&D Kobe Steel Engineering, Report 23, 1973, No. 3, p. 20 (in Japanese).

9. T. Fujiwara, Y. Yamaoka, K. Hamada, Y. Yamada and Y. Kawaguchi, “Method of producing high strength wire, Japanese patent application,” No. 1984-196147, September 19, 1984.

10. Y. Kawabata, H. Tsubono, Y. Yamaoka, K. Hamada, Y. Kawaguchi and H. Takahashi, “Tetsu to Hagane,” 71, 1985, No. 13, S1524, (in Japanese).

11. Y. Yamaoka, K. Hamada, H. Tsubono, H. Kawakami, Y. Oki and Y. Kawaguchi, Transactions ISIJ, 26, 1986, pp.

1059-1064.

12. H. Kawakami, Dr. thesis, 1988, p.161 (in Japanese).

13. A. Bell, S. Hobson, J. Wilkinson, C. O’Connor and S. Sefton, WJI, May 2008, pp. 78-88.

14. R.E. Pennington, W. Van Raemdonck, D.K. Matlock and G. Krauss, WJI, Sept. 2011, pp. 60-69.

15. Y. Yamada, “Tetsu to Hagane,” 1975, No. 1, p. 121, (in Japanese), 16. Y. Yamada. “Transactions ISIJ,” 16, 1976, p. 417.

17. A.H. Cottrell, “Dislocations and Plastic Flow in Crystals,” Oxford University Press, 1953, p. 134.

18. C.E. Hincliffe and G.D.W. Smith, “Materials Science and Technology,” 17, 2001, p.148.

19. D.V. Wilson, Acta Metallurgica, June 1957, p. 293.

20. Y. Yamada, “Tetsu to Hagane,” 60, 1974, p. 1624, (in Japanese).

21. Y. Yamada, “3rd International Conference on Drawing,” Ostrava Czekoslovakia, Sept. 1977.

22. M. Sudo and Y. Yutori, “Tetsu to Hagane,” 57, 1971, S121, in Japanese.

23. A. Geleji, “Bildsame Formung der Metalle in Rechnung und Versuche,” 1961, Berlin Akademie Verlag, Translated

by Isao Gokyu, et. al, into Japanese, Corona Publishing.

Co., Tokyo.

24. T. Ohki, H. Yaguchi, K. Maki, T. Minamida, N. Ibaraki and S. Nasu, “Hyperfine Interactions,” 112, 1996, p. 147.

25. J.G. Wistreich, “Metallurgical Reviews,” 3, 1958, No. 10, pp. 97-142.

26. A.S. Keh, “Acta Met.,” 11, 1963, p. 1101.

27. J. Gurland, “Acta Met.,” 20, 1972, p. 735.

28. G. Langford, “Metallurgical Trans. A,,” 8A, 1977, p. 861.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPERS Modernization opportunities for today’s aluminum mills With nearly half of aluminum mills today more than 20-years old and many challenges related to opening new mills, this paper outlines multiple incremental improvements that can be made that deliver significant savings.

By David Gow

In its earliest days, aluminum was considered a precious metal, measured in ounces, not tons1. Through the 19th century, there were few uses imagined for it beyond jewelry and fancy goods. Extracting it from alumina or bauxite through an electrolytic process created more aluminum, but few markets. Once the aviation industry discovered the application of this lightweight, flexible yet durable metal, however, it gained commercial value as the “metal of modernity.”

Demand soared. From aluminum foil to B-52s, this previously misunderstood metal was valued around the world.

When markets first wanted flat rolled aluminum, companies such as Reynolds and Alcoa responded with flat-roll mills that developed closer tolerances and higher speeds from the 1930s to the 1950s. With the additional property of good electrical conductivity, demand for aluminum rods grew over time, as the wire drawn from them would supply cable manufacturers expected to supply the pathways of electrical power transmission over long distances.

