Your expert in extrusion needs

newsNo. 5 - April 2010

Wire Düsseldorfbooth 11D27

world leaderin extrusion heads

In this issuep. 2 Microdia’s CEO

p. 3 Dual Flow Flat CableCross Heads

p. 4 -5 Romex Budget CrossHeads

p. 6 -7 Avantis Microdia’sbest Seller

p. 8 -9 ECOMEX ECO-GREENprogram.

p. 10 Radio FrequencyCables Cross Heads

p. 11 Microdia’s PowerCable Cross Heads

More than 30 years of excellence manufacturingheads and extrusion tooling.

Your know-howis safe in Microdia’s hands.

From the extrusion tools workshop 30 years ago,Microdia has reached, under the guidance of itsfounder Mr. Patrick Zacchia, the recognized positionof world leader in extrusion cross headsmanufacturer.30 years of hard work, 3 generations of cross headscreated according to the needs of themarket, madeMicrodia a reference in the Wire and Cable world.

This year in addition to the many improvementsbrought to the well known 9000 and Avantis crossheads, two new series are presented to theextrusion’s professionals

SWISS MADE

NEWThe response to the needs of thecable industry affected by theworld economical situation. Thesame famous Microdia’s quality,compatible with all accessoriesand tooling, made affordablethanks to the automatedproduction and a simplifieddesign.

SWISSSPIRIT

Concerned by the environmentprotection and to allow theprocessing of the new ecologicalcompounds at high rate,Microdia proposes the ECOMEXcross heads series, the head withparticularly high throughput andefficiency when extrudingsensitive polymers.

NEW

Thirty years of constant efforts andcommitment made of the small swiss toolmakers founded in Yverdon les Bains in 1979the trusted and reliable partner of the world’swire and cable industry.

Every two years at the Wire our friends andcustomers have seen our booth takingshape, at the beginning we had not muchto show only our enthusiasm and faith in thefuture but soon appeared the first cross headfamily, the MF series, then the 9000, theAvantis and this year the ROMEX, the newbudget Microdia cross head.

In every head we put our experiencepatiently gained with the cooperation of ourcustomers, the support of the EngineeringSchool of the Canton of Vaud, thetechnological advance of the University ofLausanne and the skill of our technicians andengineers, heirs of the Swiss watch makers.

The recent slow down of the economy didn’taffect our spirit, by the contrary it gave usthe incentive to expand our facilities, acquirefaster CNC machine tools, explore new fieldsof activity and create a new line of productsin order to follow the market evolution.

Now at the wire we are proud not only totalk about or show pictures, but to presentphysically 30 fully functional cross heads,just a small part of all the cross head typesand options Microdia has engineered andmanufactured.

Our policy is and has always been to buildand maintain a true, loyal and durablerelationship with our customers, machinesbuilders and wire and cable manufacturers;here we express our thanks to those whohave put their trust in Microdia and wishthem a bright and rewarding future for thebenefit of both parties.

vision

Now the orginal and wellknown building ishosting:• CEO office.• Administrative office• R&D (BT) office• Sales department• After sales department• Tooling manufacturingdepartment

• Cross heads assemblydepartment

• Blanks and sparestorage, Cross headproduction & testingBuildings

CEO Patrick Zacchia

Administrative building

Production buildings

In the backThe machining center and raw materialstorage In that building are locatedthe automatic CNMC lathes, milling andgrinding machines.

On the frontThe new 450 m2 facility housing thetesting machinery, the product’s exhibitionand the training center.

FACILITIESThe constant progression of Microdia S.A. made necessary the expansion of the productionfacilities where with the exception of the hardening process, all Microdia’s product are 100%manufactured. A third building has just been opened this year.

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news

Your expert in extrusion needs

3

Dual-FlowTM the originalThe Dual flow ribbon cable cross head familyhas been created by the R&D team morethan 20 years ago. Although the basicconstruction remained the same through theyears, MICRODIA constantly improved theperformance and the precision of this familyof cross head.

