Raw Material

American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. uses only the best available copper and aluminum. In order to attain 100% conductivity, more than 99.9% pure continuous cast copper rod is imported from Australia, Indonesia and Taiwan. Prime EC Grade Continuous cast aluminum rod likewise must be in virgin form and is imported from Bahrain, Taiwan, Indonesia, Venezuela and Norway. Both aluminum and copper are subjected to tensile strength and elongation, conductivity and purity test before use.

Insulation & Jacketing Material

One of the least acknowledged, yet one of the most important aspects of wire and cable manufacturing is the material used for insulation and jacketing. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is both purchased in the Philippines and imported from the United States. Only reputable sources are considered for the best grade PVC. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) for jacketing telephone cables and insulating aluminum conductor and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for telephone wire singles are imported from the European Community and the United States. For higher temperature ratings and for fluid resistance in power cables, cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) is used. Another material, nylon, is used as an outer jacket over PVC on building wires for the manufacture of THHN.

Wire Drawing

To provide high quality, concentric wire, American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. uses micro-processor controlled, multi-wire drawing machines. Natural diamond and poly-crystalline dies through which the material is progressively drawn are utilized and serviced regularly to ensure accuracy of the completed copper or aluminum strand.

Extrusion

Extrusion is the process whereby the various thermoplastic compounds are melted and applied precisely as a concentric insulation layer over a conductor. American Wire & Cable Co. Inc., accomplishes this with the most modern computer controlled equipment in the Philippines. Pelletized compounds are automatically loaded into a heated barrel with a feed screw, precisely mixed under pressure into a molten state, and forced through a die over the conductor. American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. was the first manufacturer in the Philippines to install a computer controlled telephone extrusion line in order to meet stringent international standards. Tandem extruder lines are also employed for the manufacture of THHN building wires.

Cabling

Cabling is the manufacturing process where various insulated wire or sub-components are twisted together into a more complex construction. These may be as simple as twisted pair, or as complex as a 2,400 pair telephone cable. In order to provide the best service to their customers, American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. was the first manufacturer in the Philippines to install a fully automated Cortinovis Group Twinner. Computer controlled automatic loading and high speed capabilities ensure their users that dependable, high quality cables are delivered in a timely fashion, surpassing international quality standards.

Stranding

Individual copper and aluminum conductors are stranded together in a precise lay to add strength and flexibility. For aluminum conductor, certain types require steel wire reinforcing strength and stretch resistance, also known as Bare ACSR.

Tensile Tester

American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. maintains the highest standard for product quality and performance. The first computer controlled tensile testing equipment for the wire and cable industry in the Philippines was introduced by American Wire & Cable Co., Inc. This provides the customer with a variety of quality assurance documentation and a record of the performance curve for copper, aluminum insulating and jacketing material.

Sievematic Computerized Test System

Computer controlled test equipment for telecommunication cables is used to perform automatic measurements of conductor resistance, resistance unbalance, capacitance and capacitance unbalance, crosstalk, and attenuation of the cable. The Sievematic guarantees the performance characteristics of the cable since all measured values are compared to standard specification. Non-conformance to the requirements are clearly marked and stated in the print-out of the test data.

Nikon Profile Projector

In order to guarantee the accuracy and concentricity of extruder applications, the profile projector is used to view the cross section, surface and contour of the insulation.

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