Introduction: Five Extremes in One Cable

FABER® PUR Reeling (UL) is a 0.6/1 kV multi-core polyurethane reeling cable engineered by Anhui Feichun Special Cable Co., Ltd. that simultaneously achieves five performance extremes rarely found together in a single cable: −50°C arctic cold rating for fixed installations in polar environments, 200 m/min operating speed for the fastest motorized reels in modern industry, 6× OD dynamic bending radius that equals the static rating of most competitors, up to 49 cores in a single cable for maximum signal and power density, and explosive environment suitability for deployment in ATEX-classified areas where ordinary cables are prohibited.

This cable is the universal multi-tool of heavy-duty industrial electrification. Where the Reelingflex Premium serves mining with massive three-phase power in a handful of configurations, and the RHEYCORD-PUR R serves factory automation with drag-chain-optimised flexibility, the PUR Reeling (UL) serves the vast middle ground of industrial applications that demand a cable capable of doing everything: delivering power and control signals simultaneously through dozens of cores, surviving outdoor weather from arctic to desert, spooling at extreme speed on spring and motorized reels, bending tightly through sheave wheels and cable guides, and withstanding the chemical, mechanical, and thermal abuse of the world’s harshest industrial environments.

You will find this cable on the overhead cranes of northern Norwegian shipyards, on the hoisting gears of Siberian oil rigs, on the motorized reels of Arabian Gulf port equipment, on the rail traction systems of Canadian freight terminals, and on the agricultural machinery of Australian wheat farms. It is, quite simply, the cable that goes wherever the job demands—regardless of temperature, speed, core count, or environmental hazard.

Feichun’s version integrates the same proprietary innovations applied across the entire PROTOLON® range: FC-FLX™ fatigue-optimised Tongling copper for extreme bend-cycle life, FC-ASB™ aramid-reinforced PUR for bulletproof-grade jacket protection, and precision-formulated polyester insulation that maintains dielectric integrity across the cable’s extraordinary −50°C to +80°C operating range.

Technical Anatomy: Full Specification Breakdown

Complete Configuration Table: 4G4 to 49G2.5

−50°C Arctic Supremacy: How PUR Survives Where Every Other Material Fails

The Cold-Brittleness Spectrum

Every polymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg)—the temperature below which the material transitions from a flexible elastomer to a rigid, brittle glass. When a cable jacket cools below its Tg, it can no longer absorb mechanical stress by flexing. Instead, it shatters. A jacket that cracks at −20°C is not merely inconvenient—it is a safety hazard that exposes live conductors to moisture, metal contact, and potentially explosive atmospheres.

PVC has a glass transition temperature around −15°C to −5°C depending on plasticiser content. Standard neoprene rubber transitions between −25°C and −30°C. Standard PUR compounds typically maintain flexibility to −30°C or −35°C. Feichun’s arctic-grade PUR formulation, used on the PUR Reeling (UL), is specifically compounded to maintain full flexibility at −40°C during dynamic reeling operation and structural integrity without cracking at −50°C in fixed installation.

This is achieved through proprietary PUR polyol selection and chain-extender chemistry that maintains polymer chain mobility at extremely low temperatures. The specific polyol mixture creates a PUR network with a glass transition temperature below −55°C—providing safety margin below the rated −50°C specification. Cold-bend testing per IEC 60811-1-4 at −50°C confirms zero surface cracking, zero insulation damage, and full mechanical recovery after the bend cycle is released.

Where −50°C Matters

Arctic and sub-arctic industrial operations are not fringe applications—they represent some of the largest industrial installations on Earth. Northern Canadian oil sands operations, Scandinavian iron ore mines, Siberian gas extraction facilities, Alaskan fisheries processing plants, Antarctic research stations, and northern European port terminals all routinely experience temperatures below −40°C during winter months. At these temperatures, every cable that is not specifically arctic-rated becomes a potential point of failure. A single cracked cable jacket on a crane in −45°C conditions can shut down an entire port loading operation until the cable is replaced—a process that may take days when replacement cables must be shipped from distant warehouses.

