Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Signal Control Cable

Foil screened steel wire braided signal control cables combine electromagnetic screening with additional mechanical protection for industrial signal and control circuits.

ETK Kablo manufactures this cable range in LIY(St)YSWBY and LI2Y(St)YSWBY constructions. Standard multicore, TP/TT and PiMF/TiMF versions provide different conductor-grouping and screening options according to the signal circuit and electromagnetic environment.

An Al/PET foil with a tinned copper earthing wire provides electromagnetic screening around the signal core. A separate galvanized steel wire braid surrounds the PVC inner jacket and provides additional mechanical protection.

What Is a Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Signal Cable?

A foil screened steel wire braided signal cable combines two different metallic systems with separate engineering functions:

• Al/PET foil screening for electromagnetic protection,
• galvanized steel wire braiding for additional mechanical protection.

The foil screen surrounds the signal core and helps reduce electromagnetic interference from nearby electrical equipment, motors, drives and power circuits.

The galvanized steel wire braid sits outside the PVC inner jacket. Its primary purpose is mechanical reinforcement rather than signal screening.

Therefore, steel wire braiding should not be treated as a substitute for the dedicated Al/PET electromagnetic screen.

Foil Screen vs Steel Wire Braid

The metallic layers in this cable family serve different purposes.

This distinction is particularly important when comparing SWB cables with electrically braid-screened cables.

A tinned copper braid serves primarily as an electromagnetic screen. A galvanized steel wire braid primarily adds mechanical protection.

LIY(St)YSWBY and LI2Y(St)YSWBY Constructions

ETK Kablo manufactures two principal conductor-insulation systems within this foil-screened SWB family.

Both families use Class 5 stranded electrolytic copper conductors together with UV-resistant PVC inner and outer jackets.

The principal difference is the conductor insulation.

LIY(St)YSWBY uses PVC conductor insulation, while LI2Y(St)YSWBY uses solid polyethylene conductor insulation.

The 2Y designation therefore identifies the polyethylene insulation system. It does not indicate a different foil screen, mechanical braid or outer-jacket system.

PVC Inner and Outer Jackets

The current ETK Kablo products in this category use UV-resistant PVC for both the inner and outer jackets.

The PVC inner jacket surrounds the foil-screened signal cable before the galvanized steel wire braid is applied.

A PVC outer jacket then covers the complete steel-wire-braided construction.

The current product constructions identify the standard jacket color as RAL 7035 grey.

These PVC products should remain distinct from the separate LSZH steel wire braided signal cable family, which uses different jacket materials and fire-related material characteristics.

Standard, TP/TT and PiMF/TiMF Versions

ETK Kablo offers three conductor-grouping and screening architectures within this category.

All three versions also include the galvanized steel wire braid outside the PVC inner jacket.

What Do TP and TT Mean?

TP refers to conductors arranged as twisted pairs, while TT refers to conductors arranged as twisted triads.

In the current LIY(St)YSWBY-TP/TT and LI2Y(St)YSWBY-TP/TT products, insulated conductors are first stranded into pairs or triads.

The resulting groups are then assembled together before the overall Al/PET foil screen is applied.

TP/TT therefore describes conductor grouping.

It does not mean that every pair or triad receives an individual metallic screen.

PiMF and TiMF Steel Wire Braided Signal Cable

PiMF refers to pairs individually screened in metallic foil, while TiMF refers to individually screened triads.

In the current PiMF/TiMF constructions, each pair or triad receives:

• polyester wrapping,
• a tinned copper earthing wire,
• an individual Al/PET foil screen.

The individually screened groups are then stranded together.

The complete cable core receives an additional overall Al/PET foil screen with another tinned copper earthing wire.

Therefore, PiMF/TiMF versions use individual screening plus overall screening before the PVC inner jacket and galvanized steel wire braid are applied.

This architecture can provide greater separation between sensitive circuits that share the same cable.

ETK Kablo Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Cable Range

Electrical and Mechanical Characteristics

The current ETK Kablo products use Class 5 stranded electrolytic copper conductors according to IEC 60228, EN 60228 and DIN VDE 0295.

Published conductor cross-sections range from 0.22 mm² to 2.50 mm², although the available conductor counts and pair or triad configurations depend on the selected product.

Current product data publishes:

• 250 V DC operating voltage for selected smaller cross-sections,
• 300/500 V operating voltage for applicable larger cross-sections,
• minimum bending radius of 7.5 × overall cable diameter,
• operating temperature range of -30°C to +70°C.

The selected product datasheet should always determine the exact electrical values for a project.

Flame Retardancy

The current products publish single-cable flame-retardancy testing according to:

• IEC 60332-1-2,
• VDE 0482-332-1-2,
• BS EN 60332-1-2.

