The Best of... OPTICAL FIBER EQUIPMENT - Feature Sample

Welcome to Monterrey where you’ll hear the latest wire and cable manufacturing information at the 2023 Wire Association International Technical Conference.

Both ferrous and nonferrous topics will be covered.

Simultaneous translation to English is offered.

Highlights include:

• 50 tabletop exhibits

• Lunch buffet

• Networking cocktail hour

• Welcome dinner

• Facility tours to be announced

Learn more and register: waimonterrey.com

Monterrey ITC 2023 Update

CONFERENCE: CROWNE PLAZA MONTERREY

13-15 NOVEMBER 2023

The WAI has had a very successful track record with the International Technical Conferences (ITC) it has held in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2008, 2010 and 2016. Now, it looks to extend that run when it returns to the same city, and the same location—the Crown Plaza Hotel—Nov. 13-15.

The 2023 program looks to follow the same general format as the 2016 event, which drew 190 participants. The educational forum included 20 technical presentations, tabletops, a keynote speaker from the Asociación Nacional de Transformadores de Acero AC (ANTAAC), and presentations from companies that included Viakable, a leading Mexican manufacturer.

At press time, the program has 15 elements (including two panel discussions) placed in the schedule shown on the next page. Note: more are expected to be added, so visit www.waimonterrey.com to see the latest list.

Topics scheduled for presentation on Monday, Nov. 13, include: a panel discussion with electrical wire and cable executives; transmission line congestion in Mexico, MTY; trends in compounding for the cable industry, Dynext; and design and installation of high performance OH lines, Viakable. Following lunch, there will be a presentation by Prysmian, followed by one from Condumex on topics to be finalized; then HVDC transmission lines, Borealis; and copper’s role in the new economy, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS.

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the presentations include: wiredrawing practices (Niehoff); cabling best practices (SKET); standards for insulated transmission lines, CFE/ LAPEM; high efficiency extrusion for cable applications,

Troester; manufacturing process for automotive harnesses, Yazaki; a technical paper, Quimica Iberoamericana; a panel discussion, steel wire and cable manufacturers; and the steel cable industry, DeAcero.

The Suppliers Market will be open on Monday, Nov. 13, from 9 am to 1 pm, and from 2 pm to 5 pm. That night there will be a reception and dinner. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, it will be open from 9 am to 1 pm, and from 2 pm to 4 pm.

On Wednesday, Nov. 15, there will be a tour of a Viakable plant that leaves at 9:30 am and returns at 1 pm.

To date, a dozen companies have signed up for a tabletop, and more are expected (at the 2016 event there were 42 tabletops). Those signed up so far include: Troester GmbH & Co. KG; Roteq Machinery; Pan Chemicals Americas; Calmec Precision Limited; Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc.; Taymer International Inc.; RichardsApex Inc.; Niehoff Endex North America Inc.; Cemanco LC; Rainbow Rubber and Plastic; and Quimica Iberomericana (a Blachford distributor).

For accommodations, the Crowne Plaza Hotel will again host the event. It is located at Avenida Constitucion Oriente 300, Monterrey. The phone number to make a reservation is tel. 52-800-839-9300. Parking is free for guests. The standard room rate is $125, the superior room rate is $135 and the executive room is $145. To receive the discounted rate, mention Grupo Wire Association or visit the belowlisted event website.

Registration details are on the next page. The October issue will have a full preview of the event, and the latest details can be seen at www.waimonterrey.com.

Fort Wayne Wire Die’s Eric Bieberich, here in 2016, will make a return presentation in 2023.

pm

4:15 pm

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Registration Open

Suppliers Market

Panel Discussion: electrical W&C executives

MTY: transmission line congestion in Mexico, Dr. Oliver Probst

Dynext: trends in compounding for cable industry, Franco Peruzzotti

Viakable: design & installation of high performance OH lines, Dr. Laura Santander

Lunch Suppliers Market

Prysmian Presentation

Condumex: superconductors update or copper continuous casting process

Borealis: HVDC transmission lines, David Lindsay, Market Director

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 7:30 am

Registration Open

Suppliers Market

Niehoff: wire drawing best practices, Emilio Vilas

SKET: cabling best practices, Matthias Strobel, Commercial Director

CFE/LAPEM: standards for insulated transmission lines

Troester: high efficiency extrusion for cable applications Lunch

Suppliers Market 2:00 pm

Yazaki: manufacturing process for automotive harnesses 2:45 pm

Química Iberoamericana: technical paper, Rogelio Sanchez 3:30 pm

pm

Panel Discussion: steel wire and cable industry executives

4:15 pm

5:00 pm

SDI LaFarga… Efficient Sustainability: copper’s role in the new economy 5:30 pm

DeAcero: steel cable industry, speaker BD

WEDNESDAY , NOVEMBER 15

Plant Tour: Viakable

Note: schedule is subject to change. Go to www.waimonterrey.com for latest schedule.

PRICING

FEATURE

The Best of... OPTICAL FIBER EQUIPMENT

This section asks OEMs to explain why what they have to offer for customers is “the best of.” That claim could focus on the technology it provides for producing optical fiber cables, but part of the equation can also be what else a company has to offer customers. What makes it a good potential partner. This feature also includes other commentary, and some companies present more further technical details in entries in the Products section.

