Silicone wire: Art Using Custom wire and Cable

Custom wire and cable in art? One usually doesn't think of custom cable and art. From time to time we are contacted by artists looking for custom wire and cable for their art projects which are usually in the way of sculptures. Often times the custom wire is part of the art piece. In 2007 Claude Zervas an artist in the Seattle area needed an extremely flexible wire for an electronic art piece he was working on. The flexible custom wires needed to be placed in a way to be aesthetically pleasing and not to take away from the art piece as the wire becomes a part of the art.

"Since the wire is often exposed and becomes a formal part of the sculpture it needs to have certain physical properties such as color and flexibility. The high flex silicone insulated wire is perfect since it resists kinking and drapes like string or rope" says Claude.

His challenge was "off the shelf" wire was too stiff and could not be draped and arranged properly. The wire Claude chose is a silicone insulated wire with a high strand count conductor. This is an extremely flexible wire which was easy to incorporate into the art piece. Silicone insulation is used in a variety of industries and applications requiring super flexible wire, high voltage or high temperature.

The silicone wire was used in a sculpture commissioned by the King County Arts Commission for the exhibition hall at the Brightwater Treatment Facility (pictured on left). Happy with the performance and look of the wire, he has been using the silicone wire for other art pieces as well.

The photos below illustrate the layout and a close up of Claude's sculpture. The silicone wire plays a part in the design and function of the art piece.

"Diatomoton 5" The layout A closer look at Diatomoton 5

Here's a video of Diatomoton 5 in action:

About Claude

Claude Zervas' artwork uses technology and a variety of media to explore representation of landscape, social ecology, and memory. He creates 2D, 3D, and time-based work using video or custom computer programs. He has stated, “I grew up in a rural part of Whatcom County and I have been greatly influenced by the physical landscape, the social topology, and the transformation of this region. I am interested in how the idea of place evokes emotion, the way emotion affects memory and how memory in turn affects perception.”

After attending art school at Western Washington University Zervas fell into a career as a software engineer, eventually returning to art full-time. He leverages many of the skills acquired from his engineering experience to produce his art. Click here to see more examples of Claude's art.

If you have questions or an application requiring custom wire or cable contact Calmont for assistance. Please feel free to comment or share this article.

D5 from Claude Zervas on Vimeo.

Silicone Wire- Popular Applications of Silicone Insulated Wire and Cable

Silicone insulated wire is a popular choice for a variety of industries due to its operating temperature range, extreme flexibility, and voltage properties. Silicone wire and cable compounds are available in special grades and formulas are available for specific requirements such as, medical grade/implantable, low smoke/halogen-free, increased resistance to abrasion , flame retardant and more.

Silicone wire advantages include:

• Service temperatures from –50 to +200 °C
• Special grades are available for use in a temperature range from –90 to +300 °C
• Excellent aging resistance, even under extreme conditions
• High resistance to many different chemical substances
• Outstanding electrical properties
• Extreme flexibility

Aerospace

Aerospace and space applications often require low smoke halogen-free wire and cable. Silicone insulated cable can be manufactured with low smoke halogen-free grades. Low smoke halogen-free silicone cables offer several advantages over conventional cable products:

• Silicone does not emit any corrosive gases.
• Flame resistance - Ensures reduced flame propagation.
• Halogen-free cables generate little smoke, ensuring clear visibility during fires.

Commonly used Mil-Specs for silicone wire, is the MIL-W-16878

• MIL-W-16878/7 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 200°C, 600 Volts.
• MIL-W-16878/8 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 200°C, 1000 Volts.
• MIL-W-16878/29 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 150°C, 600 Volts.
• MIL-W-16878/30 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 150°C, 1000 Volts.
• MIL-W-16878/31 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 150°C, 1000 Volts, Glass Braid, Abrasion Resistant.
• MIL-W-16878/32 Wire, Silicone Insulated, 200°C, 1000 Volts, Glass Braid, Abrasion Resistant.

