Southwire Company, LLC

Southwire Corporation

Richard R Miller

William K Hardin

Henry L Adams

David Brian McCardel

Edwin H Grant, Jr

Flexible indicia bearing labels are placed on armored electrical cable at spaced apart intervals while the cable is being moving continuously from an armoring station to a takeup reel or accumulator. A label dispenser places labels in a U shaped recess of a body which is moveable toward engagement with the cable. Opposed rollers fold one edge of the label over into engagement with the surface of the cable and the other edge of the label over onto itself in overlapping relationship. The cable is passed through a heat tunnel to shrink the labels into tight engagement with the cable. A controller monitors movement of the cable and controls actuators for applying and folding labels onto the cable at spaced apart intervals.

Labeled armored electrical cable

Method for applying coded labels to cable

Flexible indicia bearing labels are placed on armored electrical cable at spaced apart intervals while the cable is moving continuously from an armoring station to a takeup reel or accumulator. A label dispenser places labels in a U shaped recess of a body which is moveable toward engagement with the cable. Opposed rollers fold one edge of the label over into engagement with the surface of the cable and the other edge of the label over onto itself in overlapping relationship. The cable is passed through a heat tunnel to shrink the labels into tight engagement with the cable. A controller monitors movement of the cable and controls actuators for applying and folding labels onto the cable at spaced apart intervals.

Machine applied labels to armored cable

A color coded flexible armored cable includes a tubular sheath formed from a metal strip having a continuous, non-patterned, non-conductive color coating applied to the entirety of an abraded outer surface of the strip. The color coating is of a predetermined precise thickness and includes a polyethylene based wax lubricant in a percent by volume of about 0.45 to 0.55. The strip is formed into helical convolutions having a cross-sectional shape which provides for overlap and interlocking of adjacent convolutions and contact between adjacent convolutions along a helical line such that, upon bending the sheath, the convolutions remain in contact at a trailing edge of one convolution and the inner surface of an adjacent convolution in a way such that the color coating is not scraped off of the outer surface of the sheath. The sheath is preferably formed such that the number of convolutions per unit length of sheath is maximum for sheath flexibility and retention of the coating on the outer surface of the sheath.

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Carrollton, GA, United States of America

Richard R Miller