Method of and apparatus for making twisted cable and the cable produced thereby

Apparatus for forming a twisted electrical cable comprising:

• a first plurality of stationary payoff reels each wound with a length of bare wire conductor having upstream and downstream ends;
• means for simultaneously paying off the bare wire conductors from said reels;
• first accumulator means arranged downstream of said payoff reels for accumulating a portion of the bare wire conductor from each payoff reel;
• an extruder process arranged downstream of said first accumulator means, each bare wire conductor passing through a respective extruder process for application of an insulation material to the bare wire conductor as it passes through the extruder process;
• means arranged downstream of said extruder process for cooling and/or curing the insulation material applied to the bare wire conductors and forming a plurality of insulated conductors, each insulated conductor having a longitudinal axis;
• second accumulator means arranged downstream of said cooling and/or curing means for accumulating a portion of each insulated conductor;
• a take-up reel arranged downstream of the second accumulator means;
• means rotating said take-up reel about a first axis for twisting said insulated conductors about one another to form said twisted electrical cable;
• and
• means rotating said take-up reel about a second axis for taking up said twisted electrical cable onto said take-up reel.