Published: 2026-08-23
Some cables, after one or two years of use, have sticky surfaces on the sheath and oil leakage, leaving your hands black. Customers think they bought poor-quality cables. In fact, this is most likely due to the rubber sheath swelling from oil contamination.
Natural rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber will be swollen by solvents in environments of mineral oil, hydraulic oil, and cutting fluid, causing the spacing between molecular chains to increase. This manifests as the sheath becoming soft, sticky, and blistered. Over time, the mechanical strength drops sharply, and it can crack with a single pull, exposing the conductor and posing a significant safety hazard.
There are three types of countermeasures:
First, replace with oil-resistant materials. Nitrile rubber (NBR) has good resistance to mineral oil, and PUR sheaths have even stronger oil resistance. In situations with heavy oil contamination, directly change the material.
Second, confirm the type of oil. Different oils (mineral oil, synthetic oil, animal and vegetable oils) have varying degrees of corrosive effects on rubber, so the formulation needs to be adjusted accordingly.
Third, add a protective sheath, externally add corrugated tubing or protective casing to physically isolate oil and dirt.
To determine whether a cable is oil-resistant, you cannot just look at the 'nominal oil resistance'; you need to check the oil resistance test data: the retention rate of the sheath's strength and the volume expansion rate after soaking for 24 hours. A retention rate of over 80% is considered qualified.
Shanghai Suoqi oil-resistant cables are custom-made according to formulations for different oil scenarios. Oil resistance test data can be provided. It is recommended to clarify the type of oil and the method of contact before selecting for an oily environment.
About Shanghai Suoqi
Shanghai Suoqi Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. is a specialized cable enterprise focusing on the research and development, design, production, and sales of special flexible cables. The company's products cover a series including reel cables, flat cables, drag chain cables, encoder cables, polyurethane cables, seawater-resistant cables, seawater-resistant network cables, and high-altitude vehicle cables, which are widely used in ports machinery, mining, industrial automation, marine engineering, and other fields. For more product information or inquiries, please call 13311756197 (same number on WeChat).