In a world of 24/7 uptime expectations, high-density data centers, and increasingly electrified commercial buildings, the useful question for wire and cable manufacturers is not simply “Should we promote thermal imaging?” It is “How can thermography be used correctly to support field reliability?”

1. What Thermal Imaging Can Reveal in Wire & Cable Systems

Electrical thermography provides a non-contact way to observe surface-temperature patterns and temperature differences while electrical equipment is operating. It does not directly measure current, conductor ampacity, internal conductor temperature, torque, or electrical resistance. Instead, it can reveal thermal behavior that may justify additional investigation.

For wire and cable manufacturers such as Prysmian, including its Encore Wire operations, thermographic information can be valuable because it provides field evidence about how conductors, terminations, connections, and associated equipment are behaving under actual operating conditions.

Every energized conductor produces heat, but an elevated or asymmetric thermal pattern does not automatically establish the reason. Thermography can help identify conditions such as:

• Localized termination heating that may be consistent with increased connection resistance and warrants electrical or mechanical verification.
• Unexpected conductor or feeder heating that warrants verification of actual current, ampacity, ambient conditions, conductor grouping, termination ratings, and other conditions of use.
• Asymmetric phase temperatures that can prompt investigation of load balance, current, connection condition, and equipment operation.
• Localized splice or connector heating that may indicate increased resistance or another connection issue requiring confirmation.
• Unexpected cable, bus, or equipment-surface heating that can justify review of loading, installation, cooling, manufacturer limits, or physical condition.

A thermal image cannot by itself determine that a conductor is undersized, improperly derated, overloaded, damaged, incorrectly installed, or defective. Those conclusions require the appropriate electrical calculations, measurements, inspection, equipment information, and installation records.

This distinction matters when evaluating a field failure. A cable manufacturer should not automatically be blamed for a hot termination, but the thermal image also should not automatically be used to exonerate the product. Thermography is evidence that helps direct the investigation; it is not the final root-cause determination.

2. Why Data Centers & Large Commercial Facilities Use Thermography

Data centers, hospitals, high-rise towers, industrial facilities, and other mission-critical buildings often operate large electrical systems with substantial quantities of conductors, terminations, distribution equipment, and continuously loaded circuits.

• Continuous or long-duration loads with limited maintenance windows.
• High power density in electrical rooms, risers, busways, cable trays, and distribution equipment.
• Large numbers of connection points where changes in resistance or loading can produce thermal differences.
• Reliability requirements that make early condition information valuable to maintenance teams.

2.1 Identifying abnormal conditions under load

Within an electrical maintenance program, a properly performed thermographic inspection can help technicians:

• Compare similar phase components under comparable loading and document meaningful temperature differences.
• Identify abnormal thermal patterns at panels, breakers, PDUs, UPS equipment, switchgear, bus connections, terminations, and accessible conductor surfaces that deserve investigation.
• Recognize neutral-conductor heating or other asymmetric patterns that can prompt electrical measurement of current, imbalance, and harmonic content.
• Identify unexpected heating in accessible cable or tray areas that warrants verification of loading, grouping, ambient conditions, ampacity, ventilation, or installation conditions.

Thermography does not see through metal raceways or prove that a conduit or cable tray is overfilled. It also does not independently establish that harmonics, imbalance, overload, or a connection defect is the root cause. Those conditions must be confirmed with the appropriate electrical data and inspection.

2.2 Downtime, maintenance, and product evaluation

An electrical failure in a critical facility can create substantial operational consequences, including:

• Unplanned downtime and business interruption.
• Emergency repair costs and accelerated maintenance activity.
• Equipment damage or loss of redundancy.
• Questions about installation, maintenance, application, or product performance that require technical investigation.

A properly documented thermography program can provide useful condition evidence before and after corrective work. That can help owners, contractors, and manufacturers evaluate what actually occurred instead of assigning cause based solely on the name printed on the cable jacket.

