Electric.ie Issue 39 May-June

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 11 Precision Cables The Real Thing - Precision Cables Launch Genuine CPR Compliant Draka Cat.6 U/UTP Cca D64 Cable ”›•‹ƒ ”‘—’ǡ –Š‡ ™‘”Ž†ǯ• Žƒ”‰‡•–…ƒ„Ž‡ ƒ—ˆƒ…–—”‡” ƒ† ”‡…‹•‹‘ ƒ„Ž‡• ƒ”‡ ’Ž‡ƒ•‡† –‘ ƒ‘—…‡ –Š‡ Žƒ—…Š ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‡™ ”ƒƒ ʹͰͰ Ͳͳ ƒ–‡‰‘”› ͢ Ȁ ͢͠…ƒ „ƒŽƒ…‡† ͜͜͝‘Š –™‹•–‡† ’ƒ‹” †ƒ–ƒ…ƒ„Ž‡Ǥ The new cable has been developed by the Multi Media Solutions business unit to comply with the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) to Euroclass Cca s1a d1 a1 Ƥ”‡ ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡ ”ƒ–‹‰ǡ ’”‘˜‹†‡ ƒ high degree of usability including deployment from a 305m Reelex® box and deliver full Category 6 / Class E compliant electrical performance. CPR for cable products that are permanently installed in buildings has been in force since July 2017. CPR requires third party testing ‘ˆ…ƒ„Ž‡• ™‹–Š ƒ ‘–‹Ƥ‡† ‘†› ˆ‘” heat-energy content, plus spread of Ƥ”‡ǡ •‘‡ǡ ƒ…‹†‹–›ǡ Š‡ƒ– ‡‹••‹‘ and droplet formation (burning †”‘’• ‘ˆ ’Žƒ•–‹…–Šƒ– •’”‡ƒ† Ƥ”‡Ȍǡ –‘ ‡•—”‡ –Š‡› ‡‡– Ƥ”‡ ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡ requirements laid out in EN 50575, the product standard for all cables. ‘ ‡‡– –Š‡•‡ •–”‹‰‡– Ƥ”‡ •ƒˆ‡–› tests, the existing Draka Cat.6 U/UTP Eca cable needed to be redesigned, as did others on the market. An example of one of the challenges for manufacturers has been to balance the volume of air spaces within the cable, necessary to achieve category 6 transmission characteristics, whilst at the same time minimising potential for the air –‘ Š‡Ž’ ’”‘’ƒ‰ƒ–‡ –Š‡ •’”‡ƒ† ‘ˆ ƒ Ƥ”‡Ǥ The industry has been faced with a dichotomy: Optimisation of the cable †‡•‹‰ –‘ ƒ…Š‹‡˜‡…ƒ…Žƒ••‹Ƥ…ƒ–‹‘ǡ but fail the electrical tests or vice versa. Draka has invested considerable resources in developing a new Cat. 6 U/UTP Cca cable that meets both criteria without compromise: high data transmission levels are maintained and the cable is genuinely CPR Cca rating compliant, even when used from a Reelex® box. This has been achieved through a range of material engineering developments, optimisation of the cable …‘•–”—…–‹‘ †‡•‹‰ ƒ† Ƥ‡ –—‹‰ of the manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the new cable remains compact, with a diameter of just 5.9mm, and a high degree of ƪ‡š‹„‹Ž‹–› ˆ‘” ‡ƒ•› ‹•–ƒŽŽƒ–‹‘Ǥ ”ƒƒ …Žƒ‹• –Š‡”‡ ‹• ‘ ˜‹•‹„Ž‡ †‹ơ‡”‡…‡ǡ ‘” †‹ơ‡”‡…‡ ‹ Šƒ†Ž‹‰ ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡ǡ to its existing high density Eca rated cables. “The Multi-Media Solutions –‡ƒ Šƒ• •’‡– ‘˜‡” ͱͤ ‘–Š• working on solving the challenge of manufacturing a Euroclass Cca rated Cat.6 U/UTP cable product, which meets the industry requirements of a high-density cable outside diameter and box deployment” states Neil Mabbott, Multi-Media Solutions UK Technical Director. “It has not been easy, especially to produce a cable that can withstand the Reelex/installation-simulation tests. Prysmian Group is the biggest cable manufacturer in the world and we have used its full resources, with a large number of people working on this project. We are delighted that we now have a solution which is ͱͰͰτ ”‡Ž‹ƒ„Ž› –‡•–‡† „› ͰͲ ͱͰ ‘–‹Ƥ‡† ‘†‹‡• ƒ†…ƒ „‡ †‡’Ž‘›‡† from a Reelex box.” “However, as part of the process many other supposed Cca rated Cat.6 U/UTP cables from the market were third party tested, and all failed to meet the CPR …Žƒ••‹Ƥ…ƒ–‹‘ •–ƒ–‡† ‘ –Š‡ manufacturers Declaration of Performance. This is particularly worrying when you consider Cat.6 U/UTP is one of the most popular cable products in Europe. Buying cable from a recognised, trusted company is therefore essential.”