Methods of manufacturing wire, wire pre-products and wires
View Patent ↗Exemplary methods for manufacturing a wire and resultant wires are disclosed herein. The method includes extruding a cross-linkable polymer that is substantially free of curing agent about a conductive core, then adding a curing agent to the extruded wire pre-product, then heat-curing the extruded wire pre-product.
1. A method of manufacturing a wire, comprising:
extruding a cross-linkable polymer, substantially free of curing agent, about a conductive core to form an extruded wire pre-product;
adding a curing agent to the extruded wire pre-product, wherein adding the curing agent comprises soaking the extruded wire pre-product in a liquid bath containing curing agent for a time and at a temperature sufficient for curing agent to disperse into at least a portion of the cross-linkable polymer, wherein the time sufficient for soaking is from about 20 seconds to about five minutes, and wherein the curing agent comprises a peroxide; and
heat curing the extruded wire pre-product with the curing agent, wherein a state of cure of at least about 50% is achieved and wherein a cure duration is from about 30 seconds to 30 minutes.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive core comprises at least one of solid or stranded copper, nickel silver, beryllium, phosphor bronze, nickel, copper-clad aluminum, copper-clad steel, aluminum and steel.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive core comprises a semi-conductive material.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein extruding the cross-linkable polymer comprises disposing the cross-linkable polymer in direct contact with the conductive core.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein extruding the cross-linkable polymer comprises heating the cross-linkable polymer to a temperature of at least about 125° C.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the liquid bath is at least about 40° C.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive core has a cross-sectional area of at least about 1.5 mm 2 and wherein heat curing comprises subjecting the extruded wire pre-product to a heightened temperature for time sufficient to form a wire including insulation capable of remaining intact following at least 1500 cycles of abrasion scrapes with a needle having a diameter of about 0.45±0.1mm.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive core has a cross-sectional area of not greater than 0.22 mm 2 and wherein heat curing comprises subjecting the extruded wire pre-product to a heightened temperature for time sufficient to form a wire including insulation capable of remaining intact following at least 150 cycles of abrasion scrapes with a needle having a diameter of about 0.45± 0 . 01 mm.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the heightened temperature is at least about 125° C. and the time sufficient for curing is at least about 30 seconds.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive core has a cross-sectional area of 0.35 mm 2 and wherein heat curing comprises subjecting the extruded wire pre-product to a heightened temperature for time sufficient to form a wire including insulation capable of remaining intact following an abrasion scrape with a 150 J garnet sandpaper with a length of about 250 mm that is exerted with an applied force of at least about 0.63N.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time sufficient for soaking is from about 20 seconds to about one minute, the temperature of the liquid bath is about 80±5° C., and the state of cure achieved is at least about 75%.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cure duration is from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes.