TUBE NEWS TN April 2018 | Page 13

rods, providing a cost-effective process to a product in demand. A new Conklad machine has been added to the range, enabling small and delicate cores to be sheathed from one aluminium feedstock rod instead of two. The machine will reduce capital and running costs for applications such as AS Wire, OPGW, Sheathed Composite Cores, Reinforced Aluminium Wire and Solid Aluminium Conductor (SAC). BWE continue to manufacture and supply a complete range of cold welders and dies for a fast, cost- effective and reliable solution to welding non-ferrous materials from fine wire to round rod. Record year for BWE 2017 prov ed to be a very successful year for BWE. As well as a Conform™ machine for refrigeration tube and a Conklad™ machine for specialised OPGW cables, BWE secured three further contracts for their unique SheathEx™ technology. A SheathEx machine uses two aluminium rods (12.0mm or 9.5mm Ø) to form a ‘seamless’ aluminium sheath around HV and EHV cables. Baosheng High Voltage Cable Co. Ltd (BHVC) from China required a SheathEx machine to compliment what they already produced on a conventional extrusion press. BHVC continue their expansion in supplying XLPE, HV and EHV power cables (up to 500kV) using the best manufacturing equipment from Europe. Pacific Electric Wire & Cable Co. Ltd (PEWC) from Taiwan and Iljin Electric Co. Ltd from South Korea already supplied aluminium-sheathed HV cables using the welding method. New cable requirements in new markets demanded a ‘seamless’ and corrugated aluminium sheath (i.e. no weld). Apart from investing in a large and expensive extrusion press, the only option for them was SheathEx. BWE’s success has continued into 2018, by securing another SheathEx contract for a ‘smooth’ aluminium sheathed cable application in Europe. For more than 40 years, BWE have manufactured and supplied Conform continuous extrusion machines worldwide. The company has an ongoing programme to innovate new applications for their technology and have a busy schedule of trials on their development machine. These include extrusion of titanium and silver powder into wire and new metal cladding / sheathing applications. BWE will be exhibiting at Wire 2018 – Stand No. 11G26. Come and meet the team to discuss any of the above or other requirements you may have for their technology. . ™ SheathEx, Conform and Conklad are Registered Trade Marks of BWE Ltd. www.bwe.co.uk TUBE NEWS April 2018 13