In 1964, Southwire partnered with Morgan Construction Company—a long-standing designer and manufacturer of long rolling equipment for the steel industry—to supply rolling mills for its copper and aluminum continuous casting systems. A successful relationship between Southwire and what is now Siemens VAI Metals Technologies continues to this day. Together they have built and installed more than 100 copper and aluminum rod mills and completed close to 30 mill upgrades. Southwire remains unique among equipment suppliers in that it operates its own rod mills, for both aluminum (three) and copper (one).

The initial SCR® (Southwire Continuous Rod) system for aluminum, launched in 1969, was a two-roll arrangement that produced rods with a more homogeneous and refined grain structure. The system incorporated a standard Morgan No-Twist® Mill, which offered an eight- to 13-stand horizontal/vertical roll configuration, a constant pass line, a simple roll parting adjustment system for precise alignment of mill rolls, a cobble detection system and oil film bearings to accommodate greater rolling pressures, higher speeds, closer finished rod tolerances and longer bearing life. All were on a mill train with tied-drive system through a single 60 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

motor and bevel gear arrangement housings. Southwire installed the system in its rod and cable mill plant in Hawesville, Kentucky.2 This system was capable of producing multiple sizes and varying grades of aluminum rod to meet changing market demands. Each stand initially had a manually adjusted roll parting mechanism to produce products of different sizes, generally ranging from 9.5 mm to 25 mm in diameter, but not limited to this size range. In addition, its design allowed for increased production rates with the addition of a bigger casting wheel and one or more roughing stands to expand system capacity.

The rolling system has undergone a number of changes over the years as available technology evolved. The first aluminum systems rolled electrical conductor (EC) grade aluminum rod. New electrical and mechanical alloys required more robust equipment to handle the extra rolling load and torque. In the 1980s, gear boxes were standardized. Commercial off-the-shelf gear boxes proved easier to install and became less expensive. The stands, however, continued to be tied into the mill train.

Since 2003, the introduction of individually driven stands has resulted in more cost-effective equipment designs and brought far more flexibility to the SCR systems. This modular design also allows for quick installation, as well as future upgrades. Mill owners can increase tonnage and the rolling rate by modernizing the roughing mill with bigger motors and gear boxes and a larger cast bar. Southwire’s facility in Hawesville offers examples of aluminum mill upgrades. Its No. 1 mill started up in 1969, rolling a 5.33-sq.-in. cast bar down to 3/8 in. rod (9.5 mm) at eight metric tons per hour (mtph) with 12 stands. However, after undergoing several mill upgrades, this 47-year-old mill now rolls a nine-sq.-in. bar down to 9.5 mm on 13 stands at 13 mthp. The increased separating forces required to roll the larger sections exceeded the theoretical hydrodynamic bearing limits, proving that the stand capacities were much greater than originally calculated using the engineering analysis tools available at the time. This was a noteworthy discovery as it would allow many installed mills to increase tonnage rates without

Incremental improvements deliver savings Given the development of new technologies now available for older, installed mills, there are a number of creative solutions to modernize them and revitalize production for new markets. These upgrades can improve safety, reduce maintenance costs, reduce product defects, and improve mill reliability and utilization, thus increasing the mill’s production rate. Their installation also minimizes downtime.

Entry shears Many early-generation, low-tonnage aluminum mills were supplied without a fully automated entry shear. Adding an automatic entry shear (see Fig. 1) provides customers with a means to continuously crop the cast bar at start-up until metallurgical properties are suitable for rolling. The cropped bars are removed via a crop bar handling system where they are collected for future re-melting. The automatic entry shear also prevents interruptions in the casting operation when unexpected cobbles occur in the rolling mill or coiler area. These shears greatly reduce the need for manual

Fig. 1. Automatic entry shear with crop discharge table and scrap chute.

hydraulic cutters, which improves operator safety, allows the operator increased time to clear troublesome cobbles in the rolling mill, and protects the rolling mill from possible damage by preventing additional material from entering the mill. These shears include a proprietary knife blade design that shapes the front end of the bar for more consistent and reliable thread-up and comes in various widths to suit the client’s cast bar requirements. The small investment and flexible design accommodates customer requirements both for present needs and for future demands.