3. The Role of Certified Thermal Electricians™

A thermal camera by itself does not guarantee useful data. Electrical thermography requires an understanding of both infrared measurement principles and the electrical system being examined. The Certified Thermal Electrician™ (CTE™) program is designed specifically around that combination.

CTE™ training does not replace task-specific qualification, manufacturer training, engineering analysis, or a facility's electrical safety program. It provides specialized electrical-thermography education that can complement those requirements.

3.1 Electrical expertise

• Understanding of ampacity, conditions of use, adjustment/correction factors, and equipment termination limitations.
• Knowledge of terminations, splices, conductors, bus systems, overcurrent protection, and distribution equipment.
• Familiarity with applicable electrical codes, manufacturer instructions, equipment ratings, and maintenance requirements.

3.2 Thermography skills

• Correct measurement setup, including focus, emissivity, reflected apparent temperature, distance, target resolution, viewing angle, and external-optics considerations when applicable.
• Evaluating equipment under a representative operating load and documenting actual load when it affects interpretation.
• Recognizing thermal patterns that may be consistent with increased resistance, imbalance, overload, cooling problems, or other conditions while understanding that root cause requires confirmation.

3.3 NFPA 70B, ANSI/NETA MTS, and the CTE™ visual mapping

The technical framework comes first. NFPA 70B provides the electrical maintenance and thermography context. When ANSI/NETA MTS suggested-action criteria are used, the thermographer must first establish the correct comparison method.

• Similar components under similar loading: 1–3°C ΔT = possible deficiency; 4–15°C ΔT = probable deficiency; greater than 15°C ΔT = major discrepancy.
• Component-to-ambient: 1–10°C ΔT = possible deficiency; 11–20°C ΔT = probable deficiency; 21–40°C ΔT = monitor until corrective measures can be accomplished; greater than 40°C ΔT = major discrepancy.

CTE™ colors are only a teaching and visual-mapping aid applied after the appropriate technical comparison and NETA tier are established. Similar-component comparisons map to Green, Yellow, and Red; there is no separate Orange tier for that method. Component-to-ambient comparisons map to Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Celsius values control; Fahrenheit can be shown only as a converted ΔT convenience.

3.4 Condition-based maintenance mindset

• Incorporating thermography at intervals established by the applicable NFPA 70B maintenance program and equipment condition assessment.
• Using historical images and temperatures as supporting evidence when inspection conditions are sufficiently comparable.
• Generating reports with equipment identification, images, operating condition, comparison method, ΔT, limitations, applicable action tier, and a professional recommendation.

Trending can reveal developing changes, but it is not a third ANSI/NETA comparison method and does not independently determine the technical severity tier.

4. Strategic Benefits to Wire & Cable Manufacturers

4.1 Better evidence when investigating field problems

Many reported cable-system problems can involve installation, termination, loading, environmental conditions, equipment interfaces, maintenance, or the cable product itself. A properly documented thermographic inspection can:

• Identify abnormal thermal behavior before visible damage progresses.
• Document the location and pattern of a thermal anomaly.
• Record load and comparison data that can support further investigation.
• Provide before-and-after condition information following corrective work.

Thermography cannot by itself prove whether a warranty claim is valid or whether a product defect exists. It can provide useful evidence that helps the parties investigate the actual cause.

4.2 Differentiated technical support and education

Manufacturers can use thermography education to help engineers, contractors, and facility managers understand how conductors and terminations should be evaluated in service.

• Publish application guidance explaining surface temperature, load, ampacity, termination limits, emissivity, reflections, and valid comparison methods.
• Provide thermography checklists that distinguish what the thermal image can show from what requires electrical measurement or physical inspection.
• Use documented case studies to show how installation, loading, environment, and equipment interfaces can influence field thermal behavior.

