Fuse cutting wire rope
Fuse cutting wire rope is a process where electrical energy is used to cut a conductive wire or wire rope. It is a method most often used for wire rope in the medical, robotic, and aerospace industries. The process can be performed manually or automated with the proper equipment. Fuse cutting is commonly used on wire rope with a diameter of .005 - .375 inches.
At Enter Automation our specialty is in the micro-cable range, but we service the entire range. Both our automatic and manual machines can control the issues that arise with very high strand counts on micro sized wire ropes. This is where many other cutters struggle, as not all wire strands are consistently captured in the weld.
There are many benefits to using a fuse cutter built by our team at Enter Automation.
How does fuse cutting work?
Fuse cutting is a process performed by delivering a high current to a wire rope in between two electrodes. The high current raises the temperature of the material and melts it, fusing both ends. To keep the process as safe as possible, the electrical power is provided by a very low voltage source. The voltage source is most often a specialized transformer with devices to control the output energy. The size varies depending on the application and material.
What materials can I cut?
The fuse cutting process is most often used on steels, but can be adjusted and optimized for most conductive materials. Some examples of the materials Enter Automation has dealt with include galvanized steel, aluminum, different grades of stainless steel, and tungsten. Please reach out to us if you are wondering if the process can be adjusted to your materials.
Are there any similar processes to fuse cutting?
The most similar process to fuse cutting is fuse and tapering. Similar to fuse cutting, the process will weld the end of a wire rope together but with a less aesthetic appearance. The outcome and use case of each cutting process varies depending on the customer requirements and individual machine design.
Fuse cutting leaves a smooth and rounded tip, ideal for medical purposes, assembly and aerospace. The wire tip is generally slightly larger than the diameter of the wire rope off the cutter, but this can be corrected through post processing.
Fuse and tapering of a wire rope leaves a triangular tip that is a smaller diameter than the wire rope but still prevents it from unraveling by twisting while applying electricity. The tip of the wire has more sharp edges and less of a smooth finish when compared to fuse cutting. Fuse and tapering is generally used for construction, machinery and industrial purposes on larger size wire rope.
Read more about the benefits of fuse cutting, to see how it can improve your manufacturing process. If you are wondering about how automation can be combined with fuse cutting, please see this article
