Among the variety of new products that the specialist cable manufacturer HEW-KABEL of Wipperfürth, Germany, will be exhibiting at SPS IPC Drives (November 28-30 in Nuremberg) are modified PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) ultra-thin yet highly resistant insulators and HEW-SILENT technology, also PTFE-based, to minimize microphonic effects when transmitting low signals. In addition, at booth 2-339 in Hall 2, they will be showcasing other specialty cables and wires for various industrial market segments, including automotive, aerospace, medical technology, robotics, instrumentation and control, sensors, and the oil and gas industry.
For multi-core cables with the smallest diameter,
HEW-KABEL's new modified PTFE combines, for the first time, excellent performance properties with reliable processability, even in extremely small dimensions. Its mechanical strength and electrical resistance are superior to conventional PTFE at the same service temperature range (+260°C to -190°C), with the same temperature and chemical resistance, and with consistent and good high-frequency properties (permittivity and dielectric loss factor). This means that the new specialty PTFE is suitable for producing insulators that can be made much thinner than previously possible, without compromising application properties.
The potential is demonstrated by a pilot application in the form of a multi-core cable for the harsh environment of oil production. By switching to the new modified PTFE, HEW-KABEL was able to reduce the thickness of the insulators from 0.16 mm to 0.10 mm, enabling a 10% reduction in the cable diameter. In addition, the new cable offers almost twice the flex fatigue resistance of the previous design - without any change in cross-section, dielectric strength, chemical resistance, or tensile strength.
Optimized Low Signal Integrity:
The HEW-SILENT technology developed by HEW-KABEL significantly contributes to preventing microphonic effects in signal cables and thus to optimized signal integrity, for example, in medical and measurement technology. Such effects can occur with cables under mechanical stress when a conductor or shield rubs against a non-conductor. The resulting electrical charges, despite their small size, can be so problematic that they interfere with equally small, useful signals. HEW-SILENT technology minimizes the occurrence of such electrical charges and is suitable for both coaxial cables and twisted and multi-core cable assemblies. The
technology is based on PTFE-based conductive tapes with a particularly homogeneous surface resistance in the low Ohm range. To manufacture these tapes, the company has developed a special production line that allows it to consistently meet stringent quality requirements. In addition, in-house production allows for great versatility in the design and dimensions of a wide variety of products. Thanks to its excellent plasticity, even complex geometries, such as the surface of a cable shield, can be replicated. Furthermore, due to the in-house development of specialized technologies, HEW-KABEL can apply very thin conductive layers with a high degree of uniformity.
The effectiveness of HEW-SILENT technology is demonstrated, for example, by its application to a twisted-pair cable, where the microphonic effect was reduced from a critical 1.4 pC – with the same cable design – to approximately 0.2 pC. As a result, additional measures proved unnecessary.
