Shaped plastic fillers for AC power and DEH cable systems
Shaped plastic fillers are precision-formed rods or segments placed inside cables to fill gaps and form a solid, round core before jacketing. They help maintain mechanical strength and performance.
Triangle fillers fill spaces between phase conductors in three-core AC cables. Flat or grooved fillers are used beside bundled conductors or fiber-optic elements to optimize space and protect cable contents.
In AC power and DEH cables, especially offshore, shaped fillers enhance stability and rigidity, help cables retain their shape under pressure, and support long-term performance. They also simplify installation and handling, reducing costs.
Primo works closely with customers to design shaped fillers that fit their cable constructions, ensuring cost-effective, valuable solutions for leading DEH and offshore power cable makers.
Key benefits
Primo’s shaped fillers provide cable engineers with greater design flexibility and improve overall cable performance. Precisely tailored filler profiles, rather than generic ropes or oversized plastic elements, reduce component count and increase packing efficiency. Fewer parts streamline assembly and minimize interfaces that may shift during manufacturing or operation.
Accurate cable core filling improves mechanical balance, enabling uniform bending in all directions. This reduces helix deviation during unreeling and simplifies installation, which is especially important for dynamic and moving cable applications. Consistent filler diameter and hardness also stabilize electrical characteristics, such as capacitance and impedance in AC cables, and reduce the risk of electric field hotspots from uneven internal gaps.
For dynamic power cables, including those on floating platforms or wind turbines, we develop fillers with enhanced fatigue resistance using flexible polymer blends or impact-modified materials. These solutions withstand continuous motion and ensure long service life in demanding offshore environments. Since each filler is developed for your specific project, we can integrate special requirements directly into the design. Whether your cable includes distributed buoyancy, embedded fiber-optic elements, or other components, the filler profile can be shaped to accommodate them without added complexity.
This approach results in a smoother manufacturing process, with precisely fitting components that do not interfere with closing or jacketing operations. The finished cable meets stringent international standards for quality.
Materials & Configuration Options
We make our shaped fillers from high-quality polyolefin and engineered polymer compounds, chosen especially for submarine and offshore power cables. Common materials like polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are popular because they insulate well, are lightweight, durable, and cost-effective.
For projects that need to handle more heat or require better fire safety, like offshore sites or tunnel sections of export cables, we offer advanced options. These include halogen-free flame-retardant compounds and cross-linkable polymer systems.
We offer fillers in both solid and hollow designs, including foam or air-filled types, to help lower the weight of very large cables. If you need extra features, we also provide multi-layer co-extruded fillers. These can include water-swellable elements or semi-conductive layers built right into the filler during production, which removes extra manufacturing steps and makes the process more efficient for you.
We custom-design each filler profile to fit your cable exactly. We keep tight tolerances for a precise fit. For example, three filler segments can fill the space around three-phase conductors with almost no gaps. This accuracy improves cable roundness and alignment, which helps keep electrical performance steady and makes it easier to apply the outer jacket smoothly.
