() Quote CartConsolidated Electronic Wire & Cable is an experienced designer and fabricator of standard and custom wire and cable solutions. We provide products that serve a critical role in various industrial, commercial, and residential applications by enabling the transmission of data and power in and between connected devices and systems. For example, our cable assemblies are carefully engineered to organize groups of cables into a single unit to facilitate installation, replacement, and maintenance in commercial and consumer enterprises. We craft them with insert molding, overmolding, custom in-housing tooling, and manual assembly.
What Are Key Elements of a Custom Cable Assembly?
What Are Key Elements of a Custom Cable Assembly?
- Cable (or wire)
- Connectors
- Fuses
- Grommets
- Outside coverings
- Relays
- Strain Relief
- Terminals
- Ties
Custom cable manufacturing companies can also tailor the individual cables used in cable assemblies, including with regard to the following:
- Cable configuration (single-conductor, multi-conductor, multi-paired)
- Electrical properties (voltage rating, amperage rating, capacitance rating)
- Operating temperatures
- Flexibility
- Environmental rating (indoor vs. outdoor)
- Regulation compliance
Properly designed and constructed cable assemblies should be able to perform three primary functions:
- Protect employees, technicians, and bystanders from electrical shock
- Create an organized system that streamlines system installation and maintenance
- Minimize the effects of wear and environmental hazards on cable function
What Is the Custom Cable Assembly Manufacturing Process?
The custom cable manufacturing process consists of four main stages.
- Design In the design phase, designers and engineers work closely with customers to outline their needs and constraints. These requirements and restrictions are used to create and digitally test potential designs.
- Prototyping In the prototyping phase, physical models of potential cable assembly designs are created. These units are used to test for functionality and manufacturability, ensuring they can be made and used as intended.
- Production and Assembly In the production and assembly phase, the cable assemblies are manufactured as per the approved final design in the desired volumes. The manufacturing process consists of many steps, including cutting the conductors, establishing their connections, and assembling them into a single wrapped jacket.
- Testing In the testing phase, the completed assemblies undergo rigorous testing to ensure they perform safely and effectively. The exact tests depend on industry and application requirements.
Types of Overmolded Cable Assemblies
Click to Expand
Cable assemblies can be made to suit a variety of applications and environments. For example, overmolded cable assemblies are ideal for highly demanding performance demands and operating conditions. They are crafted by placing the cable assembly inside of a mold and injecting molded plastic material into the mold cavity. The result is a single, seamless piece that protects the cable connection against strain, environmental contaminants, and other potentially damaging conditions and compounds.
Applications that benefit from overmolded assemblies include:
- Medical cables
- Automotive cable assemblies
- RF cables
- Patch cord assemblies
- USB cables
- Video cable assemblies
- HDMI cables
- Medical market components and PCB encapsulation
- SCSI, SAS & SATA custom cables
- Environmentally resistant military connectors
- D-sub cables and ferrites
- Patch cords with boots, strain relief, and flex relief
What Are the Benefits of Custom Cable Assemblies?
Compared to standard cable assemblies, custom cable assemblies benefit users in many ways, including:
- Accuracy: Custom cable assemblies are manufactured to the client’s exact specifications. As a result, they fit the application better than standard cable assembly units.
- Materials: The materials used for shield, insulation, and jacketing determine how a cable assembly performs in a given environment. Custom cable assembly allows users to choose the materials that best suit their unique needs.
- Flexibility: Nearly every feature of a custom cable assembly can be tailored to the application, so clients can choose elements that streamline its use.
- Performance: In a custom cable assembly, every design decision is made with a specific application in mind, so the final product will operate and perform as intended.
- Quality control: Testing is an integral part of the custom cable assembly process. The final product undergoes rigorous testing to ensure compliance with application- and industry-specific requirements, so you can be confident that your assembly will hold up within your application.
- Cost and time savings: Cable assemblies are not one-size-fits-all, but it can be costly and time-consuming to force a standard assembly to suit your needs. Clients who attempt to do so often waste time modifying cable lengths and connector ends. These expenses can be eliminated by choosing custom solutions from the beginning.
What Are Common Applications of Cable Assemblies?
Cable assemblies find application in nearly every industry, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Medical: Medical devices, such as diagnostic, monitoring, and imaging tools, utilize cable assemblies for power transmission. Since they are used in a hospital setting, these assemblies must be disposable or able to withstand frequent and intensive sterilization procedures.
- Military: Cable assemblies used in defense equipment are often exposed to extreme environments. They must protect cables against vibrations, humidity, thermal fluctuations, and saltwater spray, among other exposures. Additionally, they must comply with stringent military specifications to ensure that they will perform reliably when it counts.
- Aerospace: Aerospace application demands are similar to military and defense demands; cables may be exposed to extreme conditions, which they must be able to endure to prevent catastrophic failure.
- Automotive: Automotive cable assemblies are highly complex and regulated. Since they are used to power critical vehicle components, such as the steering wheel and power distribution systems, they must withstand impact, vibrations, and temperature fluctuations without failing. The diversity of automobile brands and parts also means that cables must often accommodate non-standard, proprietary, or out-of-date components. Custom automotive cable assemblies are the simplest way to meet these varied challenges with minimal hassle or expense.
- Telecommunications: Telecom cable assemblies are unique in that they primarily contain fiberoptic cables meant to enable rapid, uninterrupted data transmission. For this reason, they must be shielded against interference.
- Industrial & Factory Control: Industrial facilities use cable assemblies to power equipment and relay information to control and quality assurance systems.
Custom Cable Assemblies From Consolidated Electronic Wire & Cable
Crafting reliable, high-performance cable assemblies requires extensive experience spanning across different industries. A qualified cable assembly company uses that expertise to generate effective assembly designs and manufacturing plans to suit your needs.
Consolidated Electronic Wire & Cable is an expert custom cable maker with over a century of experience in cable and wire manufacturing. Our in-house capabilities extend from design and modeling through production, assembly, and testing. Manufacturing and assembly options include:
- Molding and overmolding
- Wire crimping and braiding
- Ultrasonic welding
- Cut and shrink tubing
- Tinning and soldering
- In-line engineering
We also offer comprehensive testing and quality assurance procedures customized to our clients’ industry requirements.
We are proud to be a one-stop shop for all of our customers’ wire and cable needs. To learn more about our custom cable and wire capabilities, check out our custom cables page. To discuss your wire and cable solution with one of our team members, request a quote.