UK cable maker cuts costs and boosts production

The company replaced the control system on two insulated cable-making lines, resulting in a 29% increase in the number of reels produced during an eight-hour shift.

The new system controls the wire tension and maintains the correct drawing diameter as the wire is pulled through an extruder, while running at an increased speed of 1,800 metres per minute.

The new SCADA system, supplied and installed by ABB’s Engineering Centre in Coalville, controls two AC500 programmable logic controllers (PLCs) on each line. The PLCs are linked by ProfiNET to five variable speed drives (VSDs), rated between 4 kW and 60 kW, each of which control the speed of AC motors. A smaller VSD is used to control the positioning of the water trough that cools the extruded wire.

Upgrading the motors and drives has reduced energy costs by £16,000 a year across the two lines, says ABB.