Penreco has been manufacturing telephone cable fillers and flooding compounds for 30 years. In the early 1970s, we worked with Bell Laboratories to develop the first-generation materials to be used in the United States. Since that time we have led the industry with improved products that provide cable manufacturers with cost-effective methods for waterproofing copper telephone cable.
In addition to cable fillers, Penreco is a manufacturer of highly refined petrolatums and mineral oils, which are the major components of cable fillers and flooding compounds. These materials have excellent dielectric properties and are resistant to oxidative breakdown. Since the cable fillers are composed primarily of saturated hydrocarbons, they are extremely hydrophobic and repel moisture that might enter cables. Penreco manufactures two types of cable fillers:
· EXK 443 - an ETPR (extended-thermoplastic rubber)
· 4585 Cable Filler - a PE-PJ (polyethylene- petroleum jelly)
EXK 443 has a rubbery feel at room temperature and remains somewhat flexible at low temperatures. The 4585 Cable Filler is harder at ambient and low temperatures. We also manufacture EXK 504 HMP, a flooding compound that provides good adhesion between cable components outside of the core.
All of Penreco's cable fillers can be melted in the temperature range of 200° F to 230° F and flooded into cables as relatively low viscosity fluids. When properly filled or flooded with the materials above, the cables will meet the 80° C drip test and the water penetration test as described in ASTM D 4565. These products are non-hazardous at room temperature, but normal precautions of handling hot materials must be followed. Our products are available in drums, tank trucks or railcars.
