Choosing the right jacketing material for cable construction not only has a major influence on in-service performance, it can also have a significant impact on the 'Total Cost' of cable installation. Providing the outer protection of cable, the jacket needs to fulfil a range of essential installation requirements such as safety, reliability and longevity. In addition, material handling and processing characteristics play an equally important role in the selection of jacketing materials as they are critical to efficiency and cost of the cable production process.
Through the development of it's own bimodal polymerisation technology, Borstar, Borealis has taken the lead in creating state-of-the-art jacketing compounds for the complete spectrum of Wire & Cable applications. The benefits of these unique bimodal materials over standard polyolefins include improved processing, mechanical toughness, improved environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), substantially reduced shrinkage and improved barrier properties allowing for increased productivity and a more consistently high quality cable jacket.
- Jackets for energy cables
- Jackets for communications cables - copper telephone cables
- Jackets for communications cables - fibre optic cables (underground, overhead or subsea)
- Jackets for communications cables - radio frequency cables for mobile phone antennas
- Environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR)
- Weather resistance
- Resistance against filing compounds
- Heat deformation resistance
- Abrasion resistance
- Low friction for easy pulling at installation
- Low water absorption
- Surface hardness
- Low shrinkage
- Good processability
- Improved processability allowing for higher productivity
- Superior mechanical properties and toughness
- Significant improvement in ESCR properties
- Improved barrier properties
- Reduced shrinkage
