October 7, 2009 - Mission-critical electronics may fail if electrical conductors are damaged during the wire stripping process. To combat this serious problem and the high cost to manufacturers of rejected wire, IDEAL launched WireMaster benchtop wire and cable stripper employing CO2 laser light technology. Providing the perfect solution for quick, precise and repeatable stripping and slitting, the WireMaster's non-contact laser vaporizes insulation off wires as small as 0.001-inch, while harmlessly reflecting off the metal conductor to prevent damage.
Any diameter or length wire is safely stripped in seconds, from single conductors and multi-core, to twisted pairs and coaxial cable, making it the smart solution for high-volume, quality-sensitive electronics manufacturing.Traditional means of wire stripping, such as mechanical, thermal or chemical, may cause damage to the underlying conductor that lowers its mechanical strength. As a result, the damaged wire will break when handled by the assembler or during use.
In a medical or aerospace application this means a potentially life-threatening situation.Because it can hold tolerances as tight as 0.001 inch, the WireMaster is suitable for mission-critical aerospace and medical equipment, as well as PC interconnects, automotive, and defense applications. Precise control of the laser's cutting size, depth and orientation minimizes the possibility of finished product defects and allows the WireMaster to meet the rigorous quality requirements of the FAA, NASA and the DoD. Another important factor in the WireMaster's success is its ability to both strip and slit longer length wires so that the ends can be simply removed by hand.
This step does away with the need for Exacto knifes or tweezers that routinely damage conductors when misused. Slit variations are selectable to the user's precise requirements, including strip and slit, spiral slit and radial slit.The WireMaster furthers productivity gains with its ability to strip single wires in under one second with 100% reproducible results. Changeovers are equally fast, taking less than ten seconds or approximately half the time of standard strippers. IDEAL is offering the WireMaster in two models: the 45-560 laser wire stripper and the 45-561 laser wire stripper with slitting capabilities.