Flame retardancy should not be confused with fire resistance.

These standard PVC signal-control constructions should not automatically be specified as FE180 or PH120 fire-resistant cables. Projects requiring defined circuit integrity during fire exposure must use a dedicated fire-resistant cable construction.

Typical Applications

Foil-screened steel wire braided signal control cables can suit fixed industrial installations where signal circuits require electromagnetic screening together with additional mechanical protection.

Typical applications include:

• industrial automation systems,
• process control installations,
• measurement and monitoring circuits,
• PLC and control-system connections,
• sensors and actuators,
• factory and production infrastructure,
• building automation systems,
• signal circuits routed through mechanically exposed fixed areas.

The installation route, electrical-noise environment, mechanical exposure and applicable project standards should determine the final cable selection.

Steel Wire Braided vs Steel Wire Armored Signal Cable

Steel wire braiding and steel wire armor are different mechanical constructions.

The cables on this page use galvanized steel wire braiding as their mechanical layer.

ETK Kablo also manufactures a separate Steel Wire Armored Signal Control Cable range using galvanized steel wire armor.

The selection between SWB and SWA should therefore follow the mechanical requirements of the installation rather than treating the two terms as interchangeable.

Foil Screened vs Braid Screened SWB Signal Cable

The products on this page use an Al/PET foil with a tinned copper earthing wire as the electromagnetic screen.

The Braid Screened Steel Wire Braided Signal Control Cable range instead uses a tinned copper braid as the dedicated electromagnetic screen.

For applications requiring both foil and copper-braid electromagnetic screening, see the Braided Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Signal Control Cable range.

All three screening options belong to the broader Steel Wire Braided Signal Control Cable family.

How to Specify a Foil Screened SWB Signal Cable

A quotation request should define the electrical, screening and mechanical requirements separately.

Why Choose ETK Kablo for Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Cable?

ETK Kablo manufactures foil screened steel wire braided signal control cables for industrial circuits requiring both electromagnetic screening and additional mechanical protection.

The range combines Class 5 stranded copper conductors, Al/PET foil screening, PVC inner and outer jackets and galvanized steel wire braiding.

LIY(St)YSWBY and LI2Y(St)YSWBY insulation options, together with standard, TP/TT and PiMF/TiMF configurations, allow engineers, distributors, system integrators and industrial contractors to select the construction according to the signal circuit and installation conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Foil Screened Steel Wire Braided Signal Cable

What is a foil screened steel wire braided signal cable?

It is a signal or control cable that combines an Al/PET electromagnetic screen with galvanized steel wire braiding for additional mechanical protection.

What does SWB mean?

SWB means Steel Wire Braid or Steel Wire Braiding. In this cable family, galvanized steel wires form the mechanical reinforcement layer around the PVC inner jacket.

Does the steel wire braid provide the electromagnetic screen?

The dedicated electromagnetic screen is the Al/PET foil together with its tinned copper earthing wire. The galvanized steel wire braid primarily provides mechanical protection.

What is the difference between LIY(St)YSWBY and LI2Y(St)YSWBY?

LIY(St)YSWBY uses PVC conductor insulation, while LI2Y(St)YSWBY uses solid polyethylene conductor insulation. Both use overall foil screening, PVC inner and outer jackets and galvanized steel wire braiding.

What does TP/TT mean?

TP/TT means that the conductors are arranged as twisted pairs or twisted triads before the complete cable core is assembled.

Are TP/TT pairs individually screened?

No. Standard TP/TT products use one overall Al/PET foil screen around the assembled pairs or triads.

What does PiMF/TiMF mean?

PiMF/TiMF identifies individually foil-screened pairs or triads. These constructions also use an additional overall Al/PET foil screen around the complete assembled cable core.

What is the difference between SWB and SWA?

SWB uses galvanized steel wire braiding, while SWA uses a steel wire armor construction. They are separate mechanical-protection systems and should not be treated as interchangeable terms.

Is this cable LSZH?

No. The standard products in this category use PVC inner and outer jackets. ETK Kablo maintains a separate LSZH steel wire braided signal-control range for projects requiring halogen-free jacket materials.

Is this cable fire resistant?

Not automatically. The current products publish flame-retardancy testing, but this does not establish FE180, PH120 or another defined circuit-integrity classification.

What information should I provide when requesting a quotation?

Provide the required LIY(St)YSWBY or LI2Y(St)YSWBY family, conductor cross-section, standard, TP/TT or PiMF/TiMF configuration, operating voltage, installation conditions, mechanical requirements, quantity, packing length and required project documentation.