How can control cable manufacturers ensure the quality of their products?

The quality of control cables directly affects the safe and stable operation of power systems and industrial automation equipment. Therefore, manufacturers need to strictly control the entire process, including raw material procurement, production techniques, quality control, and testing and certification. The following are the key measures for control cable manufacturers to ensure product quality:

1. Strict screening of raw materials

Conductor material

High-purity oxygen-free copper (purity ≥99.95%) or aluminum conductors should be given priority to ensure excellent electrical conductivity, low resistance and strong corrosion resistance.

Strict tests are conducted on the diameter, surface finish, tensile strength and other indicators of the conductor to eliminate impurities, oxidation or wire drawing defects.

Insulating material

High-quality insulating materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), and polyethylene (PE) are adopted, with attention paid to parameters such as heat resistance grades (such as 70℃, 90℃, 105℃, etc.), insulation resistance, and aging resistance.

Require suppliers to provide material testing reports and conduct regular sampling and retesting of insulating materials to prevent problems such as breakdown and aging caused by substandard materials.

Sheath material

Select the appropriate sheath material (such as flame-retardant PVC, low smoke zero halogen materials, etc.) based on the cable's usage environment (such as outdoor, damp, oily, etc.) to ensure that its mechanical strength, weather resistance and flame retardancy meet the standards.

Second, refined control of production processes

Conductor twisting

Precision stranding equipment is adopted to control the stranding pitch, direction and tightness, to prevent the conductor from loosening or breaking, and to ensure the flexibility and structural stability of the cable.

Insulation extrusion

Optimize the parameters of the extrusion die to ensure uniform insulation layer thickness, no bubbles and no eccentricity (eccentricity ≤10%), and monitor the thickness fluctuation in real time through an online thickness gauge.

Strictly control the extrusion temperature and cooling rate to prevent the insulation layer from carbonizing due to overheating or stress cracking caused by uneven cooling.

Cable formation with wire cores

Design a reasonable cable-forming structure based on the cable specifications (such as the number of cores and cross-sectional area), and adopt processes such as filling and tape wrapping to enhance the cable's roundness and anti-vibration performance.

For multi-core cables, the cores are distinguished by color codes or numerical numbers to avoid wiring errors.

Sheath extrusion

Ensure that the protective sleeve tightly wraps around the wire core, has a smooth surface without cracks, and the thickness complies with the standard (such as GB/T 9330), and whether there are micro-hole defects is detected through the spark test.

Iii. Full-process Quality Inspection System

The main inspection items in the inspection stage include inspection tools/methods and standard basis

Raw material storage conductor DC resistance, insulation material thermal aging performance, sheath flame retardant grade resistance tester, aging chamber, flame retardant testing machine GB/T 3956, GB/T 2951

Process insulation thickness, eccentricity, cabling pitch, stranding tightness projector, thickness gauge, pitch measuring instrument GB/T 5023, JB/T 8734

Finished product inspection: Withstand voltage test (AC/DC), insulation resistance, sheath mechanical property withstand voltage tester, insulation resistance meter, tensile testing machine GB/T 12706, GB/T 3048

Type tests, long-term aging tests, short-circuit tests, combustion performance (such as flame retardancy, low smoke zero halogen) aging chambers, short-circuit testing machines, combustion test devices GB/T 19666, GB/T 17650

Sampling inspection structural dimensions, conductor breaking force, finished cable bending radius calipers, tensile testing machines, bending test devices IEC 60227, IEC 60502

Iv. Standardized Management and Certification

Quality Management System certification

Through the ISO 9001 quality management system certification, Shenhua Electric Group (Anhui) Co., Ltd. has established a fully traceable process from order to delivery, recording information such as raw material batches, production equipment parameters, and test results to ensure that problems can be traced quickly.

Product Certification

Domestic market: Obtained CCC certification (Compulsory Product Certification), and complies with national standards such as GB/T 9330 "Plastic Insulated Control Cables".

International market: It has passed CE certification (in compliance with the EU CPR regulations), UL certification (in line with the standards of Underwriters Laboratories in the United States), etc., meeting the access requirements of different regions.

Compliant production

Strictly implement national standards (GB), industry standards (such as JB/T) or international standards (IEC), and eliminate cutting corners (such as insufficient cross-sectional area of conductors or too thin insulation thickness).

V. Equipment and Technology Upgrade

Intelligent production equipment

Introduce automated production lines (such as high-speed stranding machines and intelligent extruders) to reduce manual operation errors, enhance production efficiency and process stability.

Online monitoring technology

The production process is monitored in real time through equipment such as laser diameter gauges, infrared thermometers and partial discharge detectors, and non-conforming products are removed in a timely manner.

Application of New Materials

Develop or adopt new materials that are resistant to high temperatures, oil and electromagnetic interference (such as silicone rubber insulation and metal shielding layers) to meet the demands of high-end industrial scenarios.

Vi. After-sales Service and Continuous Improvement

Quality traceability and feedback

Establish a customer feedback mechanism to respond quickly to after-sales quality issues, analyze the causes and improve the process (such as optimizing the shielding structure to solve signal interference problems).

Regular performance verification

Regular sampling and re-inspection of inventory products are carried out. The lifespan of cables is tested by simulating actual usage environments (such as high temperature and mechanical stress) to ensure long-term reliability.

Employee training

Regularly organize production and quality inspection personnel to participate in industry technical training to enhance operational skills and quality awareness, and avoid quality risks caused by human factors.

Summary

The quality assurance of control cable manufacturers is a systematic project that needs to run through the entire chain of "materials - processes - testing - management". Through strict supplier management, refined production, full-process inspection and standardized certification, manufacturers can ensure that their products meet the requirements of safety, reliability and durability. At the same time, through technological innovation and continuous improvement, they can adapt to the demands for high-performance control cables in fields such as new energy and intelligent manufacturing.