Accurate Lay Length Measurement is Critical in Category Cable Quality and Performance

May 18, 2013

Beta LaserMike, a leading global provider of precision measurement and control solutions, recognizes that the accurate measurement of lay length in twisted pairs is a critical factor in Category cable performance. The latest LayScan system from Beta LaserMike enables telecommunication cable manufacturers to dramatically improve product performance, quality, and consistency.

Until now, the ability to accurately measure the lay length of twisted-pairs at the cabler and twinner stations has been a manual and time-consuming process. This manual process results in inaccurate and unreliable measurements. Factors such as the pair lay length and the variations of the lay in twisted-pair Category cables, such as Cat 5e/6/6a/7a products, directly affects crosstalk performance. Cables that do not meet the far- and near-end crosstalk and product quality specifications wind up being scrapped, significantly costing manufacturers in rework, materials, and overall productivity losses. With the focus on producing higher quality cable in less time and at a lower cost, the LayScan measurement system from Beta LaserMike offers manufacturers an accurate and consistent method to measure the lay length of twisted pairs used in telecommunication cables.

The LayScan system enables manufacturers to simultaneously measure four pairs at the cabler to confirm the accuracy of twisted-pair cable construction during production. This non-contact system uses four individual pair lay sensors and Beta LaserMike’s LaserSpeed length and speed gauge to perform the high-speed lay length measurements. A data acquisition and control system effectively collects and processes each lay length in the cable and allows the full use of the customer’s off-line analysis tools such as trend charts, statistical analysis, or FFT analysis to readily observe, measure, and report systematic lay variations within each lay. Data can be easily stored on a local PC. The LayScan system performs measurements to within 0.025 mm (0.001 in) overall accuracy on the same twisted pair. It can measure lay lengths up to 25.4 mm (1.0 in) at throughput speeds up to 152.4 m/min (500 ft/min).