The PUR Reeling (UL)’s −50°C fixed-installation rating and −40°C dynamic-operation rating mean the cable can be installed and operated year-round in any inhabited location on Earth without temperature-related restrictions. No seasonal derating. No winter-only operational limitations. No “cold weather procedure” requiring cables to be pre-warmed before reel operation. The cable simply works, regardless of temperature.

200 m/min and 6×OD: The Speed-and-Bend Double Record

200 m/min: Fastest-in-Class Reeling Speed

The PUR Reeling (UL) is rated for 200 m/min (3.33 m/s) operating speed—significantly faster than the 120–150 m/min typical for most industrial reeling cables. This speed rating enables deployment on the fastest modern motorized and spring-operated reels, including high-speed container crane festoon systems, rapid-traverse gantry systems, and high-speed rail traction power reels.

At 200 m/min, the cable experiences extreme dynamic forces: acceleration and deceleration loads during speed changes, centrifugal forces as the cable passes over sheave wheels, and impact forces as the cable contacts guide rollers and level-wind mechanisms at high velocity. The cable’s construction must withstand all of these forces simultaneously without conductor displacement, insulation damage, or jacket deformation. FC-FLX™ Class 6 conductors resist the inertial forces that try to displace fine wire strands during rapid acceleration. The polyester torsion braid prevents axial rotation during high-speed spooling. The textile yarn strength members absorb longitudinal tension spikes during emergency stops.

6×OD Dynamic Bending: Matching Fixed-Installation Radius

Most reeling cables specify a dynamic bending radius significantly larger than their static bending radius—typically 8–12× OD for dynamic versus 6× OD for static. The PUR Reeling (UL) achieves 6× OD for both static and dynamic bending—meaning the cable can be bent to its absolute minimum radius even during continuous high-speed reeling operation.

This is an extraordinary specification that requires exceptional material performance. During dynamic bending at minimum radius, the outer jacket surface experiences maximum tensile strain, the inner jacket surface experiences maximum compressive strain, and the conductor strands experience maximum inter-strand sliding motion. All of these stresses intensify at higher speed and tighter radius. Achieving 6× OD dynamic bending at 200 m/min simultaneously requires the conductor flexibility of Class 6 stranding, the jacket elasticity of PUR (which recovers from bending strain far better than rubber or PVC), the low inter-core friction of polyester insulation, and the structural integrity of the embedded strength members that prevent core displacement under bending stress.

The practical consequence for equipment designers is significant: sheave wheels, cable guides, and reel drums can be smaller, lighter, and less expensive when the cable requires only 6× OD dynamic radius. For a 42G2.5 cable with 31.4 mm OD, the minimum dynamic bend radius is only 188 mm—small enough to route through compact cable management systems that would be impossible with cables requiring 8–12× OD dynamic radius (251–377 mm).

49 Cores in a Single Cable: Massive Signal and Power Density

Why Core Count Matters

Modern industrial equipment requires an increasing number of electrical connections between the fixed control system and the moving machine: main motor power, auxiliary motor power, brake circuits, encoder feedback, limit switch signals, sensor inputs, communication bus, safety interlock circuits, heating elements, lighting, and various control outputs. Each function requires one or more dedicated conductor cores. A machine that required 12 cores a decade ago may now require 30–50 cores as automation complexity increases.

Running multiple cables through a single reel or festoon system is mechanically complex, expensive, and unreliable. Each additional cable requires its own reel channel, guide system, and termination. Cable-to-cable interference during reeling causes tangling, abrasion, and differential tension that destroys individual cables. The ideal solution is to consolidate all electrical functions into a single multi-core cable that handles power, control, and signal simultaneously.