The Dual flow displayed this year at the Wirecombines Microdia’s renown large experiencein design and years of constant attention tothe customer’s needs.

• Improved stream lined flow path hasreduced even more the drag, the pressureand the heat generated by friction inside ofthe head.

• Smooth material flow allows higherproduction speed.

• Comprehensive handling accessoriesreduce the downtime during tooling orcompound change.

The Microdia original Dual Flow series iscomposed of six different head sizes coveringthe range from 2 to 160 mm.

CONFIGURATIONS• Single layer.• Single or multiple stripes.• Dual layer.• Electrical heating.• Thermostatic, oil or water circulation

CORE TYPES• Solid and stranded copper wire.• Solid and stranded steel wire.• Ribbon type steel or copper.• Insulated single wire.• Multiple insulated stranded wires• Metallic and plastic pipes.• Aramid rope.• Aramid jacketed rope.• Etc.

COMPOUNDS• PVC• PE• PA• PU• Fluoropolymers• TPR• Etc.

Head Type Min width Max width

DF 12 2 12

DF 24 12 24

DF 40 24 40

DF 90 30 90

DF 110 40 110

DF 160 60 160

The Microdia Original Dual Flow hasno application limit and its R & Ddepartment has the experience tosuccessfully satisfy any requirement.

Dual flow double layer Thermostatic

Patented

OFTENCOPIEDNEVER

EQUALED!

Solution for your flat cable

4

The perfect solution for customer who needsa simple, robust and economical cross headwith all the advantages of Microdia’s expertisein extrusion.

Made of the best wear and corrosion resistantsteels, produced entirely on high precisionhigh speed CNC machines tools the ROMEXWC series can compare in quality to the otherfamous Microdia’s series.

The ROMEX WC series cross heads are alsofully compatible with the anterior Microdiacross heads as regards:

• Tooling tips.• Tooling dies.• Flange fitting• Center line• Auxiliary extruder fitting• Heating voltage and power.

What means that an existing old Microdiacross head can be replaced by a ROMEX WChead without any change in the line’s lay out.

The ROMEX WC series heads have beenengineered like all Microdia’s heads with:• Conical distributors available with different

flow path.• Large distribution sleeves (collet), easy to

handle and clean.• Die nut for the gum space adjustment.• Distributor holder for the larger head

(option)

ROMEX series main advantages:• Simple assembling and dismantling with

conventional Allen keys.• Miniclamp: quick connection head to

extruder’s flange• Easily replaced heating sleeves.• Short heating up time.• Light weight.• Low cost.

newsWConcept

A new family of affordable cross headscovers the range from 20 to 125 mm

BESTPRICE

Romex WC1

Romex WC2

Cable type• Single layer.• Single layer + stripe• Double layer (skin)

Auxiliary extruder connexion:• On the top, vertical auxiliary extruder.• On the side 180° from main extruder.• On the side “V” configuration main and

auxiliary extruders at 90°

Romex WC1:Max core diameter: 40 mmMax tubing die diameter: 60 mmTypical throughp ut PVC 760 kg/hTypical throughput HDPE 530 kg/h

Romex WC2:Max core diameter: 60 mmMax tubing die diameter: 80 mmTypical throughput PVC 1000 kg/hTypical throughput HDPE 690 kg/h

Romex WC3:Max core diameter: 110 mmMax tubing die diameter:125 mmTypical throughput PVC 1550 kg/hTypical throughput HDPE 1070 kg/h

Your expert in extrusion needs

series

5

Romex WC3

Romex WC1 SLS Romex WC2 SL Romex WC3 SLS

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A coherent family of heads based on the wellknown Microdia square shape concept,available in 4 sizes and more than 100options.

Products• Single layer.• Double layer.• Single stripe.• Multiple stripes• Skin.

