Due to its good physical, chemical, electrical and flame retardant properties, PVC has been used as cable insulation material since the 1930s and 1940s. With the improvement of production capacity of PVC resin, plasticizers, and industrial additives and the promotion, application and development of new varieties, the cable industry has made a qualitative leap.
Entering the 21st century, with the enhancement of human awareness of environmental protection and people's concern for their own health, environmental issues have become the focus of human society. Many countries, regions and organizations have formulated strict standards and regulations to restrict the use of hazardous substances, especially ROHS and REACH regulations. In order to find new methods and new technologies, improve resource utilization, and adapt to the requirements of environmental protection laws and regulations, environmentally friendly PVC cables came into being and quickly became one of the themes in the current development of PVC cables.
The increasing changes and expansion of cable market demand, as well as in-depth research on various new PVC additives (such as flame retardant additives, smoke suppressants), have promoted the promotion and application of new technologies, new materials, and new products for PVC insulated cables. Among the organic materials (such as plastics and rubber) used in large quantities in the cable industry, PVC cables occupy the first place.
Currently, the applications and requirements for cable materials vary greatly among different cable manufacturers. Some large cable manufacturers with higher reputation and higher quality have higher requirements for PVC materials. In addition to meeting the standards for soft PVC plastics for wires and cables, product performance also proposes technical indicators such as density, hardness, economic performance, and product process performance requirements. Some smaller cable manufacturers are participating in fierce market competition with low-priced materials. Therefore, in addition to requiring product performance to meet assessment indicators, the cost of materials should also be considered.
In short, PVC wire manufacturers have different requirements and developments for PVC materials at different times in order to reduce the cost of production materials, improve economic benefits, and adapt to market demand and competition. In the past 20 years, the development and application of PVC materials have generally gone through stages such as ordinary PVC, flame-retardant PVC, lead-free PVC, and technical special PVC.