Mineral Insulated
Cable Company
Limited
21 Sedling Road
Wear East Industrial estate
Washington
Tyne & Wear NE38 9BZ UK
Ultrasonic Cable End Stripper
UCES-400
Quick Start Guide
The Copyright is the property of MICC Limited
This document is supplied by MICC Limited on the condition that it may not be copied or
disclosed to others except for distribution as directed by or as authorised in writing by MICC
Limited
Mineral Insulated Cable Company
Introduction
The MICC UCES-400 uses powerful pulses of Ultrasonic energy to strip the sheath from
mineral insulated cable. The ultrasonic energy transfers to the insulation on contact and decompacts and liquefies the powder, which escapes from the end of the cable. The result is that
all the powder in the stripped section is cleanly removed leaving the conductors completely
untouched. The whole action is completed in seconds (in the case of small cables in a fraction
of a second).
The only preparation needed prior to stripping is to ring through the sheath at the break point
(up to 25mm from the cable end).
All cable sizes can be accommodated up to 6.0mm (or ¼”)
The machine is supplied with a ringing tool and a pair of electronic side cutting pliers for the
smaller sizes.
Quick Start Instructions
Warning – Do not handle the Sonotrode during operation. The ultrasonic energy can produce
serious burns if the Sonotrode is touched. Treat it as you would a hot soldering iron.
Connections
Position the motion Head and the generator on a firm benchtop. There will be an accumulation
of powder when stripping cables. Make sure the generator is sufficiently spaced from the
motion head to avoid powder penetrating the case.
Connect the cable with the D plug to the rear of the Generator and the socket labelled ‘To
generator’ on the motion head.
Connect the footswitch cable to the back of the motion head ‘footswitch’ socket.
Connect the motion head power supply to the connector marked ‘DC 12V’
Connect the generator power out (BNC connector) to the Sonotrode BNC connector.
Operation
The machine is simple to operate and retains its settings when switched off. This is useful for
batch operation when stripping a large number of similar sized cables.
Plug-in the motion head power supply only. There will be a few seconds delay as the Motion
Head Control Program initialises. There will be a continuous clicking noise as the servo adjusts
internally.
Depress the footswitch. The Sonotrode will move down between the jaws of the cable guide.
Turn the grip control and observe the position of the Sonotrode. This can be set to just hold the
cable being stripped.
The cable guide is not a vice it is used to prevent the cable from jumping out from under the
Sonotrode during the stripping action. Set the guide to just wider than the cable diameter. The
cable should move freely in and out between the jaws.
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UCES-400 Quick Guide 28/07/17
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Mineral Insulated Cable Company
When you are satisfied with the grip setting and the guide width turn on the generator.
Machines Pre 17/03/2017:
The only control that needs altering is the energy ‘E’ setting.
With the generator ‘on’ rotate the control dial until the Welding menu shows on the display. The
energy reading has 2 figures. These 2 figures form the range of energy. They will stay at the
last values set even if the power is turned off.
It is best to leave the left hand side figure set to zero and adjust the right hand side figure to the
recommended target points mentioned below. This will allow the energy to raise up to its target
point. In most cases the unit would have stripped by the time it reaches the target (right hand
figure). However if you would like to be more specific with the range of energy then please alter
the left figure for your lower point. The energy will then start at this figure and raise up to your
set target point. Because there are various variables concerned It may initially take a small
amount of experimenting to get the settings correct on the machine for your spec of cable.
Every size cable is not the same… as an example they can have thicker sheath material or an
increased number of conductors.
To change the setting - push the control in one click. Highlight the setting that you wish to
change and press the control in one more time. You will then be able to adjust that setting.
Turn the dial to raise or lower the Energy setting. Then push the control in one click again to
confirm. Turn the dial to the left and you will end up back at the main screen. The main screen
is used as a monitor and will show the settings in use and the energy output at the time of use.
You may need to experiment with values however the following settings are a good guide for
target points.
1.0mm cable use around 40W
3.0mm cable use around 100W
6.0mm cable use around 300W
Be careful not to grip the smaller cables too tightly as the sheath will collapse and damage the
conductors.
Depress the footswitch with the cable in position. Release the switch when the stripping action
is complete.
If required to reset the grip during use, flick the power ‘output’ switch at the top left of the motion
head to ‘off’
There are four mechanism affecting the stripping action1.
2.
3.
4.
The cable size
The length being stripped
The powder density (Supplier dependant)
The ‘grip’
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Mineral Insulated Cable Company
There is a great deal of tolerance in the power settings for the above parameters. It does not
damage the cable to use more power than necessary however the cable sheath will distort
significantly if the ‘grip’ is too tight for the cable size in use. This will result in a collapse of the
sheath due to ultrasonic impact, which can damage the conductors.
Always use the lowest ‘grip’ that the cable will allow.
Machines as of 17/03/2017:
The procedure is the same as above other than the generator now automatically applies the
correct ultrasonic energy without the need to adjust the ‘Energy’ setting.
With the generator turned on there is no need to do anything other than flick the US switch
located on the front of the mechanics. This will remotely enable the ultrasonic energy when the
footswitch is pressed. The generator is factory set to be fully automated. It will apply the
correct energy based mainly on the cable material density which is related directly to its
diameter. There are possibly two parts of the procedure that will affect the output of energy at
the sonotrode. These are…how tightly the cable is held in the guide and how far the sonotrode
is lowered on to the cable.
In all software revisions of the generator there is 1 other setting which can be handy when
stripping small cable sizes. This is the Amplitude setting.
Highlight the Amplitude setting by rotating the dial to the right. Press in the dial to enter the
Amplitude menu. Press in the dial one more time to highlight the setting. You can then rotate
the dial to adjust the setting. Press the dial in to save your setting. To exit, turn the dial left
until the main screen is reached.
The Amplitude is adjustable from 50 – 100% only.
Try lowering this figure if you are seeing cable distortion when stripping small cable sizes. It will
limit how far the mechanical part of the transducer moves.
Cables below 3.0mm will readily strip 25mm or more of sheath in one shot. To strip long lengths
of cable above 3.0mm diameter several sections can be removed in successive shots.
Service Manuals
UCES-400 Quick Guide 28/07/17
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Mineral Insulated Cable Company
A separate document details the functions and specification of the Ultrasonic Generator. It is
not necessary to learn any of the instructions in this document, which is provided for service
use and repair only.
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UCES-400 Quick Guide 28/07/17
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