A New Breed of
Halogen-Free Category Cable
General Cable 2010
Agenda
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What are halogens?
Why are halogens used in category cables?
What defines a “green” cable?
A new breed of halogen free cables
What are Halogens?
What Are Halogens?
• Halogens
– Group 17 on the Periodic Table
• Chlorine, Fluorine, Bromine, Iodine, Astatine
– Highly Reactive
• Produces bio-accumulative toxic chemicals
• Fire – hydrogen chloride/flouride/ bromide/iodide
– Water – hydrochloric/flouric/bromic/iodic acids
• All of which can be considered toxic to the
environment and humans in sufficient quantities
Why are Halogens Used in
Category Cables?
• Materials that contain halogens
Compound
Use
Polyvinyl Chloride
(PVC)
Jacket (CMR & CMP)
Fluoropolymers (FEP)
Plenum (CMP) Insulation
Flame retardants
Cross-web members, insulating
materials, and jackets
What defines Green for Data
communication cables?
? RoHS – Restriction of hazardous
substances (European standard)
? Recycled Material – copper, packaging
(Cardboard, plastic)
? Reduced Material – scrap reduction,
smaller diameter cable
These are all environmentally responsible,
but what makes the cable itself green?
USGBC announces LEED Pilot Credit
• What is LEED?
– “LEED is an internationally recognized green building
certification system, providing third-party verification that a
building or community was designed and built using strategies
aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that
matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions
reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and
stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”
• LEED Pilot Credit 2: PBT Source Reduction:
Dioxins and Halogenated Organic Compounds
– Aimed at reducing PBTs (persistent bio-accumulative toxic
chemicals), associated with the life cycle of building materials,
including electrical wiring and cable jacketing
* Source: USGBC. Please see LEED Pilot credit for complete details.
Introducing 17 FREE™:
A New Breed of Halogen-Free Cables
GenSPEED® 17 FREE™ CMR rated cable uses a halogen
free jacketing compound to replace the traditional PVC
jacketing compound
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Halogen-free
Reduced Toxicity
More environmentally friendly
Increased flexibility over European LSZH products
for easy installation
Benefits of a Halogen Free Cable
GenSPEED® 17 FREE™ CMR cables are electrically and
physically equivalent to traditional cable
Traditional Category
5e CMR
GenSPEED® 5000
CMR – 17 FREE™
-25
-45*
UL 1666 CMR
Rated
Meets Cat 5e
Electrical
Requirements
Meets UL 444
Physical
Requirements
Cold Bend Failure
Temperature (°C)
*17 Free has improved cold bend characteristics
Acidity Indicator Test
IEC 60754-2 Halogen Acid Gas Evolution Testing
The closer the pH value is to
zero, the more acidic
6
Recommended
pH = 4.3 or <
5
5
4
3
2
1.45
1
0
Traditional Cat 5e CMR PVC Jacket
Compound
New GenSPEED® 17 FREE™ CMR
Jacket Compound
Benefits of a Halogen Free Cable
FAQ
• Can a product be LEED certifed?
– No. The USGBC does not certify products. Thus, if you buy 17
Free cable, you will not necessarily get a LEED credit. It is
simply a halogen free cable that should be helpful towards the
LEED Pilot Credit 2: PBT Source Reduction: Dioxins and
Halogenated Organic Compounds.
• Why not just use low-smoke, zero-halogen cable?
– LSZH is a European standard that is not listed as a UL 1666 CMR or
NFPA 262 CMP ratings. Typically, LSZH category cables are more
expensive and difficult to work with. The compound that produces the
low-smoke attribute tends to be stiff and adds to the cost increase of
approximately 30-40%.