NEW NO-LEAD VINYL INSULATION COMPOUNDS WIN UL RATING

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Alternative Versions of Widely Used Teknor Apex Compound Are for Industrial Equipment and Control Wire, Appliance Wire, and Outdoor Flexible Cord

PHILADELPHIA, November 17, 2003: Two new vinyl insulation compounds provide the high level of electrical performance needed in wet-location industrial and appliance wiring yet contain none of the lead-based heat stabilizer formulations conventionally used in wire for such applications, Teknor Apex Vinyl Division announced today at IWCS (Booth 407).

Apex (R) 80853C and 80853F compounds have achieved Underwriters Laboratories listing for continuous service at 75 and 105 deg. C in wet and dry locations, respectively, in wire designated in the National Electical Code (NEC) as THWN. This is nylon-jacketed, vinyl-insulated building wire used in wet locations, typically for industrial-equipment applications such as control wires for motors. Other wet-location uses anticipated for the compounds include machine-tool wiring (MTW), appliance wire (AWM), and outdoor flexible cord (STW), according to Donald G. Ouellette, industry manager.

“Of the applications for which Apex 80853C and 80853F compounds are appropriate, motor control wire presents the worst-case scenario in that its vinyl insulation is thinnest, making high levels of insulation resistance and dielectric strength of critical importance for good performance in wet locations,” Ouellette said. “The electrical properties of our new compounds are equivalent to those of Apex 853, a lead-stabilized compound that has long since proven its reliability in the same applications.”

Lead-based heat stabilizers have been widely used in conventional vinyl insulation and jacketing compounds because they provide PVC polymer with high resistance to thermal degradation, which can compromise electrical performance. “The development of Apex 80853C and 80853F compounds is the latest achievement in a longtime program at Teknor Apex to eliminate lead-containing additives from its compounds,” said Ouellette. “A wide range of our wire and cable products are now free of lead stabilizer yet provide electrical properties as good as or better than the compounds that they have replaced.”