Centering• Fixed center.• Microflex with fine tuning

Distributors• Shallow for low output and thin layers.• Standard multi purposes.• Deep high output.• Extra deep LSZH.

Configuration double layer• Main and auxiliary extruders face to face

180°.• Auxiliary extruder on the top vertical or

inclined.• Auxiliary extruder horizontal below the

main extruder.• Main and auxiliary extruders parallel (not

recommended).• Main and auxiliary extruder horizontal.at

90°.

Heating• High power imbedded heating cartridges.• Two separate heating zones allow different

temperatures settings on head body anddie zone, required when running twodifferent compounds in coextrusion mode.

• Thermostatic with oil or water option forLSZH and heat sensitive compounds.

Strength• Massive body with four reinforcement

sections; more stability and mechanicalresistance.

• Heating cartridges fully protected againstcorrosion and impacts.

• Strong electrical connections: impact andhammer proof.

Leveling• The flat top surface makes adjustment with

spirit level fast, easy and accurate.

Assembling disassembling• Simple and fast thanks to the unique front

and rear tightening nut.• Comprehensive set of dismantling tools

protects the sensitive parts and extend thehead’s life span.

Ecological• The heaters located inside of the head, the

working temperature is faster reached.• Lower external temperature compared to

traditional head heated by external collarheaters.

• More efficient heating system, lesselectrical consumption.

Compatibility with earlierMicrodia’s heads• Same centerline.• Same tooling.• A large head can always take the tooling

of a smaller head.• On request adapter can be made to take

customer’s existing tooling.

Avantis series

news

Microdia’s best seller, still going strong

Perfectly balanced flow

Avantis 50 SLS with distributor holder

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Your expert in extrusion needs

Avantis series

Avantis 10• Telephone wire solid, foam, foam-skin.• Instrument wire, plain, skin colored,

striped.• Optical fiber tight, loose buffering.• Small tubes single, double layer.• RG type coaxial.• And more…

Avantis 30Multi-purpose cross head, precise and easy tohandle.The perfect solution when short productionlengths require very frequent toolingchanges, down time reduced to a minimum,no centering, no adjustment needed, justinstall the tooling an start the line, productwithin tolerances from the first meterextruded.• Building wire plain, skin color, striped.• Jacketing.• Tube extrusion.• Figure 8 drop cable.• LSZH.• Filling.• Bleed out Quick Color Change• And many more …

With special adaptors Avantis 30 can take thetooling of the Avantis 20 and Avantis 30 as well.

Avantis 20• Building wire plain, skin color, striped• Jacketing.• Coaxial.• Tube PVC, PA, etc.• Twin cable single, double layer• Bleed out Quick Color Change• And more…

With adaptors, Avantis 20 can take the toolingof the Avantis 10.

Avantis 50The largest fixed center Avantis series crosshead.

The perfectly balanced flow of the computerdesigned distributor guarantees the centeringwithout hassle and waste of time.

• Jacketing single layer, double layer, striped• Power cable insulation plain, striped• Tube extrusion.• Filling.• Profiled cables.• Building wire jacketing.• Figure 8 drop cables.• And many more…

Several special distributors have beendesigned to extrude sensitive technologicalcompounds when the residence time in thecross head or the mechanical friction are anissue, Microdia’s extrusion specialist welcomeyour special requests.

Avantis 20 FO (optical fiber)Buffering cross head with snap-in entry fiberpositioning.Jelly injection module with X-Y precisionneedle centering.Dual needle system guarantees the perfectdistribution of the jelly without turbulences.The jelly injection module slides along twoguiding bars, it can be tilted back for cleaningand tooling change.

• Tight buffering• Loose tube• Loose tube + jelly• Single layer, stripe, double layer.• Specialy designed to extrude PA, PBT,

PEEK, PET etc,

Avantis 50 H (Hastelloy)Fluoropolymers high temperature, fixedcenter cross head.Highly recommended to extrude:

• FEP• ETFE• PFA• ETC

Made of the best corrosion resistant steelavailable on the market.Long life heating rods fully protected againstthe corrosive gas released during theextrusion.Specially computed flow path guarantees thetransit of the compound without stress andshearing.Ingenious swinging arm holds the distributorfor cleaning protects it against shocks andavoids dangerous handling of this part whenhot.

