Armoured cables and conventional cables do not have the same structure and, consequently, cannot always be processed in the same way. The presence of protective metal braid, wires or tape makes the stripping process more demanding. For recycling and metal recovery companies, using a machine designed to handle this type of material makes it possible to separate the metal component from the sheath and send the different fractions for recovery.
What are armoured cables and where are they used?
An armoured cable is an electrical cable fitted with additional metal protection. This protection may consist, for example, of metal braid, steel wires or metal tape.
The armour performs a protective function: it increases the cable's resistance to mechanical stress and allows it to be used in applications where greater protection is required.
Armoured cables are used in a range of settings, including energy installations, industrial applications, underground installations and the marine sector. Once they reach the end of their service life, they therefore represent an interesting source of recoverable materials.
Why armoured cables are difficult to recycle with a standard cable stripper
The presence of the armour changes the cable's behaviour during processing. A cable stripper designed primarily for standard cables only has to deal with a simpler structure, whereas an armoured cable includes an additional metal component that must be managed during the cutting and stripping stages.
The issue is not limited to the sheath. The operator has to process a multi-layer material with metal protection that may consist of steel or other metals.
For this reason, when selecting an industrial cable stripping machine, it is important to check in advance which materials and cable diameters are compatible with the machine.
The Black Box ST57100 is designed to process electrical cables, including armoured cables. The cables must be prepared in accordance with the machine's accepted input characteristics.
For the Black Box ST57100, the input cable range is between 20 and 110 mm, making the machine suitable for handling cables with different diameters.
Armoured cable stripper: why a dedicated machine is required
In armoured cable recycling, the objective is not simply to cut the cable, but to achieve effective separation between the recoverable metal component and the sheath.
A machine specifically configured for this task can process the material while accounting for the presence of the armour, rather than treating it as an ordinary cable without metal protection.
This is particularly important for recycling companies, scrap processors and plants that receive mixed cable streams and need to manage materials with different characteristics.
How copper and steel are separated in an armoured cable stripper
The principle is straightforward. The cable is fed into the machine, where the internal cutting and stripping unit processes its structure to separate the metal component from the outer sheath.
With the Black Box ST57100, the metal component may include copper, aluminium and/or steel armour, while the sheath may be made from plastic or rubber-based materials.
The different components are separated so that they can subsequently be sent to their respective recovery and recycling processes.
It is important to distinguish this process from any subsequent separation of different metals. The primary function of the Black Box ST57100 is to separate the metal component from the sheath. Any additional separation of copper, aluminium and steel depends on the composition of the material and the plant configuration.
The value of recovery: separated copper, aluminium and steel
The value of the recovery process comes from transforming a composite material into fractions that are easier to manage in subsequent recycling stages.
Recovering copper from armoured cables makes it possible to valorise one of the main materials found in electrical cables, while the steel armour represents an additional recoverable metal fraction.
Separating the sheath also plays an important role. Plastic and rubber can be managed separately from the metal component, avoiding the need to treat the entire cable as a single material.
From an industrial perspective, effective separation therefore facilitates the management of the recovered fractions and allows each material to be directed to the appropriate recycling process.
Black Box ST57100: the Stokkermill solution for armoured cables
The Black Box ST57100 is the Stokkermill cable stripper developed by Seltek S.r.l. for processing electrical cables, including armoured cables with metal braid, steel wires or metal tape.
The machine incorporates an internal cutting and stripping unit designed to separate the metal component from the outer sheath. The material is loaded manually, and the processed product is collected in the machine's discharge area.
The Black Box ST57100 can process cables with diameters ranging from 20 to 110 mm, in accordance with the characteristics specified for the machine.
For a company that regularly processes armoured cables, the choice of cable stripper should begin with an assessment of the material type, cable diameters and condition of the cables to be processed.
Would you like to check whether the Black Box ST57100 is suitable for your cables?
Every material may have different characteristics. Contact Stokkermill to request further information or arrange a material assessment and identify the most suitable solution for your recovery process.
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