How Copper Cable is Made - Cabling Install

8/9/2019 How Copper Cable is Made - Cabling Install

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copper cable is made - Cabling Install

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How copper cable is madeSeptember 1, 1997

A tour of a copper wire and cable manufacturing plant

informs us of the complex processes involved in making this

fundamental product.

Arlyn S. Powell, Jr.

Copper wire and cable are the primary media that most

cabling contractors install and most cable-plant managers

are responsible for maintaining. And yet, although we work

with these products day in and day out, have we ever asked

ourselves, "Where does copper wire come from? How is it

made?"

Journalists frequently get invited on press tours of

manufacturing facilities, but it is rare for the working man or

woman to have that opportunity, even if he or she has the

time. So, we`re going to take you on a brief tour of the

copper-wire and copper-cable manufacturing facility of

Cable Systems International (csi) in Phoenix, AZ. Although

csi makes a number of different wire and cable products

(including Category 3 premises cable and Category 5

plenum cable), we`re going to look at the process for making plastic insulated cable (pic), which carries telephone

and data circuits from the central office or distribution

cabinets to neighborhoods or buildings.

Wire draw is first step

The first step in the manufacturing process takes place at

wire draw #1. Here 15,000-pound coils of 5/16-inch (or 2MOR

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American Wire Gauge) copper rod from nearby Arizona

copper mines are reduced to copper wire (see "Where does

csi get its copper?," page 58). During the wire draw, the

copper rod is pulled through a series of synthetic diamond

dies, which gradually decrease in size. The rod and dies are

flooded with a coolant and a synthetic lubricant to increase

the life of the dies and keep the copper wire from

overheating. The result is a 5000-foot coil of 10-, 12-, or 14-awg copper wire.

The coil of copper wire is then transferred by overhead crane

to the insulating area of the plant, where a single coil may

feed an insulate line for as long as two days. Each insulate

line performs several different functions, including additional

wire drawing and annealing as well as application of

insulation.

The first step in this process is to further reduce the size of

the copper wire by drawing it through wire draw #2.

Operating the same way as wire draw #1, this process

makes use of diamond dies to reduce a 10- or 12-awg wire

to one 19-, 22-, 24- or 26-awg wire.

After wire drawing, the wire is extremely brittle and can

easily be fractured if flexed. Since finished copper wire must

be flexible, the wire is softened, or annealed, at this point.

Annealing is accomplished by passing a large electrical current through the wire for a fraction of a second, raising its

temperature briefly to 1000oF. To prevent oxidation of the

wire, this step is performed in water. The water bath also

cools and cleans the wire in preparation for the insulating

step.

The wire, now soft and flexible, is passed through an

extruder, where either a single or double coating of plastic is

applied. High-density polyethylene pellets, colored one of ten industry-standard colors, are fed into the cool rear

section of the extruder; as they are pushed forward, they

are heated until they melt. Exiting the extruder, the coated

wire, now traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour,

passes through another cooling trough and is coiled on

takeup reels.

Before the reels move to the next manufacturing operation,

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wire and insulation diameter are measured, and the wire is

tested for such electrical properties as capacitance and

resistance.

Described briefly, as they are here, these processes may

sound simple, but given the range of products manufactured

by csi and the varying mechanical and electrical

requirements for each, the jobs of the technicians operating the manufacturing equipment can be quite complicated. On

the insulate line, for example, new operators go through a

10- to 12-week training program that includes both

classroom instruction and work experience on the plant

floor. An on-the-job certification process follows. Insulate

supervisor Norm Odom says that it takes months to develop

the competency just to run the insulate lines. "Yet," he adds,

"an operator could be here for 25 years and still encounter

challenging and sometimes baffling scenarios--there`s just

always something to learn at insulate."

Twisting and stranding

In the next step, the insulated wires are twisted into wire

pairs--the ten standard insulation colors combined into 25

different industry-standard pair combinations. At twist, two

wires of the same gauge are twisted together using a

proprietary formula to determine twist length. Twist lengths

vary from two to seven inches, with the unit of change being 1/10-inch.

Each different pair combination of insulation colors has a

unique twist length, so that when different twisted pairs are

combined in the same cable, no two side-by-side pairs will

have the same twist length, a situation that can lead to

crosstalk and interference (see "Does manufacturing

matter? The case of crosstalk," page 50).

Because the twist operation, which involves the repeated

transfer of steel reels of insulated and twisted wire, is

physically demanding, csi trains new twist operators to use

ergonomic lifting techniques and urges them to participate in

a voluntary stretching program. Says new operator Lee

Martinez, "The ergonomic lifting techniques that I learned in

the operator certification program definitely helped prepare

me for the physical demands of the job--especially when my

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assignment is to twist 26-gauge wire."

