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How an electrical cable is made?

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TOP CABLE

HOW AN ELECTRICALCABLE IS MADE

Welcome to TOP CABLE.We are one o the worlds largest manuacturers o electrical cables.

In this video blog we will show you how an electrical cable is made.

The technology needed to ensure an electrical cable stays in good working condition or several yearswithout problems involves complicated manuacturing processes which require highly qualifed sta.

1. CONDUCTOR1.1. WIRE DRAWING1.2. WIRING

2. INSULATION3. PHASE WIRING4. ADDITIONAL COVERINGS5. OUTER SHEATH6. QUALITY CONTROL7. SHIPPING8. SUSTAINABILITY

VIDEOBLOG

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1.1. WIRE DRAWINGThe frst manuacturing process o a conductor is the wire-drawing. This consists o reducing the dia-meter o the copper wire gradually to its fnal diameter to increase its ductility and conductivity.

The copper arrives from the foundry to Top Cables factories in large coils weighing 5 tonnes. This copper, 8 mm in

diameter, is technically known as wire rod.

The rst stage of the wire-drawing is simply called,

drawing. The diameter of the wire rod is reduced to

2 mm during this process.

This 2 mm wire is then drawn further to reduce the

diameter of the wire to the size needed for each kind

of conductor.

In the last stage of wire-drawing, all the wires undergo a heat treatment called annealing.

The aim of this stage is to increase the ductility and conductivity of the copper.

1. CONDUCTOR

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1.2. WIRINGAter the wire-drawing, the copper wires are grouped together to make conductors.This process is called wiring.

During the wiring process, con-

ductors with different cross-sec-

tions are made. For example, across-section as small as 0.5

mm2 to 240 mm2, 400 mm2 or

even higher for larger current

capacities.

The machine used to make the cables depends on the cross-section of each conductor.

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2. INSULATION

ELECTRICAL INTEGRITY CONTROL

The next process in the manuacture o electrical cables is the insulation. This is when we place aninsulating cover over the conductor to prevent current leakages.

The materials insulation capacity and its thic-

kness determine the cables maximum service

voltage.

An insulation material with a high heat resis-

tance allows the conductor to transmit more

power than the same cross-section with an in-

sulation with a lower heat resistance.

In this process, the insulating material is added

by a process of extrusion at high temperature.The insulation ensures there are no current

leakages. Several insulating materials may be

used: PVC, EPR, XLPE, etc.

The whole length of the cable undergoes a vol-

tage test to ensure the insulation layer does

not have any faults.

Different insulation materials may be used depending on the characteristics of the cable required. The quality ofan insulation material depends on two basic characteristics: its insulation capacity and its heat resistance.

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3. PHASE WIRING

ELECTRICAL INTEGRITY CONTROL

Phase wiring is the grouping o dierent insulated conductors to make a multicore cable.

A voltage test is also carried out on the whole length of the manufactured cable during this process.

The phases can be identied by colour or by numbering them.

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4. ADDITIONAL COVERINGS

And that is how an electrical cable is made. However, in some cases, the cable may require additionalelements in order to improve its protection or operation.

Mechanical coverings, also called armour, protect the cable from external damage that may occur from knocks,rodents, and any other potential causes of damage.. The armour is made from steel or aluminium and can come in

the form of metal strips, wires or braids.

Electrical coverings, also called screens, insulate the signals that circulate in the cable from possible externalinterference.

They also shield the power cables to prevent them from interfering with adjacent signal circuits.

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5. OUTER SHEATH

ELECTRICAL INTEGRITY CONTROL

Cables usually have an outer polymer covering or protection. This is called the outer-sheath.This sheath protects the conductors and their insulation rom external elements which may change their

electrical properties, such as moisture. It also protects them rom mechanical aggresion, which may oc-cur during the installation o the cable.

The outer-sheath is applied like the insulation

via a process of extrusion at high temperature.

The sheath may be made from different mate-

rials depending on the required protection le-

vel, the nal exibility of the cable, the work

environment, etc.

As with the insulation, the outer-sheath can be made from a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic.

So that all Top Cable customers can correct-

ly identify their cables, the cables are marked

with the most important information: Manufac-

turer, trade name, cable name, number of con-

ductors, cross-section, construction regulation

and standards, CE marking and other informa-

tion of interest, such as the products certi-

cation. There is also a meter by meter mark on

the cable to help our customers with their stock

control.

A voltage test is also carried out on the whole length of the manufactured cable during this process.

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6. QUALITY CONTROL

And that is how an electrical cable is manuactured. But the process does not fnish here.At Top Cable we veriy the quality o all our cables by carrying out rigorous checks beore they are sold.

The quality guarantee systems, approved according to the ISO 9001 regulation are applied during all the manufac-

turing stages and guarantee that the cables will work perfectly.

In order to guarantee the high quality required by Top Cables customers, the cables undergo extensive quality

control checks in our laboratories, therefore ensuring that all the cables are free from defects and are ready to

be sold.

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7. SHIPPING

8. SUSTAINABILITY

Orders are managed at our dierent logistics centres and then they are shipped out to our customers.Our advanced Warehouse Management System (WMS) provides us with inormation about the stock

status at Top Cables logistics centres at all times, guaranteeing the availability o the product andallowing us to meet the tightest deadlines.

We have created recycling systems at all Top Cables manuacturing centres or the waste producedduring the manuacture o electrical cables.

All waste, both from scrap cable and waste produced during the manufacturing process is delivered to specialised

companies to be correctly disposed of.

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Top Cable. A question o trust.

This is how we guarantee that the environmental impact of our industrial activity is kept to a minimum.

You can download this PDF http://www.topcable.com/en/virtual-tour

You can view this video in http://youtu.be/uwFvGZcjQME

http://twitter.com/topcable_mkt http://www.acebook.com/topcable/

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