Nexans AmerCable, a leading producer of mining cables for North America, has introduced a bright new trailing cable option that helps prevent cable runovers at night or in low-light conditions. The key feature of Tiger Brand ACTIV’LIGHT cables is a string of LED lights running the length of the cable under a clear TPU outer jacket. These LED lights are powered by the electrical field generated from one of the conductors. When the cable is energized and the equipment actively mining, the cable lights up.
“When a trailing cable is run over by a hauler or any other vehicle, the cable sustains internal damage that will soon lead to failure,” said AmerCable Mining Product Manager Gary Mostyn. “ACTIV’LIGHT’s higher visibility should greatly reduce runovers. It also adds an increased safety factor, since it’s easy for workers to see and avoid an energized cable.”
With downtime costs for shovels of around $30,000 per hour and cable replacement time taking at least two hours, ACTIV’LIGHT can make mines more productive, the company said.
ACTIV’LIGHT SHD-GC cables are currently available only for surface mining applications. AmerCable has a Mine Power Feeder version currently in field trials for underground usage.