Intermediate shears On larger aluminum mill systems with four to five roughing mill stands and an eight-stand finishing mill, it is generally advantageous to add an intermediate shear (No. 2 shear). The rolled bar may begin to exhibit some front end splitting, making the entry of the bar into the finishing mill stands prone to misfeeds, cobbles and possible rolledin defects. Adding an intermediate shear allows customers to crop the splintered front end and provide a more shaped section, which helps the advancing bar to thread more easily into the finishing mill.

The shear minimizes yield loss and can be designed to cut varying grades, sizes, and temperatures of products. Also, in the event of cobbles in the finishing mill, the No. 2 shear allows the roughing mill to continue to operate so the remaining process material can be cleared. The shear reduces cobble clearance time and increases operator safety as it eliminates any manual intervention when threading the head end through the mill or when cobbles occur in the finishing mill.

Modular solutions are available whereby shear, reducer, and motor can be mounted, aligned, and coupled on a common sole plate to allow for a one-piece installation, minimizing the downtime required for the upgrade. Fig. 2 provides an example of a modular solution designed for a customer in France that decided to replace their 35-year-old hydraulic linear shear with a 4-blade rotary shear. The new shear fits into an existing space and has improved factory safety by eliminating manual intervention, reduced crop lengths by 50%, and allowed cutting of new material grades at colder temperatures and higher tonnage rates.

Fig. 2. Modular intermediate shear solution.

Fig. 3. Diagram of multi-pass rolls to increase roll utilization.

JANUARY 2015 | 61

TECHNICAL PAPERS

significant investment. It also allowed SCR to minimize the number of stands required in the design of new systems.

A similar situation exists on their No. 2 mill, which was sold by Morgan Construction to Reynolds Metals in 1966, before it was purchased by Southwire and relocated to their Hawesville facility in 1969. This 14-stand mill was originally designed to roll five-sq.-in.-sq. aluminum billets, but after system upgrades by Southwire it now rolls a 10.6-sq.in. continuous cast bar at 14 mthp.

In addition to upgrading continuous cast rolling systems supplied in partnership with Southwire, Siemens VAI Metals Technologies also offers solutions for customers that roll product on conventional billet mills and want to increase production rates, roll different grades of material, or improve finish product sizing. There are numerous ways to achieve this, but each situation is unique and requires an intensive engineering review with the customer of existing motors, reducers, rolling stand capacities, and lubrications systems to determine the best path in achieving future production goals.

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 4. Mechanical puller with hydraulic reaction arm.

Fig. 5. Roughing mill roll manipulator.

Rolling stand improvements Some of the modernization options available today include an upgrade to multi-pass mill rolls, which allow customers to maximize mill roll utilization and minimize mill roll investment. A simple change of flinger arrangement and spacers allows customers to move from a used roll groove to a fresh groove. Once grooves are worn they can easily be turned down multiple times until they reach the minimum diameter. It is estimated that four roll turn downs are possible. Based on three grooves per roll (see Fig. 3) on the last finishing stand, a groove life of 5,000 to 8,000 metric tons and four roll turndowns before reaching minimum roll diameter, mill rolls are estimated to last from 60,000 to 96,000 metric tons.

Older-generation mills have used crude practices to install and remove mills rolls with hammers, slug wrenches and torches. These mounting and removal methods, not condoned by Siemens, are imprecise and often inconvenient for the operator, and can potentially lead to equipment damage.

On today’s modern mills, it is standard practice to provide hydraulic roll mounting and removal tools, which allow customers to safely and quickly install rolls with the correct amount of pressure, optimizing the wedge effect between the roll pinion, taper sleeve and roll to allow the maximum rolling torque transmission. With a small investment in a hydraulic reaction arm and a specially designed mechanical tool (see Fig. 4), existing mills can now experience the same benefits as the newer installations.

Special ergonomic roll handling tools (see Fig. 5) have been developed to help clients avoid injury when transferring and manipulating large rolls from the mill roll storage area to the rolling stands for installation. These inexpensive tools allow customers to manipulate the mill rolls into position for safe and easy installation on either horizontal or vertical stands.

