Flexible connections made of flat and round strands bend in all directions

Current strips made of copper strands have many advantages due to the wide range of bending options. Current strips produced in this way bend both vertically and horizontally, as well as sideways, practically in every plane. The flexibility of the current bands is ensured by the use of flat copper strands, which consist of several flat strands (depending on the required total cross section) of a certain length. They are finished with a flat end of pressed copper tube. The length of the ending, popularly called “ferrule”, usually depends on the width of the connection.

Simple connections made from flat strands and round ropes

One of the biggest advantages of these connections is the fact that they are very flexible and therefore easy to assemble. The bending possibilities of the connections are shown in the following figure:

With these simple connections, the flexibility of the current strips made of round copper cables was compared. As you can see, the mobility of a round rope power cord is of great importance and allows for balance that is difficult to achieve with standard flat strand power cord. Of course, with stretch bands (which this picture does not show), there is not even the slightest lateral bend in the current band.

In both cases, the cross section of the current band is the same (the thickness of the clamps does not change). The only important thing is the application and how important the flexibility of the power band is. The current strips that we produce for steel furnaces serve as an example of the application.

To produce flexible current strips made of copper strands, strands are used, which are a braid of copper wires made from the best copper-Cu-ETP. As a rule, these are wires with a diameter of 0.2 mm. The strands are manufactured in different cross-sections, from a few to a few dozen, or even a few hundred mm2.

Flexible current bands type V

Flexible current strips made of copper strands can be manufactured in various ways according to the customer's wishes. We have often made non-standard power cords with very atypical ends. The image below shows a V-type power strap characterized by a single ferrule (wide) at one end and two ferrules at other ends. Connections of this type allow connection to a current band with widely spaced power outputs. Of course, due to their flexibility, the current bands also have a large bending range, practically in every direction.

Due to the advantages, current bands made of copper strands, which are slightly more expensive than the expansion bands, are very popular with customers. What you should pay attention to when manufacturing these current straps is the ferrule. Due to the mobility of the power strip, it should be manufactured so that the ferrule does not damage the fine copper wires (0.2 mm). To do this, attach the clamp from the inside at the right angle. Power strip prepared in this way ensures a long service life, regardless of vibrations and movements of the connection. As you can see in the picture below, thanks to the ability to bend flexible power strips in opposite directions, assembly is very simple and efficient, even if the cables were designed to be extremely inconvenient. It is also important that the power strips are made from copper strands and round copper cables with a small supply. This reduces the risk of the current bands being incorrectly matched to the current outputs.