The PUR Reeling (UL) achieves this consolidation with configurations from 4 to 49 cores in a single cable. A 49G2.5 cable carries 49 conductors at 2.5 mm² each—sufficient for three-phase motor power, multiple auxiliary circuits, dozens of sensor and control signal connections, and safety interlock circuits—all through a single cable with 38 mm OD that routes through standard reel and festoon hardware. This eliminates the multi-cable complexity, reduces installation time, simplifies maintenance, and dramatically improves system reliability.

Maintaining Flexibility at High Core Count

The challenge with high core counts is maintaining cable flexibility. A 49-core cable has 49 individual conductors that must all slide freely against each other during bending. If the insulation material has high inter-core friction, the cores bind against each other during bending, creating internal stress concentrations that cause conductor fatigue and insulation wear. This is why insulation material selection is critical for high-core-count reeling cables—and why the PUR Reeling (UL) uses polyester insulation with its inherently low coefficient of friction rather than PVC or rubber.

Polyester Insulation: The Overlooked Advantage for Multi-Core Reeling

Why Not PVC, XLPE, or TPE-E?

The choice of polyester (thermoplastic polyester elastomer) for core insulation is a deliberate engineering decision with specific technical justifications for multi-core reeling cable applications.

Temperature Stability Across Extreme Range: Polyester insulation maintains consistent dielectric properties from −50°C to +80°C without the embrittlement that affects PVC below −15°C or the excessive softening that degrades some TPE compounds above 70°C. For a cable rated −50°C to +80°C, the insulation must perform reliably across a 130°C temperature span—polyester achieves this with minimal change in mechanical or electrical properties.

Exceptional Crush Resistance: In a 49-core cable, the cores at the centre of the bundle experience significant radial compression from the surrounding cores, particularly when the cable is wound on a reel drum. Polyester insulation has excellent dimensional stability under compressive loading—it resists flattening that would reduce the dielectric distance between adjacent cores. PVC, in contrast, deforms permanently under sustained compression, creating thin spots where dielectric breakdown can initiate between adjacent power and signal cores.

Low Dielectric Constant: Polyester’s dielectric constant (approximately 3.0–3.3) is lower than PVC (4.5–8.0), contributing to lower inter-core capacitance. In multi-core cables carrying both power and signal circuits, lower capacitance means less capacitive crosstalk between power cores and sensitive signal cores—improving signal integrity for encoder, sensor, and communication circuits.

Low Inter-Core Friction: Polyester surfaces exhibit a naturally low coefficient of friction against each other (µ ≈ 0.15–0.20), enabling the free inter-core sliding motion essential for maintaining flexibility in high-core-count cables during continuous bending. This property directly extends conductor fatigue life by reducing the mechanical resistance that conductor strands must overcome during each bend cycle.

FC-FLX™ Class 6 Conductors and Aramid-Reinforced PUR: Feichun’s Integrated Upgrade

FC-FLX™: Fatigue Resistance for Multi-Core Survival

In a multi-core cable, conductor fatigue is amplified compared to single-core or three-core designs. Each core is positioned at a different radial distance from the cable’s neutral bending axis, meaning each core experiences a different bending strain amplitude during each reel cycle. Cores positioned at the outer radius of the cable bundle experience the highest strain; cores at the centre experience the lowest. This strain differential means the outermost cores accumulate fatigue damage faster than inner cores—and the cable’s operational life is determined by the first core to fail.

FC-FLX™ ultra-fine strand technology (0.07–0.10 mm wire diameter, Tongling Cu-CATH-1 purity, inline N₂ soft-annealing) provides the fatigue resistance margin needed to ensure that even the most heavily stressed outermost cores survive millions of reel cycles. The 8–16× fatigue life extension compared to standard Class 5 conductors means the entire cable system—all 49 cores—operates well within its fatigue budget for the full design life, regardless of each core’s position in the cable bundle.

