New Generation Benchtop
Cut and Strip Machine from Contax

Contax Ltd - UK

23 January 2008

Available from production automation system specialist, Contax Ltd, is the new generation Komax Kappa 330 series benchtop cut and strip machines. The new, restyled, Kappa 330 is the first machine of its kind to provide fully automatic set-up. Built on a host of new technological advancements, it provides greater flexibility coupled with faster and more powerful performance.

Compared to the current Kappa 235, the new Kappa 330 is able to process a larger range of sizes and variety of different materials. As all the wire outside diameter, and inside conductor diameter, measuring is done automatically it offers very rapid setup and changeover, leading to higher throughput and more economical use of product.

At the heart of the Kappa 330 are new intelligent sensors for the automatic detection of the conductor diameter. Until now, benchtop cut and strip machines have relied on the accurate measurement of the wires. The machine would then be programmed and set-up to cut the insulation without damaging the conductor.

However, using the new Kappa 330 series machines, any gauge of wire from 0.22 mm to 35 mm squared with an outside diameter of up to 16 mm, can be automatically measured by the sensor. Whilst new motor and power control systems ensure very fast acceleration speeds of up to 4.0 m/s.

The Technology
The Kappa 330 uses a scanning laser to measure the outside diameter of the insulation. This avoids the problem of any mechanical system that might distort soft materials and provides a contact-free, highly accurate, measurement.

To measure the conductor inside the insulation, the wire is passed through an induction coil. As the conductor is insulated, the high frequency signal is induced onto the conductor inside the wire. The wire passes through a wire guide-tube, where a second coil de-couples the signal. As the cutting blades are connected to the earth, as soon as they make electrical contact with the inner conductor the induced signal is grounded. Thus, at the precise moment the signal disappears, the machine records the position of the blades. An offset is then automatically added so that material tolerances are taken into account. In this way the machine knows how deeply it can cut in to the insulation without touching the conductor when in its production mode.

This complete process is performed during the ‘zero cut’ function. This is the process of ‘trimming’ the end of the wire to provide a clean 90 degree cut and confirm the exact position of the wires end cut.

In addition to the new technologies, there have been a number of other enhancements to the Kappa 330 series. Aesthetically, the outside of the machine has been restyled to provide a more contemporary look and feel. The display and keypad have been replaced with a larger, high resolution touch screen, that has been ergonomically positioned for easy use, so improving the user interface and making operation easier.

The drive roller opening/closing system has been replaced with powerful ‘snap open/closed’ pneumatics, with the user option of either drive rollers or belts to move the material through the machine. The new Kappa is fully Ethernet compatible, with a USB socket for flash memory sticks or other USB devices.

“This is a real leap forward in wire processing,” said Phil Shorten, Wire Processing Machine Group Director at Contax Ltd. “Any gauge of wire can now simply be put into the machine and processed perfectly first time. No data is required and no special training needed. The machine simply does the whole job.

“To anyone experienced in traditional benchtop cut and strip technology this would seem to be impossible,” he continued. “But by using the two technologies and specialist sensors, the Kappa 330 has the impossible fitted as standard. This is really the ultimate in new generation benchtop cut and strip machines, he concluded.