FEATURE NEWS:
Production Line for Sheathing of High Voltage Cable
The specifications for high voltage cable require a special cable design. The cable core of such cables can be provided with a metallic sheath (aluminium, copper, steel or even their alloys) to a very high stability. The metal sheath with helical corrugation is water and gas tight. It ensures bendability and also high impact and pressure stability.
Nexans Deutschland Industries, Germany has developed its UNIversal WElding MAchine. The UNIWEMA® 200 is best suited for sheathing of high voltage cables, as core diameters range from around 45 mm to 200 mm. The sheath can be applied continuously with, for instance, aluminium of approx. 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm wall thickness, depending on the cable core diameter in a very economic process compared with the conventional extrusion or press technology.
In the UNIWEMA® process, a metal strip is introduced into the machine and, in a single operation, the strip edges are trimmed and formed around a cable core. The opposing strip edges are welded with the TIG welding method. The standard UNIWEMA® is equipped with a single electrode. In applications where the maximum allowable welding current with one electrode is insufficient for the welding of thicker strips or if higher speeds are desired the UNIWEMA® can also be operated with a 3-electrode welding torch system, Polyarc welder.
For fully continuous TIG welding, Nexans has developed a new system called TwinTorch®. The TwinTorch® system consists of two torches, control program and two welding rectifiers. If the worn out electrode has to be changed the PLC controlled process will ignite the second torch. The worn out electrode can now be exchanged easily. The TwinTorch® technology ensures an uninterrupted, high quality welding seam without any welding defects.
A split clamp caterpillar capstan, located downstream from the welding station, pulls the sheathed cable through the machine and, if added flexibility is desired, pushes it to the corrugation unit. The perfect coordination of the forming and welding operations with the split clamp caterpillar capstan is a pre-condition for obtaining a uniform welded seam, thus ensuring optimum product quality.
Company: |
Nexans Deutschland Industries GmbH & Co. KG |
Country: |
Germany |
Fax: |
+49 511 676-3777 |
Email: |
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