The Best of ... FLYMCA Spain

FLYMCA, a well-known Spanish manufacturer, is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of rotating machinery for all types of cables and sectors markets, from energy and control/data cables to submarine and umbilicals. That includes stranding technology in recent years for OPGW cables that have produced great results and satisfied customers.

OPGW cables require specific machinery and experienced work teams to design the optimal solution for each project. One option to produce these kinds of cables is tubular stranders with a bull head. The new line produced by FLYMCA includes a bull head at the front part of the system that allows the core direct access to the formation zone, avoiding unwanted snake effect and core torsion. This bull head upgrade is of value because the core does not need to be supplied from an external payoff. The cradle in the bull head allows a larger bobbin to be used than those inside a tube. This is especially helpful for production optic fiber, and it is most often used for fiber optic submarine cables.

FLYMCA offers a range of auxiliary equipment and services to support its tubular stranders. That includes: a range of payoffs (static, columns, self-traversing, forks, gantry, rollers, etc.); options to work on bearings or under rollers; a bulk head for core elements on bobbins from 1,000 to 2,000 mm; preformers and postformers; capstans (double pulley, single pulley or caterpillars); taping and binding units for metallic and non-metallic tapes, and every type of material on binders); safety protections guards to fulfill CE or local standards); and take-ups (static, columns, self-traversing, with forks or gantry). All this is backed by experience staff, spare parts and technical assistance.

The Best of ... MGS Group USA

Fiber optic cables are the backbone of our communications network today. To address the demands inherent in handling the components of these cables, The MGS Group provides machine solutions with leading-edge tension control capabilities for ribbons, loose tubes, buffer tubes and other fiber optic product and cable constructions.

The MGS Group has been active in the fiber optic industry for four decades. Our R&D efforts have solved a variety of industry challenges, and our expertise in tension control has been a driver for a variety of exciting solutions for this market. The MGS Group has delivered over a thousand machines to the fiber industry since the 1980s and that number continues to grow. Visit our website to see examples.

Contact: Jeff Swinchatt, director of sales and marketing

Tel. 315-337-3350 ext. 160, cell 315-832-2193

jpswinchatt@themgsgroup.com

www.themgsgroup.com

Our most recent activity has been in product packaging, from rewind lines to fully automatic takeup systems. The MGS Group’s Fully Automatic Takeup (FAT) system (pictured) is perfectly suited to fiber cable packaging. The design’s focus to the delicate handling of the product and precise tension control ensures the placement of the fiber onto the reel with care. This gentle product handling and our success with cutting Kevlar® are key contributors to the reliability of the FAT820 model and our overall success in packaging fiber optic cable products. For more details about this proven, trusted system, see p. 67.

The MGS Group’s FAT820 reflects more than 24 years of experience in FAT technology. The MGS Group has been integrating robot technology into these machines since the early 2000s. Operator acceptance is readily captured through technology that is simple-to-use, menu-driven, intuitive, rugged and reliable, with an HMI interface and world-class training and support.

Quick thoughts on fiber optic equipment purchases

Cable manufacturers do not lightly make large production equipment purchases, and considerable effort goes into deciding what works best. Here, I want to go over some of the considerations, but also some other aspects that may or may not be as obvious when it comes to optical fiber.

It’s a given you need to know what products you want to manufacture, for what market, for how long, at what price and to which standards. You will also want to know OEM specs for line speed, versatility, flexibility, staff training, cost of maintenance, quality of technical support, purchasing costs, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). But let’s take such considerations further.

A large fiber optic rollout will require the manufacture and installation of the fiber backbone network spanning across the main hubs of the country. It will connect to other sub-networks covering local areas, cities, buildings and other special installations. Fiber rollouts require different cable types, hence different sets of, or variations of the same cable machinery. Does a cable maker want to be active in just one part of the market? Multiple parts? All of them? That choice will define what you need.

Also, fiber rollouts take years and happen in sequence, so not all cable types are needed at the same time. So, in theory, one could consider the expected lifespan of the FOC roll-out to determine when operations will need to

adapt to the demand, ramp up or ramp down production of such and such cable type. Some companies may also buy machinery knowing that it will have a lower life expectancy, but it will be able to service a part of the sequence, or a given regional area.

That backdrop makes it easier to work with well-established machine vendors, as they will have multiple ways of leveraging competitive advantages. There are many reasons to want to work with such companies. At the same time, this does not mean there are no opportunities for smaller or more recent machinery vendors.

Beyond the allure of a lower cost factor, some of the lesser-established OEMs may have an advantage: they are not tied to legacy design or operating models or standards. What they may be able to offer could surprise you. Trust, however, has to be earned, and that means homework. You can ask around about such suppliers, but you need to make site visits to either witness or run trials on machines in real life operation. Is a design flexible? Is it functionable? Can it be backstopped? All good questions for any purchase.

David Cavassa worked 24 years for Pirelli Telecom Systems and Prysmian Cable Systems as well as UL and suppliers PGI Geca Tapes and Polyone. He has opened a consulting firm called Cables & Solutions. See p. 18.

the wire association international pres ents its:

INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE

Monterrey, Mexico

MORE TO LEARN

Welcome to Monterrey where you’ll hear the latest wire and cable manufacturing information at the 2023 Wire Association International Technical Conference.

Both ferrous and nonferrous topics will be covered.

Simultaneous translation to English is offered.

Highlights include:

• 50 tabletop exhibits

• Lunch buffet

• Networking cocktail hour

• Welcome dinner

• Facility tours to be announced