How Copper Cable Is Made

How copper cable is made - Cabling Install
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How copper cable is made
MAGAZINE
September 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
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The first step in the manufacturing process takes place at

wire draw #1. Here 15,000-pound coils of 5/16-inch (or 2
MORE
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-5/issue-9/contents/design/how-copper-cable-is-made.html[2/12/2015 9:32:07 PM]
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 14awg 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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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."

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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.
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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.
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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
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, multiunit 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 gelfilled 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 temperaturecontrolled 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
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
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.
Click here to enlarge image

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.

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.

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.
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-toend, 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.
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Installers of premises and campuswide communications
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How copper cable is made - Cabling Install

FEATURE STORY: Forecasting the cabling

The first step in the manufacturing process takes place at

http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-5/issue-9/contents/design/how-copper-cable-is-made.html[2/12/2015 9:32:07 PM]