TM QuickCool Roll Cooling Headers (see Fig. 6) have been the standard on Morgan No-Twist® steel rod mills for more than a decade and have recently been designed for use on non-ferrous mills. Rather than flooding the mill roll area with coolant, the QuickCool header design optimizes coolant use by strategically placing the flow directly on the 62 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fig. 6. QuickCool water headers.

face and groove of the mill roll where it can most effectively dissipate heat. Additionally, the lead orifices are designed to provide coolant at the precise location where the bar exits the stands, where the roll is at its highest temperature. The tangential design of the lead orifice is intended to improve oxide stripping.

Coiler systems Over the years, there have been a number of developments in the process of handling the finished rod and forming it into coils for subsequent feeding into wire drawing machines. Depending on the customer’s budget and product handling requirements, some of the available equipment used for coiling are as follows: Pipe Type Coiler. This simple model, referred to as an “elephant trunk” coiler, is a very economical solution for systems producing less than 5 mtph. It consists of a delivery pipe, bent to allow passage of the rod, and a raising and lowering mechanism which monitors the loop diameter.

When coiling into a basket, this coiler defines or restrains only the outside diameter, and when coiling on a stem pack, it defines just the inside diameter.

Fixed laying head coiler. This model has a pipe support with a special rotating pipe that is bent to a specific curvature to allow smooth passage of the rod. By oscillating the speed of the laying pipe rotation, ring diameters can be varied to allow production of densely laid coils.

Orbital/vertical laying head coiler. This constant-speed coiler includes a pipe bent to a carefully configured shape to optimize the pipe life and allow smooth passage of the rod. It includes a revolving, motor-driven ring distributor on which rod loops of constant ring diameter are deflected against a free rotating inner drum to form coils with an orbital pattern. Orbital coils are preferred by many customers due to their payoff characteristics.

Dual reel coiler Considered the standard for coiling rod on aluminum rolling mills, this technology produces coils with several pieces of equipment, which form what is generally referred

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 7. In-line up/down coiler arrangement.

Fig. 8. Side-by-side coiler arrangement.

to as the dual-reel coiler arrangement. A short explanation of the function of each piece of equipment and the modernization opportunities that exist are provided as follows: Divide shear. Located at the end of the quench line, the divide shear is used in conjunction with a rod diverter, which repositions the rod into the path of the divide shear blades to divide the continuous rod, making a new front end for transfer of the product from one coiler to the other.

Recent developments include replacement of the belt and pulley system with a direct motor to shear drive arrangement and a servo motor-driven diverter for faster response time and more precise control of the rod.

Chopping Shear. Found after the divide shear, the chopping shear is used when cobbles occur downstream of the divide shear. In the event of a cobble, the stock is switched to the chopping shear until the cobble can be evacuated and coiling can resume. The latest developments include a motor directly coupled to shear arrangement and an improved six-blade design to allow smaller, more manageable scrap chops.

De-energizing cyclone. Downstream of the chop shear, the de-energizing cyclone decelerates scraps by delivering rod to a cyclonic tub, which removes the energy from the rod before safely depositing it into scrap buckets located at mill floor elevation for easy removal and future re-melting.

As a scrap bucket is filled to capacity, a switch mechanism allows rod to be deposited into an empty scrap bin. This equipment has always been supplied by Siemens but on some early-generation mills supplied by others, this equipment was not provided and scrap spears were allowed to collect on mill floor, creating an unsafe working condition.

Rod-catcher arm. This unit is located on the coiler near the fixed flange to assist threading the rod onto the coiler mandrel reel. A precision rollerized guiding system, the catcher arm directs the rod into a groove between the fixed flange and the coiler mandrel. The catcher arm forces the rod into the catcher as the coiler rotates, which binds the rod around the mandrel like a capstan after the formation of two or three wraps.

Fleeter traverse system. This system traverses the rod across the face of the coiler mandrel to form tightly

compacted layers of rod. The fleeter is integrated into the rolling mill controls to allow automatic speed adjustment based on product size and finishing speed and uses a robust ball screw design driven by a servo motor to provide better accuracy and repeatability of coil lay.

