There is a growing interest in environmental safety protection throughout the electronic industry. A lot of work has been done over the last few years to produce materials there are kinder to the environment.
This has been achieved to a large extent with the protection of electronic cables. A few environmentally-friendly materials that don’t contain leads or halogens are now used.
As these wires don’t contain lead, there is no environmental pollution caused as a result of lead elution. As these contain no halogen, there is a great reduction of harmful matter produced when the material is thrown away.
Among the most popular type of halogen-free wires are polyurethane (PUR) wires. This material has several other qualities that makes it a great choice for wire insulation.
What is Polyurethane (PUR)?
From extremely low or high temperatures, polyurethane is known for its extreme toughness, flexibility, and flex life. Because of the excellent ratings for chemical, water, and abrasion resistance, this material works well in retractile cord applications and can be a good option for salt-spray and low-temperature military purposes.
Difference between PUR cables and PVC cables
There are two main cable insulation types: polyurethane (PUR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PUR cables are flexible, halogen-fee and silicone-free cables. They are oil and flame-resistant. Their flexibility makes them highly suitable for use within machine tools, robotics and metal cutting manufacturing.
PVC cables are cheaper-to-use and are therefore more common. They have a wide range of applications. They are more suitable for more basic uses, such as packaging machines, production lines, or within the food and beverage industry. Although a PVC cable jacket have impressive resistance to acids and alkalis, their resistance to oil and stronger chemicals are limited.
If you’re among the many industries work with mineral oils and alkalis under difficult environmental working conditions, it’s likely you’ll require electrical cables to perform to high standards, where abrasion, flexibility, and oil resistance have to be guaranteed. In these situations, polyurethane cables are the best solution.
What is Polypropylene (PP)?
Polypropylene (PP) has a lot of similarities to Polyethylene, although the temperature range in which it is safe to operate is wider (typically around 30C to 80C). For this reason, PP is often used over PUR within thin walls. All of these cables have similar characteristics as more conventional vinyl-covered electrical wire. It’s likely that they would all make good environmentally-friendly materials for protecting your electrical wire.
Tags: Electronic Cables
