Turnkey Extrusion System From Graham Engineering Helps Copperhead Industries Meet Quality Targets for Tracer Wire

November 5, 2020

Copperhead Industries, Inc. has partnered with Graham Engineering Corporation to install a complete new American Kuhne extrusion line intended to meet growing demand for Copperhead’s copper-clad steel (CCS) tracer wire.

Buried alongside pipe or other utility lines, tracer wire enables these lines to be located. “Our ultimate goal is to continue providing a tracer wire system that utilities and engineers can trust to protect their underground assets,” said Jeff Atwood, president of Copperhead Industries. 

The new American Kuhne wire coating system from Graham Engineering is a complete turnkey extrusion line, from a dual payoff/accumulator system to the take-up, and it includes all ancillary equipment. The system applies HDPE insulation around the tracer wire and is sized to supply the HDPE at the desired diameters consistent with various tracer wire requirements. Included in this production line is closed-loop diameter control, on-line testing equipment to ensure real-time quality monitoring, and controls provided by Graham Engineering’s XC300 Navigator® system. 

Copperhead Industries provides end-to-end solutions for the accurate and efficient location of underground utilities. Their CCS tracer wire and Complete Utility Locating System™ are a crucial part of that process. Copperhead has invested in Graham Engineering’s American Kuhne system in to meet their strict internal quality standards, noted Mr. Atwood. 

“One of our cornerstones is quality — quality in everything we do,” he said. “This includes who we interact with, who we purchase from, and the partners with whom we choose to do business. Graham Engineering has proven to be one of those quality partners.” 

Copperhead Industries, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is a privately held business headquartered in Monticello, MN. Visit www.copperheadwire.com.

Graham Engineering Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, USA. The company’s key businesses include:

Graham Engineering, a global supplier of wheel and industrial extrusion blow molding systems, offering package design, product development and processing expertise, along with monolayer, multilayer, and barrier extrusion blow molding equipment. Visit www.grahamengineering.com.

American Kuhne, a provider of extrusion technologies for plastics, rubber, and silicones. American Kuhne offers standard and custom single screw extruders, feed screws, extrusion systems, and specialized turnkey systems for laboratory, medical tubing, narrow web, wire and cable, pipe, tubing, and profile applications. Visit www.americankuhne.com. Welex is the global standard in high performance sheet extrusion solutions, with over four decades of leadership.

Welex solutions are installed in more than 3,000 customer locations in 69 countries. The company’s innovations include co-extrusion and multi-layer methods that lead the industry as well as dozens of barrier lines installed globally.