Coilers. Coilers used in dual reel coiler arrangements were once big, expensive pieces of equipment, driven by large bevel gear drives. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more effective solution is a belt-driven dual reel coiler, a spooling system that produces high quality, dense, level-wound coils. The flexible design allows for both in line â&#x20AC;&#x153;up and downâ&#x20AC;? (see Fig. 7) and side-by-side arrangements (see Fig. 8). This system catches and spools rod coming from the continuous cast rolling line. When one reel is full or reaches the desired weight, the system makes a divide cut and automatically switches rod over to another reel without lowering exit speeds. The dense coils fit more compactly in shipping containers for product intended for resale. Coilers today can be designed to produce coils of varying inner and outer diameters and weights to support ever-changing market demands. The coiler comes equipped with either a manual or powered fixed swivel removable flange design, which eliminates the need for jib cranes, resulting in a faster and more streamlined coil removal process. The drive system can be customized to allow coiling of different finish product sizes, grades of aluminum, and tonnage rates.

Auto strapping. Such systems are designed for four-way strapping (see Fig. 9) for more security during long-haul transportation. Coil strapping occurs while a coil is still on the mandrel and is normally accomplished by an operator manually feeding strap through a fixed strap guide system recessed into the removable and fixed flange of the coiler.

However, an alternative to the manual method is to add an automatic strapping system, which reduces manpower requirements and supports the faster banding and coil removal times required on higher tonnage mills.

Automatic coil unloader. Depending on the customer budget, coils can be removed manually by insertion of a C-hook into the coiler mandrel or via an automatic unloading system. The automatic unloading system (see Fig. 10) is the preferred method as it reduces manpower and speeds up JANUARY 2015 | 63

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 9. Coil with 4-way strapping.

Fig. 10. Automatic unloading.

the coil removal process. The unloader system is supplied with a cart located under the coiler which lifts the coil off the collapsed mandrel and traverses offline. Based on a rolling mill’s requirements, the system can be equipped with additional features such as automatic coil roll off, palletizing, down-ending, shrink wrap and coil tagging.

Control systems. All systems within the dual reel coiler arrangement are designed with electrical or pneumatic controls to prevent environmental and safety issues caused by leaky, aging and poorly maintained hydraulic systems.

Replacing hydraulic controls also prevents the possibility of hydraulic oil leaks onto the finished coil which can lead to quality rejection claims from the customer. Besides the benefit of being cleaner, electrical systems are more precise and can be supplied with diagnostic systems to help troubleshoot when problems occur.

Case studies Low-tonnage mill. Two-thirds of existing aluminum rolling mills’ demand is for low or medium tonnage systems that produce one to eight metric tons per hour. An example of this type of mill is in Oman (see Fig. 11), where Southwire built a continuous cast aluminum mill for a customer in 2009, to produce EC and 6201 aluminum alloys at a tonnage rate of eight mthp. This mill consisted of a 20-in. entry shear, three 325-mm independently driven roughing stands, seven 205-mm independently driven finishing mill stands, and a complete dual-reel coiler arrangement.

High-tonnage mill. Such a mill was ordered by a copper producer in Jiangsu Province, China, that wanted to expand into the aluminum power conductor market.

Beauty Sun Holdings Ltd., part of the Heaven and Earth Dragon Group, contracted with Southwire to build a high tonnage continuous rod system that would roll 15 mtph of aluminum rods. Southwire turned to Siemens VAI Metals Technologies for the engineering, manufacturing and commissioning of the rolling mill and coiler equipment now in operation. The mill produces rods that are 9.5 mm, 12 mm and 15 mm in diameter. It has 11 stands, an entry shear and table, and a dual reel coiler (see Fig. 12).

New systems, new approaches. Any modernization project will involve some downtime. But there are new approaches to minimize that non-productive period. Doing as much work in advance to install a new system has proven to generate significant time savings. One modular mill configuration has been tested successfully with the motor and gear box mounted on a common sole plate, leveled, aligned and coupled in the Siemens manufacturing shop, ready for rapid installation at the customer site. Using this revised supply model, the installation and commissioning can be completed on an accelerated schedule.

