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Five Questions to Ask Before Choosing a New Cut and Strip Machine
By Pete Doyon, VP Product Management, Schleuniger, Inc.
A lot of time and effort often goes into nding the right equipment for your facility. Purchasing a new wire cut and strip machine is no different. With so many options, you may be wondering where to start. Asking these ve questions during the decision-making process will help ensure that you end up with equipment that ts all of your needs.
Will my new cut and strip machine be exible enough to process all of my current and future applications?
Unless you’ll be running the same few jobs day in and day out, you’ll want a machine that is as exible as possible. It’s best to focus on the extreme ends of the application range with regard to wire and cable size. For example, if the largest wire you currently process is 10AWG, determine whether there’s a chance you’ll need to process 8AWG or larger wire in the future. You should also determine whether there’s a chance you’ll require advanced features like a multi-blade cutterhead for processing multi-conductor cable jackets and inner conductors, or a rotary incision unit to make radial incisions through the various cable layers when processing coaxial and other multi-layer cables. Preparing for future needs during the equipment selection process will ensure that you to get the most out of your purchase.
Figure 1: It’s important to consider the pre- and post-processing accessories that are compatible with your new cut and strip machine.
How long will changeovers take and are tools required?
Most modern cut and strip machines are fully programmable; however, there are always several job-speci c mechanical parts (e.g., guide tubes, blades, etc.) that have to be changed out between jobs. Changeover times can be minimized if these changes can be accomplished without tools. The smaller your batch size, the more frequent your changeovers will be. So, cut and strip machines with shorter changeover times will provide a quicker ROI, as well as continue to pay dividends over the life of the machine.
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