4.3 Alignment with facility maintenance and risk-management programs

Some facility owners, maintenance programs, contracts, risk-management programs, insurers, and specifications may require or encourage thermographic inspections. Requirements vary, so manufacturers should avoid presenting thermography as a universal insurance or legal mandate.

Supporting technically sound thermography can help customers identify conditions that warrant investigation and corrective maintenance. It should not be represented as a guarantee against fire, arc flash, equipment failure, insurance loss, or unplanned outage.

4.4 Stronger positioning in electrification and digital infrastructure

As buildings and campuses become more electrified and data-intensive, wire and cable systems can operate in environments with high power density, long operating hours, nonlinear loads, elevated ambient temperatures, and limited maintenance windows.

Manufacturers that educate the market about temperature limits, conditions of use, conductor loading, termination requirements, and proper condition assessment can demonstrate that long-term cable performance depends on the complete installed electrical system — not on the conductor alone.

5. How Prysmian, Its Encore Wire Operations & Other Manufacturers Could Integrate Thermography

Prysmian completed its acquisition of Encore Wire in 2024. For a combined wire-and-cable organization, thermography can be used as part of customer education and application support without implying that a thermal camera replaces engineering, installation requirements, electrical testing, or maintenance standards.

5.1 Training and education pathways

• Support educational content for electricians and maintenance teams on electrical thermography and cable-system condition assessment.
• Work with specialized training providers, including Certified Thermal Electrician™, where appropriate.
• Develop product-specific modules explaining conductor temperature ratings, ampacity limitations, termination ratings, installation conditions, and the proper use of thermal measurements.

5.2 Commissioning and maintenance guidance

• Publish checklists describing appropriate thermal inspection points while clearly distinguishing screening observations from quantitative measurements.
• Encourage thermographic inspections at intervals established by the facility's applicable maintenance program rather than inventing one universal inspection frequency.
• Provide application-specific example thermograms with documented load, emissivity, reference method, and limitations rather than labeling an image simply “normal” or “abnormal.”

5.3 Digital technical content

• Sponsor educational webinars or field demonstrations showing proper measurement technique and root-cause verification.
• Develop articles and videos that explain how loading, ambient temperature, conductor grouping, insulation ratings, equipment terminations, and connection resistance can affect thermal behavior.
• Provide maintenance teams with examples of how thermography can complement — not replace — current measurement, torque procedures, code calculations, manufacturer limits, and physical inspection.

5.4 Field feedback into application support and product development

Where customers voluntarily provide properly documented and anonymized field data, manufacturers can use that information as one input to:

• Identify recurring application or installation questions.
• Improve installation instructions and technical application notes.
• Study how equipment interfaces, termination methods, environment, and loading affect field performance.
• Inform future product or accessory development where the evidence supports a design change.

Thermal data should be interpreted cautiously. Differences in load, emissivity, camera setup, target size, angle, environment, and inspection method can make unrelated images unsuitable for direct comparison.

6. Conclusion: From Selling Wire to Supporting Documented Field Performance

Electrical thermography is an important condition-assessment method for many facilities that depend on electrical uptime. For wire and cable manufacturers, including Prysmian and its Encore Wire operations, it can also be a useful part of customer education, technical support, and field-performance investigation.

By supporting technically sound thermography and qualified electrical professionals, manufacturers can:

• Help customers identify abnormal thermal conditions earlier and determine where additional investigation is warranted.
• Improve the quality of evidence used when evaluating installation, loading, maintenance, equipment-interface, and product-performance questions.
• Position their organization as a technical resource for safe application, maintenance, and long-term conductor performance.
• Support maintenance teams with field information that is measured, documented, and interpreted within the correct technical framework.

The future of wire and cable reliability is not simply about reading a temperature from a camera. It is about understanding what surface was measured, under what load, using which comparison, with what limitations, and what the evidence actually supports.

That is where electrical knowledge and thermography belong together — and where specialized programs such as Certified Thermal Electrician™ can add value to the broader NFPA 70B and ANSI/NETA maintenance framework.