Considering the age of certain systems still in operation and their high maintenance costs to keep them running, this faster installation model is particularly appealing. Facing more and more competition, rod mill owners cannot shut down their mill for extended periods to make major upgrades

Fig. 12. Beauty Sun’s 11-stand 15 Mtph aluminum rod mill installation.

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Fig. 11. Oman mill construction.

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 13. Chain-driven mill prior to replacement.

Fig. 15. Modular equipment during and after installation.

Fig. 14. Modular mill prior to shipment.

and continue to serve their loyal customer base. Mills need creative “plug-and-play” solutions that minimize the impact on their business, and these innovative, factory-built modular rolling mills respond to this requirement.

One example of this concept’s application was done for a customer in Malaysia with an 11-stand chain-driven mill (see Fig. 13). This mill had operated successfully for more than four decades, but the chain drive developed problems more frequently. Rather than continuing to patch the system, the customer selected the SCR modular solution.

The replacement modular mill reduced the number of stands to 10 yet maintained the same production rate.

The modular mill as it left the factory (see Fig. 14) was equipped with all the latest features, including heavyduty universal roll housings, hydraulic roll mounting and removal for fast roll changes on the finishing mill. It features quick cool spray headers for efficient roll cooling, an integrated cobble-detection system, stainless guiding equipment for precise alignment of the product to the mill rolls, individually driven roll stands, multi-pass mill rolls to maximize roll life and minimize roll inventory, and built-in lubrication and soluble oil supply headers. It is estimated that this modular system (see Fig. 15) reduced the installation time of the equipment by 30 to 35%. The mill also saw an 8.7% increase in productivity.

Summary A number of ways have been shown to extend mill life and improve reliability for the world’s base of aging

installed aluminum mills. New technologies—particularly pneumatic and electrical controls, as well as innovative equipment designs and dual reel coiler—offer incremental improvements that generate savings through increased production and reduced maintenance requirements.

References 1. R. Friedel, “A Culture of Improvement: Technology and the Western Millennium, Cambridge,” MIT Press, 2007, pp. 361-362.

2. Y.B. Bonnamour, “The Southwire Aluminum SCR System,” International Seminar on the Continuous Casting of Aluminum, Kansas City, Missouri, Oct. 1, 1975, pp. 1, 4-5, 11.

David Gow is Non-ferrous Long Rolling Business Manager for Siemens VAI in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has worked there for more than 20 years, with previous positions in ferrous project management and aftermarket service management. He holds a BBA degree from the Isenberg Gow School of Business, University of Massachusetts, as well as an MBA in management from Nichols College. This paper was presented at WAI’s 83rd Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 2013.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER Scrap refining for the copper rod production - Maerz Direct-to-Wire® Using scrap suitable for fire-refined copper products offers much potential to to improve the situation under economic aspects.

By Timm Lux and Bernhard Hanusch

Maerz Direct-to-Wire® (DTW) technology was designed to minimize the production costs of FRHC copper. Fig. 1 shows the traditional way of scrap recycling. Only scrap with no need for raffination could be used directly for copper products as scrap with contaminates has to be processed via cost and energy-intensive tank house operations.

The DTW technology presents a wide range of furnace concepts for processing different copper scraps directly into copper products. Depending on the customer’s needs different kind of furnaces can be offered. The production volume can be realized between 20 and 800 t/d. DTW can be installed as a stand-alone production line or combined with existing furnaces and casting shops. Depending on the input material composition, the raffination extent and the product quality the refined melt can be used directly (in-line) or via a second melting stage (off-line). See Fig. 2. An offline solution, which typically uses ingot cast-

ers or even anode casting wheels to form an intermediate product, offers big flexibility as it allows an easy mixing of the FRHC copper and cathode copper for blending. The additional costs for this scenario for melting in the shaft furnace should be compared to the lower shaft furnace efficiency, when running the shaft furnace with reduced capacity using and inline concept. Typical furnace concepts are2: hearth-shaft furnace with combined refining furnaces (furnace system for the production of FRHC copper in a large and efficient scale); elliptical furnace (new furnace type developed and patented for smaller capacities offering high efficiency and low investment costs for melting, refining and casting of up to 60 t of FRHC copper per day); Top Blown Rotating Refiner–TBRR (modified Maerz TBRC) for refining application, featuring a very high melting efficiency due to oxygen technology and the rotating vessel, up to three batches per day can be pro-

