Long term hire solution for world leading communications manufacturer
19/10/2015 ICS Cool Energy Ltd
In 2014, fibre optic cable manufacturing was worth over £565 million globally, and throughout 2015 the market has continued to show rapid growth. European temperature control specialist, ICS Cool Energy, has recently supplied a rental solution to a manufacturer of a third of the world's fibre optic cabling to ensure that its production line kept running while a faulty system was replaced.The industry's rapid growth has led manufacturers to invest in cost-effective, reliable and economical temperature control solutions to ensure a steady production line, as downtime is not an option.
The art of manufacturing fibre optic cabling begins with sterile glass tubes, and relies heavily on a rapid temperature control process. First, the tubes are hollowed and exposed to microwaves for six to eight hours, creating thousands of layers within the tubes which allow light to refract through the layers before being exposed to a high temperature furnace where the tubes collapse into a solid under tightly controlled pressures to retain the layered structure. The tubes are then sprayed with glass to provide protection and enhance durability, and hung vertically in a furnace where a thickness of 12microns is extracted at speed to maintain the layers within the tube. The fibre optic is quickly cooled and sprayed with a plastic coating to enhance flexibility, while a UV exposure is used to harden and protect the cable.
ICS Cool Energy has recently supplied a rental solution to a European manufacturer when one of its internal chillers on site failed and couldn't easily be repaired or replaced. Due to the access restrictions on site, ICS Cool Energy's rental team reviewed the site's system requirements as well as access and connectivity, and supplied a powerful 1000kW chiller which would reject waste heat and cool down the glass from 2000°C down to 25°C. Humidity elements were also accurately controlled at 2% to ensure that transmission frequency would be maintained during telecommunications.
Russ Baker, Rental Sales Director at ICS Cool Energy, explains: "The rental package was supplied in two stages: the initial 1MW package was utilised to maintain production levels, and a further 500kW seasonal package was supplied to support the site during the summer to compensate against the higher seasonal ambient temperatures."
For more information, please visit: www.icscoolenergy.com
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