Borouge and Borealis have launched a unique high-productivity, low-voltage cable insulation material that will boost the competitiveness of cable manufacturers.

Making its debut at Wire 2008 exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, the new Visico FX LE8823 grade delivers all-round advances in productivity and cost efficiency, resulting in higher output and increased profitability at the manufacturing stage with knock-on benefits for grid owners and installers, the company said in a statement.

Visico FX is an innovative base material for low-voltage, moisture-cured XLPE cables, which enables faster production of high-quality cables. Its outstanding cross-linking speed is twice that of traditional Visico material and typically more than five times that of grafted XLPE materials.

This allows cost- effective curing under ambient conditions when used in combination with the Ambicat catalyst, resulting in a more efficient production flow by eliminating production steps and speeding up the overall production process.

By removing bottlenecks from XLPE production, Visico FX shortens lead times, reduces manufacturing complexity and lowers the potential for handling-related errors. At the same time, it delivers the environmental and cost-related benefits of reduced energy usage, and minimised handling and production space requirements.

In addition to advances in curing speed, Visico FX improves productivity by delivering a consistent, high-quality product with less downtime required for cleaning. Suitable for running on standard extruder equipment, the new material shares the unique scorch retarder technology of standard Visico material. This creates a smooth production process with minimum change required, higher output and less scrap.

Moreover, Visico FX offers time and cost-saving benefits to grid owners and cable installers. The material gives cables greater flexibility, thus facilitating installation and helping to significantly reduce time and cost.

“This Visico FX innovation demonstrates our commitment to developing products that respond to the business and sustainability challenges facing the wire and cable industry today. The low-voltage cable market in particular faces increasing competition from low-cost producers driving down sales margins. Visico FX gives companies a competitive edge by tackling the need for higher productivity and lower costs while at the same time as addressing environmental concerns by reducing energy usage and waste generation,” said Borouge vice-president for wire and cable Hu Wei. – TradeArabia News Service