Head type Avantis 10 20 30 50

Maximum core diameter (mm) 7.0 13.0 21.0 21.0

Typical maximum tubing overall diameter (mm) 8 .0 18.0 27.0 45.0

Maximal tubing die diameter (mm) 10.0 20.0 30.0 50.0

Typical throughput PVC [kg/h] standard distributor 100 354 550 900

Typical throughput HDPE [kg/h] standard distributor 70 250 400 650

Avantis 10 SL

Avantis 30 SL

Avantis 20 SL Microflex

Avantis 50 SLS

Avantis 20 FO SLS

Avantis 50 H SL

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news

With the increase in ecological consciousness,the trend for regulation of halogen elementsand heavy metals, which are suspected tocause environmental pollution, is growing.

ECO-GREEN concept:ECO-GREEN wires and cables contain nohalogen elements such as fluorine,chlorine,bromine, iodine and no heavy metalssuch as lead and antimony. Therefore theywill not cause ecological problems fromdioxins and heavy metals. Furhermore,because no toxic and corrosive gases evolveand less smoke generates during combustion,they are much safer than conventionalhalogenated materials such as PVC.

Recycling of waste cables is considered in twomethods.

• Thermal recycling as fuels.• Material recycling as component for cables

or other products.The material is cleaned and mixed with virginmaterial for reprocessing.

ECO-GREEN COMPOUNDSKey technologies of ECO-GREEN are halogenfree flame retardant materials and easyrecycling formulations.

Flame retardant materials:This material consists of polyolefins and metalhydroxides such as magnesium hydroxideMg(OH)2 and aluminium hydroxide Al(OH)2,it is the major component of ECO-GREEN.During the thermal degradation of thematerial, water is released, the reaction isendothermic so the evolution of flammable

gases is prevented and the concentration offlammable gases is diluted by the steamproduced fro the released water.

Mechanical properties:Halogen free flame retardant material is stiffand lack flexibility compared with PVC,extrusion of such material requires specialextrusion screws and special cross heads toallow the extrusion speed at acceptable level.

ECO-GREEN product range:

Power cables:New types of thermoplastic material havebeen developed which have similar heatresistance to cross linked polyethylene, witheven better electrical properties, thosecompounds could be used for 600 v ratingpower cables.

Telecommunication cables:The dielectric constant of some polymer alloysis lower than the 2.4 of the PE, this polymerwould be suitable for high speed transmissioncables.

Electronic equipment wire.ECO-GREEN of 105 oC can replace both PVCheat resistant and irradiated cross llinked PVCwire. Flame retardancy is also high for smallwire size.

Automotive wire:High abrasion resistance of the newcompounds allows thinner insulation of 0.2mm with the same electrical properties andheat resistance compared to conventionalPVC insulated automotive wire.

Lan cable:The polymer alloy of polyolefin presentsexcellent combustion and transmissionproperties, Lan cables insulated with ECO-GREEN compound meet the internationalstandard for this kind of product.

The series cross headsEcological and ECO-GREEN cable extrusion

ecologicalhalogen free

ECO-GREEN

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Your expert in extrusion needs

ECOMEX headsMicrodia’s commitment is to offer to theindustry involved in the ECO-GREENprogram, a family of cross heads speciallyengineered to increase the production speedof polymers alloys thanks to a perfectlycalculated flow path from the head entry tothe die exit.

Special distributors, newly designed tips anddies, latest coatings techniques are thecharacteristics of the ECOMEX seriespresented for the first time at the WIRE 2010.

Although the new ecological compounds aremuch more easy to extrude than in the earlyday, they remain sensitive to the stress, themechanical friction, the high pressure and theoverheating.