Other Mil-Specs using silicone insulated wires with FEP Jacket include MIL-DTL-8777, MS25471 and MS27110.

Medical Applications

Medical device manufactures use silicone insulated wire and cable because can be used in an autoclave, its chemical resistance and ultra flexible nature. Silicone is widely used in applications that include medical robotics, implantable, sensors and handheld devices just to name a few. Silicone wire is also manufactured for medical tubing and is typically used in applications such as catheters, drains, feeding tubes, and peristaltic pumps. Manufacturers considering silicone for these types of applications can choose from special grades that meet stringent health agency requirements.

Automation and Ribbon Cables

Typical ribbon cables are not designed for repetitive flexing. These cables are generally made of PVC which is brittle and not resistant to harsh chemicals. For applications in the automation and robotics industries a cable designed specifically for hi flex applications is needed. Silicone ribbon cables can withstand millions of flex cycles and can be extruded or bonded from as little as two conductors to over twenty and can be manufactured up to 40AWG. Applications such as multi-axis motion systems, robotic equipment, linear motor stages and packaging equipment all require flexible flat cable designed to achieve reliable performance. Silicone ribbon cables are also used in static installations where a flexible cable is required.

Automotive

temperatures, tight spaces, and contact with fluid and chemicals. This type of environment is perfect for silicone wire and cables. Silicone insulated wire is normally used in the automotive industry for ignition, battery and spark plug wire. Custom silicone cables can be manufactured to improve the engine's performance. High performance options for ignition wires can include EMI suppression, Kevlar strength members, fiberglass braid, nickel alloy conductors.

There are many applications suited for silicone wire and cable. This article only named a few. If you would like to discuss your application or have questions, please contact Calmont. Feel free to leave a comment or share this article. To find out more about silicone insulation visit our silicone page or our Insulation and jacket materials page.

Custom wire and cable: Reducing your cost.

With custom cable it is not uncommon to hear “Copper prices just dropped, why didn’t my cable price go down?” Copper prices are a major factor affecting custom wire and cable prices but not the sole factor. Custom cable is normally made to order and many times in smaller quantities which is affected by the prices of materials at the time of ordering. “Off the shelf” commodity wire is usually made continuously and in large volumes which absorb day to day cost fluctuations of copper/metals, compounds and labor/set up keeping the price more stable.

Here are just a few factors which affect the prices of custom wire and cable products

Petroleum prices- Which can range from transport and freight costs to the actual compounds which are made from petroleum products.beside copper:

• Material shortages- An example is the fluoropolymer (FEP), earlier this year due to the earthquake in Japan affected production for Daikin and DuPont which are the only manufacturers of fluoropolymers in the world today. In addition with China cutting back on their fluorospar exports which happened at the same time resulted in an increase of 20-30% for the compounds.


• Material minimums- Custom cable designs sometimes use conductors and compounds which are not commonly used and are subject to minimum buys which are factored into the per foot price of the cable.
• Set up- Setting up equipment takes time and material, the higher the volume the less the set up costs affect final price.

There are ways to help keep your cost down, for example:

• Plan ahead – Placing blanket orders, scheduling orders over multiple shipments over time. Buying higher volumes helps absorb minimums by amortizing material, set up and labor costs. Sometimes the overall cost for ordering 1000 feet is less than ordering 200- 500 feet. Ask for price breaks to evaluate your options.

• Request samples – Custom wire is usually specialized to the design however you can check to see if your manufacture has a similar item they can sample you. This is helpful when you need prototype of proof of concept quantities. Many custom cable manufacturers have sample stock and overruns available which may be similar to what you need.

• Wait for it- If you time to wait, ask your cable manufacture if they have any upcoming jobs using the same material. Running your order along with another may save you on set up costs and/or minimums. It's a long shot, but can be done if your material is a more common one.

• Substitutions- Ask what is driving the price. If a material minimum is involved, find out if there is a substitute material which may be readily available you can use. Sometimes just changing the plating or strand count can make the difference.