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Environmentally-friendly hook-up wire01 March 2010Halogen-free, lighter, tougher and more durable than PVC, the UL-approved EcoWire insulation formula will help manufacturers and panel builders to meet their WEEE obligations and offer clients a demonstration of their green credentials into the bargainAlpha Wire’s new environmentally-friendly hook-up wire, EcoWire is now widely available from one of our leading distributors of electronic, electromechanical and industrial products – RS Components. Compared with standard PVC-based hook-up wire, Alpha Wire’s new product comes with insulation that is fully recyclable. Using a modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE) thermoplastic that is inherently lighter, tougher and more durable than PVC, EcoWire insulation is halogen-free and contains no heavy metal pigments. The result is UL-approved AWM wire that helps manufacturers meet their obligations under the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations.
While PVC insulation is currently a mainstay of the wire and cable industry because of its mechanical and electrical properties and low cost, it presents environmental concerns. PVC is a halogen-containing material that emits toxic gases, toxic smoke, and toxic acids when burned that are hazardous to health and equipment. Newer materials, principally low-smoke, zero-halogen (LSZH) plastics emit no dangerous gases or smokes when burned. However, the drawback to LSZH is that it cannot be conveniently recycled and reused, and ultimately finds it way to landfill where, like PVC, it will remain for centuries.
The advantages of ‘mPPE’
Alpha Wire’s new EcoWire hook-up wires use flexible Noryl (mPPE) insulation that is inherently lighter, tougher and more flame resistant than PVC. In addition to the environmental benefits noted above, its advantages include better dielectric strength, a similar high flammability rating as PVC (meeting UL VW-1) and a good operating temperature range. Wires and cable with mPPE insulation meet UL 1581 requirements for operation at 80oC and 105oC. With a higher temperature range than PVC, mPPE does not require such secondary processing operations as is required with cross-linked polyethylene.
Insulation made from mPPE can have a reduced wall thickness while maintaining the same electrical properties as PVC. The diameter of equivalent wires can thus be 25% smaller with mPPE. The 1.03 specific gravity of mPPE is also 25 to 40% lower than other insulation materials, such as PVC, polyethylene, and cross-linked polyethylene. Along with the reduced wall thickness, the low specific gravity yields significant weight savings of around 25%. And even with the thinner walls, mPPE offers ten times better abrasion and pinch resistance than PVC.
Perhaps most importantly, mPPE is a thermoplastic that is much more easily recycled because it does not contain hazardous materials.
And the drawbacks?
As you might expect, mPPE insulate wire does have an added cost component. Moreover, it is a new product and risk-averse customers may be reluctant to ‘give it a try’. Alpha Wire says this needn’t be the case as there are several existing applications that should put new users at their ease. The Toyota Tundra, for example, is fully wired with mPPE-based components and seven of the top ten global PC manufacturers have set goals to replace PVC with mPPE-based insulation.
Alpha suggests that potential users conduct a cost-benefit analysis which includes the new insulation’s superior performance, its safety, size, weight reduction and durability characteristics, before making a decision.
RS Components product manager, James Howarth says he is delighted to be able to offer Alpha Wire’s new green EcoWire range. “Customers committed to reducing their environmental impact will benefit from the recyclable properties of EcoWire as well as customers looking for enhanced performance through applications requiring a thinner, more durable wire.”
The initial EcoWire offering available from RS is a UL AWM 11028 hook-up wire in sizes from 28AWG (0.07mm²) to 10AWG (5.37mm²) in a variety of colours.
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