ECOLine headsThe new ECOMEX series satisfies thoserequirements with several essentialimprovements:• Remastered head design• Computer calculated extra deep flow path.• Improved tip and die design.• High tech antifouling coating.• Advanced fluid circulation heat/cool

exchanger. (option)

ECO-GREEN the future of the planetEco-wire and eco-cable standards

ECOMEX cross heads series 10 20 30

Maximum core diameter (mm) 7.0 13.0 21.0

Typical maximum tubing overall diameter (mm) 8 .0 18.0 27.0

Maximal tubing die diameter (mm) 10.0 20.0 30.0

Heating Electric [heat] or thermostatic [heat/cool]

The emerging eco-cablestandard for eco-wiresand eco-cables stipulates:

• Eco-wires and eco-cables mustnot use PVC, must not containhalogen, lead, and so on, andmust not generate hazardoussubstances such as dioxin whenincinerated or buried in a landfill.

• The heat resistance of eco-wiresand eco-cables must conform tothe Electrical Appliance andMaterial Safety Law.

• Unified names and symbols mustbe used.

Eco-wires and cableshave the followingadvantages.

• The covering material does notcontain halogen elements, so itdoes not emit toxic halogen gas.

• Eco-wires and eco-cables do notcontain lead or other heavymetal, so they do notcontaminate the soil when theyare buried in a landfill, forexample.

• These wires and cables emit littlesmoke during combustion, andhave excellent fire resistance inthe event of a fire disaster, forexample.

• These wires and cables do notemit corrosive gases.

• These wires and cables canwithstand high temperatures,enabling them to handle largercurrents.

easy toextrude

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Extrusion of RF high expansion rates requiresa perfectly balanced cross head with anexcellent temperature distribution.

Numerous trials and tests performed incooperation with several top level extrusionlines manufacturers are the base of theMicroflex 45 cross head, the best cross headon the market for RF Cable extrusion.

Typical products extruded on the Microflex 45

HEATINGElectrical heating is the standard for most ofthe extrusion heads, however whenextruding highly expanded polymers it isnecessary to reduce the mass temperature ofthe polymer when it leaves the extruder’sbarrel to avoid the collapse of the thick butfragile insulation layer at the exit of the head;in that case the choice of a thermostatic headis fully justified.

The heat/cool head temperature control bymean of a fluid circulating inside of the headwalls guarantee the perfect thermal stability ofthe process.

CONCENTRICITYA high level of concentricity is necessary toreach a low capacity with expansion levelsclose to the limits, and because of the highratio between the overall diameter and thedie’s diameter, the physical concentricity of thetip and die is extremely critical.

A manual center cross head can be used butthe search of the good concentricity may taketime and generate a lot of scrap.

A fixed center cross head may work but if bythe addition of the manufacturing toleranceof the head body, wire guide and die theinsulation comes out of center, no correctionwill be possible.

The MICROFLEX system is the solution to thisproblem particularly critical when running RFcable, it combines the simplicity of the fixedcenter cross head with the possibility of a finetuning of the die position. This tuning can beperformed any time during the run, even athigh pressure, without affecting the quality ofthe insulation.

RF Radio frequency coaxial cables

What brings the MicrodiaMicroflex ?By the fact that there is no adjustmentpossible, the level of concentricity which canbe reached with a fixed center cross head ingood condition, clean and with good toolinghas its limits.

The Microdia AVANTIS-MICROFLEX head is afixed center cross head with a fine manualtuning capability to make possible theabsolute best concentricity of the insulationand the conductive core.

Operation of the Microdia'sMICROFLEX cross headAt the start of the line after the assembly of anew tool set, the cross head will behave as afixed center head giving a concentricity factorof 0.90 to.95 depending on the condition ofthe tooling.

Once the line has reached its production speedthe "manual" correction will be made in orderto raise the concentricity factor up to 0.99 orgreater. The line will run continuously withoutchange of concentricity, 3 shift/day withoutfurther adjustment.