It requires two operators to run one stranding machine. The

first operator takes the reels of twisted pairs and sets them

up on a supply stand in the proper color-coded order and

twist-length sequence. The pairs are then fed through a

rotating, oscillating faceplate that is designed to prevent the

same twist patterns from being placed side by side in the finished cable.

As the pairs continue through the stranding machine, the

second operator oversees their grouping into 25-pair

subunits, which are wrapped with a distinctive color-coded

binder for identification. For larger cables, such as the 300-,

900-, 1500- and 1800-pair cables used by telephone

companies, the subunits are combined into 100-pair units,

which again are wrapped with a color-coded identification

binder.

The unit is passed through a device called a flyer bow, which

applies additional twist, making it more flexible and further

decreasing the chance of electrical interference. It is then

placed on a unit truck and tested for electrical defects such

as crosses, shorts, and opens. For smaller cables, a 25-,

50- or 100-pair unit may form the core of the cable. In this

case, the unit truck with the core on it is taken directly to the

jacketing operation once the cable passes its electrical testing. If the unit is to form part of a larger cable, it next

goes to the cabling operation.

Cabling and jacketing

At cabling, the units coming from the stranding operation are

grouped together to form a multi-unit cable core. The

process is similar to stranding--the units are passed through

a faceplate that properly positions them in the cable core.

The units are also twisted together on a rotating core truck

to help control electrical interference and provide flexibility.

For air-core cables, the core wrap is applied at the cabling

station. (Pressurizing the cable helps it resist the intrusion of

moisture. A more dependable technique for preventing

moisture from getting into a cable is to fill it with a gel-like

filling compound. If the cable is to be gel-filled, the core

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wrap is applied after the filling compound is forced into the

cable core. Depending on the technique preferred, the filling

compound can be applied at the cabling station or during

the next operation--jacketing.)

As mentioned, smaller, single-unit cable cores may come to

the jacketing operation directly from stranding; larger, multi-

unit cable cores go through the cabling operation before being sent to jacketing. At jacketing, several operations--

gel-filling, armoring, jacketing, and printing--are performed to

produce the finished cable.

The first step is for the filling compound to be added (for gel-

filled cables). The cable core is heated to ensure that the

filling compound penetrates all open spaces in the core. The

heated core passes through the filling chambers, where the

filling compound is added. And finally, a plastic core wrap is

applied.

Both air-core and gel-filled cables used in outside-plant

applications are armored, the next phase of jacketing.

Depending on the cable design, a protective metal

sheathing of either aluminum or aluminum and steel

combined may be added during this manufacturing step.

The aluminum acts as a grounding path for high-voltage

surges that may be caused by lightning strikes and other

eventualities in aerial cables, while steel adds mechanical protection for buried cable against pests such as rats and

gophers. In most outside-plant cable designs, the metal

sheathing is corrugated for added flexibility and coated with

a flooding compound that protects the metals from corrosion

and moisture damage.

The outer cable jacket is extruded in the next step. It is

usually made from low-density polyethylene, black in color

and resistant to ultraviolet light in case it is exposed to sunlight. This rugged plastic is the final protection for the

enclosed cable against the environmental conditions

underground or when strung to utility poles.

The jacketed cable then passes through a temperature-

controlled water trough, which cools the jacket. The cable is

dried, and the top layer of the jacket is heated slightly so

that printer markings can be imprinted on it. Because of the


6/13



heating, the markings are stamped into the jacket itself and

will last the life of the cable.

Cables tested before shipping

Upon exiting the jacketing operation, the finished cable is

wound onto metal or wooden reels and then transported to

the final test facility.

Before electrical testing begins, each cable is given a final

test for physical construction. An inspector checks for

proper placement of units, subunits, and spare pairs within

the cable. Electrical tests include a ringout of all conductors

for continuity, and a core-to-sheath test. The core-to-sheath

test measures minimum voltage requirements between the

cable core and the metal sheath; this helps ensure that

high-voltage surges, such as lightning strikes, cannot reach

the conductors. A high-voltage test is also performed, and

all conductors are checked for electrical integrity. Random

tests are performed for mutual capacitance, unbalance, and

resistance.

According to final-test shift supervisor Joe Long, "If there`s a

quality defect, we want to find it first, instead of the

customer. And when we do find a defect, we send a sample

of it, along with any applicable feedback, back through the

production process--to help prevent the same type of defect from happening again."

Preparing the cable for shipment may include sealing the

cable end with a steel or plastic cap, and testing air-core

cables for integrity. Such cables are equipped with valves

so that dry, pressurized air can be pumped into them to

protect them from moisture. Air-core cables are monitored

for 24 hours to ensure that there are no leaks.

Customers may also request that their cables be equipped

with pulling eyes, cleaned ends, or factory

preconnectorization.

