The environments where our cables ultimately end up are often filled with harsh chemicals and exposure to the elements. These are the environments we fabricate in our lab. In doing this we can confidently say that our cables sustain the toughest of environments.
Fluid Resistance
Conduct long term testing of cable submersed in various fluids to check physical (elongation & tensile strength) and dimensional (overall diameter) stability. Cable that swells or becomes brittle would fail this test. Download Quabbin Fluid Resistance Test Report
Kocour Plating Thickness
The Kocour 6000 is a coulometric tester we use to determine the thickness of the tin plating on our copper wire. A coulometric tester uses electrolysis to determine the amount of matter added or lost when a current is passed through a substrate by measuring the charge produced in coulombs. To complete the test a technician prepares a sample of wire by cutting the ends and submerging it in a solution of HCL (hydrochloric acid) to start the tin removal process. As the plating is being removed a series of electrical charges are sent through the wire. When the voltage changes abruptly the plating has been removed and the tester can determine from the charge lost the thickness of the tin plating down to micro inches (.000001 inches).
So what does all this chemistry talk mean for our product? In simple terms, it allows us to quickly and efficiently test our copper wire to determine if the tin plated wire we receive from the manufacturer is good to use. Inconsistencies in the tin plating can lead to attenuation or signal loss which obviously isn't ideal when we are talking about data cables. By having the ability to conduct this test on premise we can save valuable time when troubleshooting a malfunctioning wire as well as spot check for consistency in the supplies we order.
