Bristol/UK (AMI) – The 8th AMI International Conference on Cables (15 to 17 April 2008) was the most successful event ever. Kerry Satterthwaite (AMI Consulting) gave an excellent overview of the European cable industry. Restructuring in the European cables extrusion industry has paid off – 2007 saw a dramatic improvement in profits.
A primary focus of the conference was flame retardant performance under the new European Construction Products Directive (CPD). Wire and cable is now considered a building material under EU law. This new legislation classifies cables by their fire safety performance and the testing protocols are still being worked out as described by Terry Journeaux of Prysmian Cables and Systems. “The challenge is to develop repeatable and reproducible standards so that accredited laboratories all give the same fire classification for the same cables. He detailed the European reaction to fire classification of cables under the CPD in 2008.”
New materials for cables were introduced at the conference including high performance polymers for the cables industry (Evonik Degussa), co-polyester resins for demanding cable applications (DSM Engineering Plastics), and recyclable polypropylene wire for automotive applications (Dr. Lee, LS Cable Ltd of Korea). Dow Wire & Cable is working on innovative new polyolefin compounds to meet the needs of the international cables industry. Innovation challenges in the wire and cable market were discussed by Robert Tarimo, Market Manager from Dow Europe in Switzerland.
Dr. Gunter Beyer of Kabelwerk Eupen has been working on nanocomposite flame retardants for the cable industry. In his more than 30 years' experience, layered double hydroxides have a major synergistic effect with halogen and non-halogen flame retardants. They appear to act by altering the degradation pathway and imparting barrier properties. Daniel Calveras of General Cable, one of the world's largest cable extrusion companies, followed up by describing General Cable's use of nanofillers in high performance medium voltage power cables.

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