xxx Wire & Cable Technology International/September 2013

“Linked” Together for 30 Years

How It StartedIt all started at Electronized Chemicals Corporation

Europe (ECCE) in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. ECCE, a daughter company of the USA-based High Voltage Engineer-ing Corporation (HIVEC), was a manufacturer of a wide range of irradiation cross-linked heat-shrinkable tubing, which was made of E-beam irradiation cross-linkable compounds. HIVEC was a pioneer in the field of E-beam (electron beam) irradiation technology. The company was co-founded by Dr. Robert van de Graaff, of Dutch decent and a famous physicist who designed and constructed the well-known Van De Graaff Generators.

On November 7, 1983, Ron Goethals joined ECCE and worked there as R&D Manager during a period of several years. Jacob Steendam joined ECCE some two years before as Sales and Marketing Manager. Their never-ending drive for success contributed to the growth of ECCE’s heat-shrink business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Going Independent Shortly after 3M did acquire the heat-shrink division of the

HIVEC group in 1989, Goethals and Steendam decided to stay linked together by establishing their own, but independent heat-shrink tubing factory: Plastronic Holland BV. They did choose to use the Sioplas cross-link system, a technology based on silane-grafted polymers, which would cross-link in a humid environment. The development of highly flame-retarded Sioplas-based compounds, appeared to be a complex matter for the manufacturing of heat-shrinkable tubing, at that

by:Ron GoethalsInhol BV/PTLZuidergracht 12‚ NL-3763 LV Soest, The Netherlandswww.inhol.com

The story of two “adjacent chains”, still operating successfully and smoothly among “cross-linked” products, after three decades.

moment in time. Despite a period of struggling, Plastronic Holland BV was able to develop and introduce a successful range of polyolefin and e-beam irradiated elastomeric and fluoropolymer-based heat-shrinkable tubing.. These products got specified in various applications at leading companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Audi, Philips and Texas Instruments.

In those days, Plastronic Holland BV was the first company ever, achieving an UL-VW1 approval on heat-shrink tubing, which was based on silane-grafted polymers. The company’s turnover was booming. Joint ventures and participations in eight companies in the Far East, Australia, Europe and the USA were the result. Looking back, Goethals and Steendam consider these days as their ‘wild west’-period, as working and travelling often covered 80 to 100 hours of their working weeks. In the year 2000, Raychem, nowadays part of the Tyco Electronics Connectivity Group, acquired the company in The Netherlands, shortly after Goethals and Steendam had sold their shares to another participant in their company.

Exploring Accumulated TechnologyIn the year 2000, Goethals and Steendam established Inhol

BV/PTL. Their focus would now be: explore the heat-shrink know-how and technology, and to capitalize their global network. In that same period, the ‘tandem’ picked up a clear signal from the market—the increasing demand for high-temperature and fluid-resistant wire and cable compounds for harsh applications. With their knowledge, it was clear that they would focus on cross-linkable compounds.

Initially, Inhol BV/PTL concentrated on the development of E-beam irradiation cross-linkable compounds. The industry, however, continued to ask for silane-grafted and peroxide-based compounds. These requests and the limited number of installed E-beam facilities in the European and USA cable-industries, recently made Goethals and Steendam decide to also start developing compounds, based on these other two cross-link technologies.

Crosslinking in GeneralBy means of cross-linking, polymer chains are linked to-

gether by a kind of bridges (links), known as cross-links. One of the main effects is that the polymer chains lose their ability to move as individual chains, if the temperature rises above

1. hollow metallic sphere (with positive charges).2. electrode connected to sphere, brush ensures contact between the electrode and the belt.3. upper roller (non-metal).4. side of the belt with positive charges.5. opposite side of the belt with negative charges.6. lower roller (metal).7. lower electrode (ground).8. spherical device with negative charges, used to discharge the main sphere.9. spark produced by the difference of potentials.

Schematic view of a classical Van De Graaf Generator.

Heat-shrinkable tubing.

Example of a three-dimensional

network.

September 2013/Wire & Cable Technology International xxx

“Linked” Together for 30 Yearsthe normal melt temperature of the polymer. Each chain of the polymers is locked. In other words: Cross-linking creates a three-dimensional polymer network.

Some advantages and safety effects of cross-linked cable insulation and jackets are:

• No or reduced dripping during burning, therefore reducing flame spread.

• Reduced wall thickness can be realized.• Improved abrasion resistance.• Better stress crack resistance.• Improved oil and fluid resistance.• Increased heat resistance.• No short circuits caused by melting.• Imparting of shape memory for heat shrink products.

Main Cross Link Technologies In the wire and cable industry, three main cross-link tech-

niques are applied in order to cross-link polymers:• E-beam irradiation cross-linking.• Silane (moisture) cross-linking.• CV (peroxide) cross-linking.In a nutshell, the main advantages (noted as +) and disad-

vantages (noted as –) for each of these technologies can be summarized as follows:

• E-beam irradiation cross linking:+ Widest range of polymers (from simple PE up to Fluorpolymers, such as PVDF and ETFE) available, for cross linking by this method.+ Extremely fast cross-linking method (full cross-link reaction achieved in less than 1 second).+ High processing speeds (even over 3500'/1000 m per minute) achievable.+ Equipment lifetime: over 25 years, if well maintained (= low depreciation costs).+ Low cross-link cost per kg (or lb), during the lifetime of the E-beam.+ No investment needed if processed at specialized external ‘E-beam irradiation centers’.– Considerable initial capital investment needed (for in-house cross linking).– Slightly longer lead times, due to logistic processes (only valid if cross linked at specialized external E-beam irradiation centers).– Large area ( a protective bunker) needed.

• Silane (moisture) cross linking:

+ Moisture (even available in an ambient environment) needed only.+ Relatively short lead times (in-house cross linking

possible).+ Can cross link in ambient temperature.– Slow cross-link process (days to weeks, depending on humidity and wall thickness).– Only a relatively small range of polymers are avail-able for this cross-link process.– Rather complicated compound design and compound production process.– Serious scrap rates due to premature cross link-ing (gel formation) may

Schematic view of a Dynamitron

(picture by IBA, manufacturer of

E-beams).

Left: stress cracks (after heat-shock) on noncross-linked in-sulation; Right: no stress cracks on cross-linked insulation.

A look at the scan-horn, the exit for the free electrons at the end of the E-beam, and the

under-beam handling system.

Silane (moisture) cross-link-ing: only humidity needed.

xx Wire & Cable Technology International/September 2013

“Linked” Together for 30 Years ...continued

occur, due to moisture pickup prior to or during the extrusion process.– Less control on final cross-link degree (when buy-ing ‘ready-to-use’ commercial compounds from the market)

• CV (peroxide) cross linking:+ Reasonable, but limited range of polymers available for this cross-linking method.+ Relatively short lead times (in-house cross linking).– Relatively complicated compound design and com-pound production process.– Reduced production output rates, due to low extru-sion temperatures.– Serious scrap-rates due to premature cross linking (gel formation) if temperature, residence time and selected peroxide are not in balance.– Considerable initial capital investment needed.– Large area needed for the CV-lines, which can be over 100 m (330') long.

Markets

During all these 30 years, Goethals and Steendam have traveled to many cities in most of the industrialized coun-tries. This has definitely contributed to the understanding of the customers’ needs and as a result to the development of a wide range of halogenated and non-halogen wire and cable

compounds. These compounds find their way as insulation or jacketing in cable constructions in various markets, such as offshore, shipbuilding, appliances, automotive and the defense industry.

Not too long ago, the two PTL compounds, RDX 42759 and RDX 42759-1, got approved at a few Chinese institutes and Inhol/PTL got the green light to supply these modified cross-linkable ETFE-based compounds to the leading wire and cable factories in the Chinese aerospace industry. Con-structions according to SAE-AS-22759 (formerly known as MIL-W-22759) are covered by these high-end compounds. Since then several shipments of these two E-beam irradiation cross-linkable compounds found their way to the Chinese aerospace industry. The compounds can withstand tempera-tures up to 300°C for a short period.

More good news was received last June during the wire Russia 2013 show in Moscow. In their booth, Goethals and Steendam got the confirmation that these two XL-ETFE com-pounds also got approved for the Russian aerospace industry.

