Thermax | Glossary

Lacquer Finish - A finish applied over braided wire or cable for appearance and protection against fraying, wicking, moisture absorption, abrasion, etc.

Laminates - Two or more layers, usually of different materials, bonded or laminated together.

Lay - The lay of any helical element of a cable is the axial length of a turn of the helix of that element. (Note: among the helical elements of a cable may be each strand in a concentric-lay cable, or each insulated conductor in a multiple-conductor cable.) Lay is often referred to as pitch.

Limpness - The ability of a cable to lay flat or conform to a bend.

Litz Wire - Wire made from a number of fine, separately-insulated strands specially braided or woven together for reduced skin effect and hence lower resistance to high frequency currents for lower RF losses. The full name is Litzendraht Wire.

Low Loss - Term applied to a dielectric material or cable that has a small amount of power loss over long lengths.

Low Noise Cable - Cable configuration specially constructed to eliminate spurious electrical disturbances caused by capacitance changes or self-generated noise.

Marker Tape - A tape laid parallel to the conductors under the jacket in a cable, imprinted with manufacturer's name and the specification to which the cable is made.

Marker Thread - A colored thread laid parallel and adjacent to the strands of an insulated conductor which identifies the wire manufacturer and sometimes the specification under which the wire is constructed.

Melt Index - Extrusion rate of a thermoplastic material through an orifice of specified diameter and length under specified conditions of time, temperature, and pressure.

Micro - Prefix denoting one-millionth.

Microfarad - One millionth of a farad.

MIL - Abbreviation for military specifications for wire.

Mil - 0.001"(1/1000 inch) one 1000th of an inch. A unit used in measuring diameter of wire or thickness of an insulation over a conductor.

Moisture Absorption - Generally, the amount of moisture in percentage that an insulation will absorb under specified conditions.

Molecular Weight - The weight of any molecule which is the sum of the weights of its constituent atoms.

NEC - Abbreviation for National Electrical Code, which covers the use of wire and cable in many applications.

NEMA - Abbreviation for National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Nylon - The generic name for synthetic fiber-forming polyamides. Available in three forms for wires and cables: as a yarn for wire serving and braid; as an extrusion material (primarily for jackets); and a coating. For conductors of any but a small size, the electrical properties and hygroscopic properties of nylon limit is use to jacketing rather than primary insulation. Nylon extrusions are characterized by toughness and excellent oil resistance.

OD - Abbreviation for outside diameter.

Ohm - Unit of electrical resistance. Resistance of a circuit in which a potential difference of one volt produces a current of one ampere.

Ohm's Law - Current in terms of electromotive force E and resistance R: given by equation: I=E/R.

Open Cell - Foamed or cellular material with cells which are generally interconnected. Closed cells refers to cells which are not interconnected.

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