This master piece, stable, precise and easy tohandle will bost your productivity and thequality of your RF cables; it has been specallyengineered to extrude N2 and CO2 foamedpolymers.

Although the electric heat only cross headgives excellent results, Microdia recommendsthe thermostatic version MFLEX 45 THhead/cool, which allows the total control ofthe mass temperature, a critical factor to reachthe highest level of foaming.

MICRODIA’S mflex“Higher quality with material saving”

news

Impedance Capacitance Core type Core Dielectric Expansion[ohms] [pf/m] diam.[mm] diam. [mm] [%]

50 74 Copper clad 4.47 11.60 73

50 74 Copper tube 6.65 17.30 73

50 74 Copper tube 8.86 23.40 73

50 74 Copper tube 13.00 32.10 79

50 74 Copper tube 17.30 42.3 80

Perfect roundness50 ohms RF cables Uniform cell structure

mflex 45 SL

mflex 45 “Preferred by the major RF cable makers”

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9000flow

Your expert in extrusion needs

Three sizes covers the range of over insulationdiameters from about 30 mm to 200 mm.

Features:MX: Manual center, 4 screw position a

die holder.The die can be exchangedwithout loosing the initiallyadjusted position.

Mflex: Fixed center with the possibility ofa manual fine tuning.

SL: Single layer.SLS: Skin /single stripe/ multi stripe

occording to the distributionsleeve.

Electrical: Heating cartridges embeddedinto the head block.

TH Thermostatic heating with oil orpressurized water.

The main advantages of Microdia’s largeheads are:

• Compact design thanks to the computeroptimized flow path.

• Shorter compound residence time.• Less heat generating friction inside of the

head.• Easy tooling installation and dismantling.• Powerful embedded heating cartridges

reduce the heating time.• Heaters and electrical connexions

protected from corrosion and shocks• All heads configurable for striping or outer

skin.• Special holder for safe removing and

cleaning of the distributor.

Large cross heads 9000 series

9000-75 9000-100 9000-150 9000-200

Max core size [mm] 55 90 130 150

Max overall diameter [mm] 75 100 150 200

MX x

Mflex option no

Configuration SL & SLS SL, option SLS

heating Electric or thermostatic

Computer designed flow path and 30 years of experiencein extrusion head construction are the basis of the extendedMicrodia large cross heads series.

mx/mflex 9000-75

mx 9000-100

mx 9000-200

newsNew productsdevelopment

Microdia’s R & D department regularly develops new toolingand sometimes even cross head in cooperation with thecustomers. The tooling can either be manufactured according tothe customer’s drawings or designed on a cooperation basis inseveral steps until the expected results are obtained. In suchcases the legendary discretion of Microdia guarantees the totalconfidentiality of the information exchanged with the partners.

SecrecyA secrecy agreement will preserves the know-how acquiredduring the development and during the contract period, noinformation will be disclosed.

The author,Bernard Dougoud

is Microdia’s technicaladvisor since 1987

SWITZERLAND

Prés du lac 69bis1400 Yverdon-les-BainsTel.: + 41 24 447 35 00Fax: + 41 24 445 12 28info@microdia.ch

JAPAN

Tel.: +81- (0)43-276-0630Fax: +81- (0)43-276-0463fukaseco@ja2.so-net.ne.jp

USAPO Box 342144 Pine Tree CircleNorth Kingstown, RI 02852Tel.: +1 401 295 0808Fax: +1 401 294 4844dfstecker@microdiausa.com www.microdia.ch

Wire China ShanghaiP.R. China21 - 24 September 2010

Interwire AtlantaGeorgia U,S.A3 - 5 May 2011

Wire Russia MoscowRussiaMay 2011

Wire south AsiaBangkok Thailand11 - 13 October 2011

2010

2011

Only the best wins

Pictures,Natacha Soaed