Ron and Jacob appeared to be very proud, as Inhol BV/PTL is now considered to be the number two in the world which is able to supply these compounds .

Three Major Product Lines Looking at the three major product lines, nowadays In-

hol BV/PTL develops and sells cross-linkable compounds, heat-shrink technology and test equipment to the wire and cable industry.

The cross-linkable compounds find their way to com-panies many companies such as General Cable, Nexans/Berktek, Belden, Tyco, Huber + Suhner and NKT.

Inhol’s heat-shrink technology includes the design of heat-shrink manufacturing equipment such as expansion lines and also flattening machines to produce flat (heat-shrinkable) tubing for printable identification sleeves.

Test EquipmentIn 2012, a new design of the Hot Set/Hot Creep Test-

ing oven with sliding-side-door and a laser-measurement system was introduced. Since then this oven, meeting IEC 60811-2-1 and ICEA T28-56 specifications, has been sold to many wire and cable related companies. Customers such as Coficab, Condumex, Elsewedy, TKF and LEONI, as well as E-beam radiation service-centers like Beta-Gamma-Service (BGS) and Leoni-Studer have installed this oven in most of their lab and production facilities.

A few years ago, Goethals and Steendam managed to get the global sales-rights for Inhol BV/PTL to sell the ‘globally standardized’ abrasion test device for testing the abrasion resistance of insulated (automotive) wires ac-cording to ISO 6722-1. Nowadays, all (global) automotive wire manufacturers including companies such as Delphi, Yazaki, Condumex, Coficab, LEONI, Cabelauto, Acome and Prysmian/Draka have this compact and robust device installed in their laboratories for QC checks or compound development. In the past couple of years, Inhol BV/PTL has supplied a few dozen of these reliable units worldwide.

InnovativeCreative thinkers see the invisible, feel the intangible

and achieve the impossible. Promoting E-beam crosslinking is in the blood of Goethals and Steendam.

A CV-line (picture by Nokia Maillefer).

The cross-linkable PTL compounds are approved in aerospace, solar, railways, defence and shipbuilding

wire and cable applications.

Almost a Perfect MarriageThe fact that, occasionally, Ron calls Jacob ‘Ans’ (the

name of Ron’s wife) and Jacob calls his wife Marja ‘Ron’, clearly shows that these two entrepreneurs are linked for life and almost consider themselves as a perfect married couple. However, when traveling together on joint business trips, they clearly stated that they don’t share their beds.

During all these 30 years Goethals and Steendam have been operating as adjacent chains. The difference in character, strength and views combined with mutual trust, creativity, humor, will and very hard work made them succeed. In the past decades and still today, their contribu-tion to conferences and co-organizing seminars helps the industry to understand, use and promote cross-linkable cable compounds to improve safety and the environment.

The FutureContinuation of their partnership and close cooperation

with well-selected compounding specialists in the field of cross-linkable and specialty compounds, will contribute to further innovative design of compounds for railways, aerospace, shipbuilding, offshore and many other markets.www.inhol.com WCTI

For that reason, Inhol BV/PTL recently successfully teamed-up with E-beam Services, Lebanon (OH), USA and a few other experts in the cable industry (including IBA, General Cable and UL) to organize a Crosslinking and Innovation Summit. This summit will take place on October 23 and 24, 2013, in Mason (Cincinnati), OH, USA. It will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn and can be attended at no cost. Details can be found at the website: www.cross-linkingsummit.com

The Inhol BV/PTL flattening line for identification sleeves is considered as the global standard for

this piece of equipment.

The succesful design of the Hot-set/Hot creep testing oven with extra sliding-side-door to keep the

temperature at a constant temperature.

The global standard device for testing the abrasion resistance on automotive wire according to ISO 6722-1.

September 2013/Wire & Cable Technology International xxx

January 1990: Jacob (r) and

Ron (l) working on their

business plan for Plastronic Holland BV.

August 1995: Jacob (r) and Ron (l) signing the contract to start Plastronic Malaysia JV Sdn Bhd, which

was officially opened by YB Datuk Leo

Moggie, Minister of Energy, Telecommu-nications and Post in Malaysia in June “96.

Jacob Steendam & Ron Goethals: today (left-right, above picture) and

30 years ago (top-bottom, right pictures).