We were contacted by an assembly company doing sub-contract work for one of the dominant agricultural (AG) equipment manufacturers. They brought us into this market leader to help find a solution for the following situation.
Technology has taken a prominent role in the (AG) Agricultural Industry in the past several years with the introduction of control systems that measure and monitor crop management. Large scale AG producers have always been cognizant of the cost effects of poorly planted or poorly managed crops. Now they have the technology to help them manage it.
The Challenge: Introduce a cable system within their budget that provided the best performance and has the ability to withstand the elements.
The cables would be subject to:
- Extreme environments of sunlight exposure
- Hot and cold temperatures
- Movement
- Hydraulic fluids
- Oils and other chemicals often used in farming
- Exposure to corn husks notorious for high levels of abrasion
Our solution involved bringing in two of our many suppliers of advanced jacketing materials to select primary and jacket compounds that would be leading candidates. We evaluated the options, looked at the tests that had already been conducted on these compounds and made a recommendation.
The recommendation selected was a cost effective heavy duty, outdoor grade PVC formulated to withstand extreme environments. The PVC had been cold bend tested at -40°C and was rated for 105°C continuous use. This compound had passed UL sunlight and UV test results and exposure to fuels and oils. The high durometer plastic allowed it to withstand the thrashing by the corn husks.