FC-ASB™ Dual PUR: Inner and Outer Protection

The dual PUR sheath construction—inner PUR sheath around the core assembly, outer PUR sheath over the torsion braid and strength members—provides two independent barriers against environmental ingress and mechanical damage. Both sheaths incorporate FC-ASB™ aramid fiber reinforcement, delivering abrasion resistance of ≤ 18 mm³ per DIN 53516 on the outer surface and intermediate protection on the inner sheath.

For a cable deployed on agricultural machinery (contact with soil, fertiliser, herbicides), on rail traction systems (ballast dust, diesel exhaust, de-icing chemicals), or in explosive environments (where jacket breach creates ignition risk), the dual-barrier aramid-reinforced construction provides the defence-in-depth that single-sheath cables cannot match. If the outer sheath sustains a localised impact or cut, the inner sheath maintains the seal—preventing environmental contamination of the core assembly while the outer damage is assessed and addressed.

25 N/mm² Tensile Strength: Built for Gravitational Load

The 25 N/mm² tensile strength rating—25% higher than the 20 N/mm² typical for standard reeling cables—reflects the combined contribution of the copper conductors, textile yarn strength members, and aramid-reinforced PUR jacket. For a 49G2.5 cable with 49 × 2.5 = 122.5 mm² total copper cross-section, the permanent tensile strength is 3,062 N (approximately 312 kg-force)—sufficient to support the cable’s own weight over substantial hanging lengths during vertical or inclined reeling on hoisting gears and crane systems.

Real-World Applications: From Arctic Ports to Desert Quarries

Hoisting Gears and Overhead Cranes

Overhead cranes, gantry cranes, and hoisting systems in shipyards, steel mills, foundries, and manufacturing plants use the PUR Reeling (UL) for combined power and control cable delivery to the moving crane trolley and hoist. The 42G2.5 and 49G2.5 configurations carry main hoist motor power, trolley motor power, brake circuits, limit switches, encoder feedback, and safety interlocks through a single cable—eliminating the 3–5 separate cables that older installations required. The 200 m/min speed rating accommodates modern high-speed crane drives. The 6× OD dynamic bending radius permits compact festoon and reel systems that fit within tight crane structural envelopes.

Transportation Systems and Rail Traction

Rail-mounted equipment—container yard gantry cranes, rail traction motor systems, automated rail shuttle vehicles, and rail-mounted stacking systems—deploy the PUR Reeling (UL) through motorized cable reels that feed cable as the equipment travels along the rail. The cable is subject to high-speed spooling, continuous outdoor weather exposure, and chemical contact from rail ballast dust, diesel exhaust, and de-icing chemicals. The −50°C rating ensures year-round operation in northern rail terminals. The oil-resistant PUR jacket resists diesel and lubricant contamination. The UV-stabilised formulation prevents jacket degradation from permanent outdoor sun exposure.

Agricultural Machinery

Modern precision agriculture deploys electrically powered equipment—irrigation pivots, automated feeding systems, climate-controlled greenhouse actuators, grain handling conveyors, and electrically driven field equipment—that requires flexible, durable reeling cables. Agricultural cables endure extraordinary environmental abuse: soil abrasion, fertiliser and herbicide chemical contact, UV radiation, temperature extremes from freezing winter to hot summer, and physical impact from machinery and animals. The PUR Reeling (UL)’s combination of aramid-reinforced PUR (chemical and abrasion resistance), −50°C rating (winter operation), UV stability (permanent outdoor exposure), and halogen-free construction (safety around livestock and food products) makes it the premier choice for agricultural cable applications.

Explosive Environments

Facilities processing flammable gases, vapours, or combustible dusts—petrochemical plants, grain elevators, coal handling facilities, paint spray booths, and chemical processing plants—require cables that minimise ignition risk. The PUR Reeling (UL) is suitable for explosive environments: its halogen-free construction eliminates the release of flammable halogenated gases during thermal decomposition, and its flame-retardant formulation (IEC 60332-1-2) self-extinguishes within seconds of ignition source removal. For installations requiring specific ATEX zone certification, Feichun offers enhanced variants with additional constructional features to meet Zone 1/Zone 2 or Zone 21/Zone 22 requirements.