Providing quality products and serving the customer are

constant themes as one talks to the operators, supervisors,

and engineers in csi`s pic shop. As a final commitment to

quality, final-test employees sign the customer-response

cards that go out with each order, so that customers can


7/13



Click here to enlarge image


contact the individuals who processed their particular orders

in case there are questions.

Much of the technical information and the graphics in this

article were taken from csi`s company newsletter, csi

Today, and particularly from the four-part "From Copper to

Cable" series run in the March/April to September/October

1996 issues.

Machine operator Reggie Dirks loads a stranding machine

with twisted wire pairs before they are stranded into cable

cores and units.

In the first phase of the manufacturing process, copper wire

is drawn to the proper size in a two-step drawing process,

and then it is annealed and coated with polyethylene insulation. It is tested before passing on to the next

manufacturing phase.


8/13





In the second manufacturing phase, insulated copper wire is

first twisted into wire pairs, and then the twisted wire pairs

are combined by a strander.

Virginia Allwine (foreground) and Nancy Brown (background)

are production specialists who terminate cables using wire

wrap and soldering for Cable Systems International (csi--Phoenix, AZ). The cables are used in customer premises

and central-office applications.


9/13




During the jacketing operation, a cable core may be wrapped

with plastic and armored with metal before the outer

jacketing is extruded. The jacketed cable is then tested,

cooled, and wrapped onto reels.

Does manufacturing matter? The case of crosstalk

We`ve all experienced crosstalk at one time or another when

on the telephone--that annoying situation where you can

hear someone else`s conversation on your line. Several

technical developments have reduced the incidence of

crosstalk on voice circuits, but the key to controlling this

problem remains proper design of the cable.

Crosstalk results when one voice circuit picks up the signal

from another, nearby circuit; the conversation literally jumps

from one wire pair to the other. If each wire pair is twisted at

a different rate, however, the probability of crosstalk

problems is very low.

Administering different twist rates to each wire pair in a cable

begins at the twist operation, where each twisted-pair color

combination is assigned a unique twist gear. This gear

determines the length of each completed twist of the wire

pair. In the following stranding operation, each color

combination is assigned a unique position in the faceplate in such a way that different twisted pairs are grouped with

other pairs with which they are harmonically compatible.

If twist lengths or faceplate positions are accurate, crosstalk

does not occur. If inaccurate, the pair or cable must be

scrapped, because there is no ready method to repair this

problem.


10/13



Essential cabling skill s for the coming zombie apocalypse

Closet cleanup: Before and after photos

EDITORS' PICKS

Cables are tested periodically during manufacture to

demonstrate conformance to the quality standards

necessary to prevent crosstalk. However, only spot

checking is possible, since the crosstalk test takes between

2.5 and 7 hours to conduct.

Where does CSI get its copper?

The amount of copper wire that Cable Systems International

(csi--Phoenix, AZ) produces each week would, if laid end-to-

end, stretch to the moon and back. Most of the copper for

this wire comes from the nearby bhp Mines and the Cyprus

Copper Mines (both in Arizona), where it is refined to a

purity of 99.6% before being shipped to csi. At this point, the

major impurity in the copper is oxygen, which improves the

ductility of the copper. Cyprus and bhp cast and roll their

copper into large coils, which are trucked to csi three at a

time--a 22-ton load.

Cabling Installation & Maintenance

Editorial Mission

Installers of premises and campuswide communications

systems face constantly evolving standards, products and

technology. Keeping pace with these changes requires

access to current information from informed peers who are knowledgeable in fiber and copper technology relative to

premises communications. Cabling Installation &

Maintenance provides peer-to-peer perspective in its

interpretation of standards and technology, its presentation

of installation techniques and in the selection and use of

products in premises communications.

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11/13



11 Steps to Holist ic Data Center Design

Gone by in a whirlwind: 20 dangerous years in the cabling industry

Recognizing the industry's positive contributors

More Tales of Cabling Spaghetti

10 tricks, treats and frights for the cabling industry in 2012

Patrick

McLaughlin

@cablingmag

Matt

Vincent

@CablingTweets

BT's alarmed cables invisibly spray tag malicious cutters of phone, Internet lines

Google hopes Kevlar cabling can avert sharks' fiber-optic Internet feast

Cat 5e vs. Cat 6 vs. Cat 6A - which should you

choose?

Conan O'Brien: Cable installer

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12/13



Best practices for bonding and grounding armored fiber cableMay 1, 2011

Differences between T568A and T568B explainedMarch 18, 2011

Counterfeit cable exposedFebruary 28, 2011

Trends in fiber-optic cabling termination stylesJanuary 1, 2011

TIA-1179 addresses cabling in healthcare facili tiesDecember 1, 2010

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September 24, 2010

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13/13


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How Copper Cable is Made - Cabling Install