Manufacturing process characteristics of wires and cables and their main production equipment

Main processes of wires and cables

Wires and cables are made through three processes: drawing, twisting, and coating. The more complex the model and specifications, the higher the repeatability.

1. Drawing

In metal pressure processing, the metal is forced through a die (pressing wheel) under the action of external force, the metal cross-sectional area is compressed, and the technical processing method of obtaining the required cross-sectional shape and size is called metal drawing.

The drawing process is divided into: single wire drawing and twisted drawing.

2. Twisting

In order to improve the softness and integrity of wires and cables, two or more single wires are interwoven together in a specified direction, which is called twisting.

The stranding process is divided into: conductor stranding, cabling, braiding, wire armoring and winding.

3. Wrapping

According to different performance requirements for wires and cables, special equipment is used to coat different materials on the outside of the conductor.

Coating process points:

1. Extruded packaging: rubber, plastic, lead, aluminum and other materials.
2. Longitudinal packaging: rubber, corrugated aluminum strip materials.
3. Wrapping: ribbon-shaped paper tape, mica tape, alkali-free glass fiber tape, non-woven fabric, plastic tape, etc., and thread-shaped fiber materials such as cotton yarn and silk.
4. Dip coating: insulating paint, asphalt, etc.

The manufacturing of wires and cables is completely different from the production of most electromechanical products. Electromechanical products are usually assembled into components, and then multiple components are assembled into a single product, and the products are measured by the number of units or pieces. Wires and cables are measured by length. All wires and cables start with conductor processing, and insulation, shielding, cabling, sheathing, etc. are added layer by layer on the outer periphery of the conductor to make wire and cable products. The more complex the product structure, the more layers are superimposed.

1. Cable production process characteristics

There are many categories of cable production processes and a large material flow. The manufacturing of wires and cables involves a wide range of processes, from the smelting and pressure processing of non-ferrous metals to chemical technologies such as plastics, rubber, and paint; textile technologies such as wrapping and weaving of fiber materials, to wrapping of metal materials and longitudinal wrapping of metal strips, welding of metal forming processes, etc. The various materials used in the manufacture of wires and cables are not only of many categories, varieties, and specifications, but also of large quantities. Therefore, the amount, spare amount, batch cycle, and batch size of various materials must be verified. At the same time, the decomposition, processing, recycling, reuse, and waste treatment of waste products are an important part of management. We should do a good job in material quota management and pay attention to conservation. In the production of wires and cables, from the entry and exit, storage of raw materials and various auxiliary materials, the flow of semi-finished products in each process to the storage and delivery of products, the material flow is large, and it must be reasonably laid out and dynamically managed.

Special equipment The manufacturing of many wires and cables uses special production equipment with the process characteristics of this industry to adapt to the structure and performance requirements of cable products and meet the requirements of long-length continuous and as high-speed production as possible, thus forming a series of special equipment for cable manufacturing. Such as extruder series, wire drawing machine series, stranding machine series, wrapping machine series, etc. The manufacturing process of wires and cables is closely related to the development of special equipment and promotes each other. New process requirements promote the generation and development of new special equipment; conversely, the development of new special equipment improves and promotes the promotion and application of new processes. Special equipment such as wire drawing, annealing, extrusion series line; physical foaming production line, etc., have promoted the development and improvement of wire and cable manufacturing technology and improved the product quality and production efficiency of cables.

2. Main processes of wires and cables:

Wires and cables are made through three processes: drawing, twisting, and coating. The more complex the model and specifications, the higher the repeatability.

1. Drawing In metal pressure processing , the metal is forced through the die (pressing wheel) under the action of external force , the metal cross-sectional area is compressed , and the technical processing method of obtaining the required cross-sectional area shape and size is called metal drawing. Drawing processes are divided into: single wire drawing and strand drawing.

2. Twisting In order to improve the softness and integrity of wires and cables, two or more single wires are interwoven together in a specified direction, which is called twisting. The twisting process is divided into: conductor twisting, cabling, braiding, steel wire armoring and winding.

According to the different performance requirements of wires and cables, special equipment is used to coat different materials on the outside of the conductor. The coating process is divided into:

Extruded packages: rubber, plastic, lead, aluminum and other materials.

Longitudinal package: rubber, corrugated aluminum strip material.

Wrapping: ribbon-shaped paper tape, mica tape, alkali-free glass fiber tape, non-woven fabric, plastic tape, etc., and linear fiber materials such as cotton yarn and silk.

Dipping: insulating paint, asphalt, etc.

3. Main production equipment of wires and cables

1. Necessary production equipment and testing equipment for overhead stranded wire products