Industrial Wire Types: Part 2

Wire Types Part 1:    • Industrial Wire Types: Part 1  

In today’s video we want to pick up where we left off in our last video talking about some of the most common types of wire we see being used today. If you did not see the first part of this series, we will link the video in the description below so that you might better understand the wire types we talked about in that video. If you remember, we talked about a few of the most common types of wire we see used today. THHN, XHHW, and MTW wire, and the wide variety of applications they can be used in. Today, we are going to be talking about some of the more specialty types of wire that are not as common, but are very important for the purposes that they can serve. As I mentioned in our first video, we are not going to be discussing all specialty wire, but some of the more common types, especially wire types that you see being used in industrial applications.

First let’s discuss twisted pair wire. Twisted pair wire is very common in many different applications, but most commonly seen in scenarios where data is being transfer to and from certain locations. It uses two separate conductors for a single circuit. The two conductors will be twisted together. The reason the two conductors are twisted together is to reduce electromagnetic interference or “cross talk” between the two wires. It is common to see twisted pairs being used in place of a coax cable for data transfer. One main reason for this is, is that coax and be fairly expensive, and can also be more difficult to run. Conversly, twisted wire is normally not as thick or rigid, it can more easily maneuver to tough to reach locations, while still providing the same signal protection you might see from coax cable. Twisted wire will always come in pairs, but there are no limits to how many pairs can be included in a single cable. For instance, CAT5 or CAT6 cable which we commonly see used in our home and office networks, uses twisted pair wire. This type of cable has four different pairs of communication lines. This is just one common example of many different scenarios where twisted pair wire can be used.

Now let's talk about shielded wire. It is not uncommon to see wire that has some kind of protective shield around it. This shielding is different from the regular wire insulation that you are used to seeing. This shielding, which is commonly made of a conductive material such as braided strands of copper (or other types of metal), but can also be found in non-braided forms as well, like aluminum and copper tape. The purpose of this shielding is to protect the signal passing through the wire from any outside interference. Unlike with twisted cable, which is trying to eliminate interference among wire being used in the same circuit, shielded wire needs protection from outside interference and from other electrical circuits in the area, like from higher voltage sources.

The last kind of wire I want to talk about today is referred to as tray cable. The NEC defines Tray Cable as a factory assembly of two or more insulated conductors, with or without associated bare or covered grounding conductors under a nonmetallic sheath, for installation in cable trays, in raceways, or where supported by a messenger wire. It is common to see tray cable that has many different conductors that can be used for control wiring, instrumentation and signal wiring as well as many other applications. Tray cable (https://www.rspsupply.com/c-1533-cabl...) is often rated for use in direct sunlight applications, as well as direct burial applications, which makes it very versatile. Because of the potential weight of tray cable, when suspended, it does need to be supported properly to avoid hazardous environments. The types of conductors within tray cable to can vary greatly ranging from THHN wire, to twisted shielded pair. Again, making it a very versatile cable choice for many different applications.

These are just a few of the most commonly used specialty wire types we see used today. As mentioned before, there are many other different specialty wire types available for various different applications.

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