Self-supporting cables and an apparatus and methods for making the same

Abstract

Cables and an apparatus and methods for making cables having at least one messenger section, transmission sections, and at least two series of connecting webs. At least one series of webs can be intermittently formed. The messenger sectioncan include a messenger wire for supporting the cable, and the transmission sections can include electrical/electronic and/or optical transmission components. A method of making cables may include the steps of pulling cable components through a melt cavity having a molten jacketing material therein; defining at least three cable sections by coating the cable components with the molten jacketing material; monolithically forming at least two series of connecting webs made of the molten jacketing material between each cable section during a web-forming mode; and defining intermittent webs by forming longitudinal gaps between the webs of at least one of the series of webs during a gap-forming mode by switching between the web-forming and gap-forming modes with respect to the at least one series of webs. The apparatus includes a melt cavity associated with a die orifice having web-forming sections, and gap forming parts associated with the web-forming sections, the gap forming parts being operative to block the flow of the cable jacketing material for forming gaps defining the webs.