All About DLO

Diesel locomotive cables-or DLO, for short-are cables frequently used in many industries. From drilling rigs both for on-shore and offshore applications to railroad and transit cars, as well as in electric earth-moving equipment, these cables have consistently been on the list of must-have materials for these operations. Supply leads for arc welders also utilize these cables.

What is DLO?

Diesel Locomotive cables are typically finely stranded and work well in applications that require flexibility, according to ECM Web. These cables are especially ideal if you need to work on vehicles as well as machinery that need to withstand harsh environments.

Anatomy of the DLO

Most diesel locomotive cables are made up of four major parts: the conductor, separator, insulation and jacket. The conductor contains flexible-stranded annealed copper. It's usually tin-coated as well. A good separator, on the other hand, makes it easy for you to strip the insulation off. The insulation is often made up of Ethylene propylene diene elastomer-EDPM for short-or Ethylene propylene rubber or EPR. The jacket should be flame retardant and the material must be resistant to oil and sunlight. It should also be made out of Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene or what is widely known as CSPE. In the absence of a CSPE, then a Chlorinated Polyethylene or CPE is often accepted.

Why use DLO?

DLO uses tin to make it more resistant to corrosion. That's a distinct advantage over other cable types like welding cables. Welding cables use a bare copper conductor that's not tin-coated. The result? Welding cables are less suitable for harsh and outdoor environments. Also, welding cables only have a single layer of insulation, usually made out of EPR or neoprene. The latter is a type of synthetic rubber often used in jackets as well.

DLO, on the other hand, uses thicker insulation. The jacket of these cables also offer greater resistance to abrasion wear and is capable of protecting what's inside the cable against the negative effects of oil and heat or in some cases, even impact.

These qualities make the DLO the go-to choice if you want something that's durable, or you want a diesel locomotive cable that will last longer. It's also flexible enough to make it ideal for many industrial applications.

Conclusion

Given all that DLO cables do, it's not a surprise to know that they're more expensive than other types of cables in the market. However, if you want sturdy cables, you won't find better options than this. So choose your DLO cables wisely. Check out our selection of cables today!