Advancing composite manufacturing through custom wire solutions

The composites industry is a strategically significant market for Pelican Wire (Naples, Fla., U.S.). Specializing in custom wire manufacturing, the company focuses on crafting solutions using fine gauge copper and copper alloy wires, along with high-temperature insulation used in resistance heating. These solutions serve diverse applications, including resistance heating, temperature measurement, sensing and hook-up wires. The company’s capabilities across engineering and manufacturing enable it to address a range of needs — from commonplace uses, such as low voltage wires, to more niche requirements.

Pelican Wire’s familiarity with the composites sector is demonstrated through instances where it has been involved. Examples span from aerospace applications to providing resistance wires for wind turbine blade molds, supplying wires for heating blankets and delivering thermocouple wires for temperature monitoring in ovens and autoclaves.

In one instance, Pelican Wire was approached by a company facing a distinct challenge — it needed help obtaining a specific resistance wire for a composite mold heating requirement. The confined space within the customer’s mold required a meticulous approach to heat generation. The design engineer group, equipped with details about the power source, wire length and target temperature, began to formulate a solution for the customer. A combination of alloy selection, gauge determination and strategic stranding techniques was selected as a result — in addition to the selection of proper insulation for the wire, considering the wire’s small outer diameter because of the narrow dimensions of the mold’s channels. The insulation’s custom violet shade was selected to facilitate easy differentiation from other wires in the customer’s inventory.

This example is typical of how the process works at Pelican Wire — the company transforms customer concepts into tangible solutions. The team of engineers collaborates to utilize the company’s manufacturing capabilities, encompassing custom wire stranding, polymer insulation extrusion and insulation methods involving tapes, glass, textiles, as well as serving and braiding techniques. Its collaborative approach promotes the delivery of tailored solutions, aligned with the unique needs of each customer.