Fig. 1. Conventional production from Cu-scrap to Cu-product.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 2. Maertz DTW® - furnace concepts. duced, needs to be combined with a separate furnace for casting); and a tilting furnace (Maerz standard furnace for melting refining and casting of different amounts of copper scrap. Continuously improved to archive good energy efficiencies and high flexibility).

FRHC copper rod has become in some fields of application a growing alternative to ETP copper rod. In contrast to ETP, the FRHC copper cable scrap cannot be charged to the ETP producing cathode shaft furnace in large amounts.

Furthermore, it is difficult to differentiate both types of scrap in advance. Therefore, also companies traditionally focusing

Fig. 3. Relation between scrap quality and production costs1.

on ETP copper rod consider entering the FRHC copper rod market.

The DTW technology is based on Andritz Maerz’s 100 years of experience in furnace building and knowledge in copper metallurgy. Technological innovations, such as purging systems, high-pressure refining systems and special refining additives are used together to achieve an optimum refining result with a minimum of production costs.

Depending on the scrap quality a different refining approach is chosen, while scrap of good quality can be refined in a single refining stage using only silica, limestone or iron to build the right slag. Lower scrap qualities may require a multi stage refining using further additives to remove undesired impurities. For an economic production of FRHC copper the right balance between cheap low quality copper scrap on the one side, and rising production costs on the other side has to be found (Fig. 31).

According to the individual requirements of the customer the FRHC copper can be produced with different furnace concepts used for melting, refining and casting. Generally, the following furnace set ups are recommended for different production volumes: • 20 – 60 t per day with a Maerz elliptical furnace for melting, refining and casting, expandable by a second furnace for minimum investment.

• 60 – 450 t per day with a flexible Maerz tilting furnace for melting, refining and casting, also expandable by a second furnace.

• 240 – 800 t per day with a high-efficiency Maerz hearth shaft furnace for melting in combination with two Maerz

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

copper scrap types of different quality. Compared to the traditional recycling route, the input material qualities for the DTW process are limited. Therefore, the costs for anode casting and electrolytic refining can be saved. Suitable qualities are scrap classes 1, 2 and 3. See Table 1. The total input-mix is typically composed of different amounts of these three classes. The use of low grade (class 3) scrap is desirable from an economic point of view, but metallurgically limited because of the high impurity content. Quite often the amount of class 3 scrap is limited to 10%.

A typical international product standard for fire refined rod is the FRHC copper quality (Fire Refined High Conductivity; U.S. standard C11020) with the following requirements: Min. 99.90% Cu+Ag; Max. 0.04% O2; Max. 0.04% minor elements (400 ppm). The European Table 1. Comparison of two methods for producing standard is shown in Table 2. frames.

After melting the scraps, three process steps (oxidation, deslagging and reduction) are necessary for DTW. The most important step is oxidation. During this phase, the impurities (or minor elements) have to be removed. Oxidation can be done by using air, oxygen-enriched air, or pure (technical) oxygen.

Elements less noble than Cu (Fe, Al, Si, P and Zn1 are removed from the melt. Their oxides easily separate from the melt and are collected in a liquid slag (or in flue dust).

