Grounding systems form the backbone of our electrical infrastructure, keeping people safe and electrical systems protected. These systems provide electrical current a safe pathway to the ground in the event of fault currents, lightning strikes and power surges. With the expansion of data centers, the increase in grid mega projects and the continued electrification of everything, the world needs safer and more resilient electrical infrastructure. The new George Kub Cadweld Training Center in Solon, Ohio, will help our customers build reliable grounding connections for the electrified future.
The grounding systems that protect the world’s electricity contain hundreds of millions of connection points between different cables, conductors, ground rods and connectors. Each of these connections is a potential failure point. There are several ways to approach making these connections, and if proper procedures are followed, many paths to a lasting connection—however, when contractors need a permanent connection with an extreme degree of reliability they often turn to an nVent technology: nVent ERICO Cadweld exothermic connections.
To create a Cadweld exothermic connection, an nVent ERICO Cadweld Plus cup is placed into a mold and connected to the nVent ERICO Cadweld Plus Impulse control unit. Once activated, the control unit sends an electronic charge that initiates an exothermic reaction that heats the metal to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit in seconds. When the reaction is complete, the molten metal is released and flows down the tap hole of the mold onto the items to be welded in the weld cavity.
Cadweld exothermic connection technology was patented in 1939 by Dr. Charles A. Cadwell of the Electric Railway Improvement Company (ERICO) in the Cleveland area, where it is still manufactured to this day. This technique was designed as a better way of welding copper conductors to steel rails but adapted for use in grounding applications in the early 1950s. This is where the technology is primarily used today. In 2014, nVent ERICO Cadweld became the first connection type to pass the updated and very demanding IEEE 837-2014 requirements for substation grounding—the most rigorous grounding connection qualification testing.
While the nVent ERICO exothermic technology is decades old, the team is still innovating and improving it to this day. Their latest advancement is a 3D printed single-use ceramic mold that crumbles off of a completed weld, allowing customers who only need to make a few connections to skip buying a graphite mold. This technology won a 2024 Show Stopper award at the National Electrical Contractors Association conference. In 2020, the nVent ERICO team also released a new control unit that further improved safety and ease of use for installers.
To take advantage of this great technology, people need to be trained to use nVent ERICO Cadweld products safely. While the exothermic welding process is quite safe, there are thousands of connections types and contractors need to learn the proper way to make connections and utilize personal protective equipment (PPE). The new training center will help contractors and distributors get hands-on practice making exothermic connections.
The nVent team in Solon celebrated the opening of the new training center with an event attended by site leadership and employees. The center, built in a reclaimed shipping container, is dedicated to longtime nVent employee and exothermic welding expert George Kub, who has been with nVent for 51 years.
