Sikora and Jiangxi Cable are supporting the modernisation of the production line

Jiangxi Cable Co., Ltd., founded in 1969, is a subsidiary of Jiangxi Copper Corporation Limited, which is listed on the Fortune Global 500. The company manufactures more than 100 varieties of high-, medium- and low-voltage cables. Driven by growing domestic demand for extra-high voltage power grids, Jiangxi Cable began a reconstruction and expansion project for its 500 kV EHV cable production in 2023. The project involves the installation of two VCV lines for EHV cables. The specifications for insulation eccentricity and homogeneity of wall thickness for these cables are significantly higher than for ordinary cables. As a result, the integrated measuring and control devices used on the lines must provide advanced technology, reliable performance and precise measurements.

Sikora initiated its cooperation with Jiangxi Cable more than twenty years ago. X-RAY 8000 systems have been operating successfully on Jiangxi Cable’s CCV and VCV production lines for many years. Based on Jiangxi Cable’s recognition of Sikora's technical reliability and professional service, the company decided to equip each of its two new VCV production lines with two specialized systems: an X-RAY 8000 Advanced at the beginning of the line and an X-RAY 8700 NXT at the end.

Measurement at the hot end of the line

Installing the X-RAY 8000 ADVANCED at the hot position of the production line enables real-time measurement, recording and display of cable wall thickness, eccentricity and diameter. Operators can use the measurement data to adjust cable parameters quickly, which reduces start-up adjustment time for eccentricity and avoids excessive raw material consumption.

The X-RAY 8700 NXT, installed at the cold end of the production line, measures the eccentricity and wall thickness of the outer shield, insulation layer and inner shield of the cooled cable. This supports timely detection and adjustment of potential deviations during production, minimizes errors caused by manual sectioning and observation, and helps ensure that cables delivered to customers meet the required quality standards.

Reducing material consumption during start-up

"In the current fiercely competitive market, reducing costs and increasing efficiency are key focuses for every cable manufacturer," says Mr. Liu, Chief Engineer at Jiangxi Cable. "After using Sikora's X-RAY 8000 for many years, we believe that the systems can effectively reduce material consumption during start-up eccentricity adjustment. Once production starts, only 10-30 meters of cable are needed to adjust the eccentricity to within 4%. Without the precise measurement and control by this system, it might require consuming more than ten times the material to achieve the same quality standards."

The X-RAY 8000 Advanced and X-RAY 8700 NXT systems from Sikora provide continuous monitoring of the cable production process. According to the supplied information, the systems support product quality while improving production efficiency and raw material utilization, thereby strengthening users’ competitive advantages.