Arctic and Polar Operations

Oil and gas extraction in northern Russia, Canada, and Alaska; mining operations in Scandinavia and northern Canada; fisheries processing in Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands; and scientific research stations in Antarctica—all operate in temperatures that destroy standard cables. The −50°C fixed-installation and −40°C dynamic-operation ratings make the PUR Reeling (UL) the definitive arctic cable choice, providing year-round operational reliability without cold-weather restrictions or seasonal cable replacement.

Cost-Effective Alternative to European Multi-Core PUR Suppliers

The European Premium

Klaus Faber, Lapp, HELUKABEL, Nexans, and Prysmian supply multi-core PUR reeling cables at premium pricing with lead times of 10–18 weeks. For high-core-count configurations (30+ cores), lead times can extend to 20+ weeks due to specialised manufacturing setup. Price premiums of 45–65% above equivalent Asian-manufactured cables are typical.

Feichun: Innovation at Factory-Direct Pricing

Lead Times: Standard configurations (4–18 cores): 3–5 weeks. High-core-count configurations (30–49 cores): 5–8 weeks. European equivalent: 10–20 weeks.

Unit Pricing: Klaus Faber PUR Reeling (UL) 42G2.5 quoted at €12.50–16.00/meter; Feichun equivalent with FC-FLX™ and FC-ASB™: €6.50–9.00/meter. For 10,000 meters: savings of €60,000–€70,000.

Technical FAQ

Can I replace a Klaus Faber PUR Reeling (UL) cable with a Feichun equivalent without reel modification?

Yes. Feichun matches the exact outer diameter of each Klaus Faber configuration. Provide the Faber part number, and Feichun’s engineering team confirms dimensional compatibility with your existing reel system before production.

Is the −50°C rating verified by independent testing?

Yes. Feichun’s arctic PUR compound is cold-bend tested per IEC 60811-1-4 at −50°C by accredited third-party laboratories. Additionally, Feichun performs internal cold-flex testing at −55°C to verify safety margin beyond the rated specification. Test certificates are available with every shipment.

Can the 49G2.5 configuration be used for mixed power and signal circuits?

Yes. Core identification per VDE 0293 (HD308) colour coding enables clear separation of power, earth, control, and signal functions within the 49-core bundle. Polyester insulation’s low inter-core capacitance minimises capacitive crosstalk between power and signal cores. For applications requiring additional EMI protection, Feichun offers configurations with overall tinned copper braid screen (85% coverage) or individual pair screening for sensitive signal pairs.

What specific explosive environment classifications is the cable suitable for?

The standard PUR Reeling (UL) construction is suitable for general explosive-environment deployment based on its halogen-free, flame-retardant properties. For installations requiring specific ATEX/IECEx zone certification (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 21, Zone 22), Feichun offers enhanced variants with additional constructional features (reinforced screen, specific earth conductor sizing, enhanced flame-retardant compound) to meet certification requirements. Contact Feichun’s engineering team for ATEX-specific quotations and certification timelines.

How does the textile yarn strength member compare to aramid self-supporting elements?

Textile yarn strength members embedded in the outer sheath provide longitudinal tensile load support—preventing conductor stretching during reeling tension and carrying a portion of the cable’s gravitational self-weight. They are lighter and more flexible than aramid self-supporting elements (used in the Reelingflex Premium for heavy mining cables with vertical drops exceeding 200 metres). For the PUR Reeling (UL)’s application range—hoisting gears, transportation systems, and industrial reels with moderate vertical drops—textile yarn strength members provide adequate tensile support while maintaining maximum cable flexibility. For applications requiring vertical drops exceeding 100 metres, Feichun recommends the Reelingflex Premium with its aramid self-supporting element system.