September 2006 Newsletter

Allied Wire and Cable is pleased to introduce its newest online tool: A Lead Time Calculator. You can find this tool on our Customer Tools and Downloads page at www.awcwire.com/CustomerTools.aspx Click on the link and a pop-up window will appear. Select the starting date, enter the number of weeks, hit Calculate, and the date will appear. No more fumbling with calendars!

Also available on our new customer tools page is a history of Copper prices since 2000. This page will be updated twice a month, when the new Camden-Omega Copper Base prices are issued.

Visit www.awcwire.com/CustomerTools.aspx for these great tools and more!

Using irradiated PVC as insulation for hook-up wire has many benefits. Not only can Irradiated PVC Hook-up wire can withstand much higher temperatures than regular PVC insulation but it also has a higher cut-through resistance. Do you know which insulation you should use for your job?

Without bringing back too many bad memories from high school chemistry class, let's take a look at what exactly irradiated PVC insulation is. All plastic materials are made up of large and complex molecules called polymers. A polymer is a large molecule built by repeating smaller chemical units, in this case one carbon atom and two hydrogen atoms, called Polyethylene. Polyethylene is made up of many random molecular chains that have no chemical bonds existing between them. This means that if heat is applied to the material, the molecular chains will be weakened and flow. However, if cross-linking bonds between adjacent molecular chains can be introduced, stability at higher temperatures will increase greatly.

Cross-linking can be accomplished chemically or by irradiation. Irradiation is the preferred method of cross-linking PVC as is does not use high temperatures or pressure and can be done on small conductor sizes. During the process of irradiating PVC, the material is exposed to a controlled beam of electron radiation. Cross-linking provides:

• Higher Tensile Strength
• Improved Abrasion/Cut Through Resistance
• Better Crush Resistance
• Solder Iron Resistance
• Better Overload Characteristics
• Resistance to Stress Cracking
• Iimproved Fluid Resistance
• Slightly Better Flame Resistance
• Negligible Change in Thermal Stability
• Decrease in Flexibility
• Improved High Temperature Mechanicals

• MIL-W-16878/1 Type B = UL 1429
• MIL-W-16878/2 Type C = UL 1430
• MIL-W-16878/3 Type D = UL 1431

As you may remember from our June Newsletter, Allied Wire & Cable held a golf outing which benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We received a follow-up letter recently thanking us for sponsoring 8-year-old Anna's trip to Walt Disney World. We'd like to extend those thanks to our customers and vendors who made her wish come true.