Bombardier selects Spectrum UV laser wire marker for major rail project

Bombardier Transportation (Berlin, Germany) has selected aerospace and electronics laser wire processing equipment maker Spectrum Technologies (Bridgend, Wales) to supply the company with a wire processing system for use in manufacturing rail cars for a major new North American project.

Under the terms of the contract, Spectrum will supply Bombardier with a Nova 860 ultraviolet (UV) laser wire mark, measure, and cut system, which will be installed in their manufacturing plant in Huehuetoca, Mexico, before the end of April 2014. The system will be used in the initial stages of production of the electrical wiring and interconnect systems (EWIS) for installation in new rail cars for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) New Train Car Project in San Francisco, CA. At over 40 years old, BART’s current fleet of trains is the oldest in the US and due for replacement.

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BART awarded the New Train Car Project to Bombardier in 2012. Bombardier will deliver 775 new cars, requiring around 4000 miles of wire to be processed for the electrical systems. The first rail cars are due to enter service in 2017.

Nova wire marking systems use the company's UV laser wire marking technology for the aerospace industry to mark the required ID codes directly onto the surface of the wire insulation. The UV laser reacts with the insulation material to produce a permanent, nondamaging mark. Using them for the BART project will enable identifiable wires along their whole length with permanent identity codes that are resistant to wear and ease the manufacture and maintenance of the cars.