The refinement of elements like Sn, Pb, Ni, As and Sb is limited because of their thermo-dynamic behavior. Adjusting suitable temTable 2. FRHC Cu specification per European Standard EN 1977:1998 perature ranges as well as adapted (equivalent to ISO 1337:1980). oxygen potentials is evident for treating this group of impurities. Further, drum-type furnaces for refining, holding and casting. an individual slag design is essential • 30 - 160 t per day using the offline concept with an ingot for an efficient removal because the conversion of these caster and an elliptical or tilting furnace or a combination of elements into slag is incomplete. these with a Top Blown Rotary Refiner (for higher melting The usage of refining slag supports a good raffination and efficiency). avoids undesirable copper oxidation. The most common slag system (liquidus temperature and liquidus range) in Process technology copper metallurgy is the system CaO-FeOx-SiO2 (CFS).

The CFS slag provides good solubility for a wide range The DTW process allows the wire production directly of impurities and minor elements. The viscosity allows a from scrap, namely only after pyrometallurgical refining good metal/slag separation and slag handling (deslagging). without the production step electrorefining. This fire Slag formers like silica, limestone and iron scrap are refining method includes both an oxidation step to remove cheap, and in a well defined composition their impact on the less noble impurity elements from the copper, and refractory wear is less compared to other systems. a reduction step to achieve the oxygen content required However, conventional CFS slag is limited in a certain by the standard for FRHC copper. Slag formed during aspect: elements like Sn, Pb, Ni, As, and Sb cannot be the oxidation is removed after oxidation. Depending on removed only by conventional oxidation. They have a the input material quality, a multi-stage oxidation may similar enthalpy of oxide formation as Cu. The easiest way be required, possibly charging special additives and slag might be to increase the amount of slag formers. Due to forming agents. economical considerations, this option is limited due to The input materials for the DTW process are various

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

copper losses within the slag. Refining slag is not only collecting the impurities oxides, but some copper is also lost with the slag. The total amount of copper losses – oxidized and entrained – have to be considered.

It is difficult to find one slag that can be used to remove all impurities for the DTW process. Depending on the impurity level in the scrap-mix and the corresponding limitations in the final product after raffination the CFS slag can be adapted by adjusting single components. If this conventional procedure is not sufficient, there are generally two further approaches to improve the situation: • Multiple raffination (oxidation, reduction, changing slag) • Addition of fluxes after deslagging: Soda Na2CO3, Borax Na2B4O7, Boric Acid B2O3, and other salts However, many factors–including those mentioned above but also process time for additional refinement, as well as refractory wear and costs for additives–have to be taken into consideration.

Conclusion The amount of FRHC copper rod produced per year has constantly increased over the last decades, creating an alternative to ETP copper in many applications. The interest in FRHC copper is further driven due to the fact that FRHC copper cable scrap coming back into the recycling cycle is hard to be differentiated from ETP copper cable scrap. But other than the ETP, the FRHC copper cable scrap cannot be charged to the cathode shaft furnace. Therefore, companies today focused on high quality ETP copper rod also consider entering the FRHC copper market.

These companies focused on the high quality ETP copper rod production are mainly using rod lines with a high annual capacity of more than 200,000 t per year, as they have already realized in the past the cost advantages of large lines. For FRHC production today, only small production systems with a limited efficiency are available on the market. However, with the Maerz DTW technology, it is not only possible to realize furnace systems for smaller lines with an improved efficiency, it is possible to build large furnace systems for the efficient production of up to 260,000 t of FRHC copper per year or more. These furnace systems can be either installed in new lines or they can be used to upgrade the various existing copper rod lines that are already in operation.

Due to the need to reduce the production costs of FRHC copper while making the refining technology understandable and manageable for all operators, the DTW technology is an interesting technology for existing and future copper rod producers.

Lux

Timm Lux is head of marketing and sales for the Copper Division of Andritz Maerz GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany. Before joining the company in 2008, he started his career at ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe in the technical customer service. He earned a M.Sc. degrees in industrial engineering and mechanical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and also studied at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain.

This paper was presented at WAI’s 83th Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 2013.

References 1. T. LUX, C. Wenzel and J. Köhlhofer, “Maerz Direct-to-Wire® Technology – Optimized FRHC Copper Production, Interwire 2011, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 2. T. Luxx and Joerg Köhlhofer, “Large Scale FRHC and Anode Copper Production for Optimized Production Costs,” Proceedings of EMC 2011.

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