Cable Assembly Design

Custom Cable Assembly Design

Each use for a custom wire rope cable assembly has its own unique purpose.  We can assist you in designing a custom cable assembly to fit your specific needs.

Custom Cable Assembly Design Options

When thinking about wire rope cable assemblies and custom steel cables, there are a number of options to consider:

• Cable Material: galvanized steel or stainless steel cables
• Cable Construction: typically these assemblies are made of 7 x 19 (most flexible), 7 x 7, or 1 x 19 (least flexible) cables
• Cable Coating: No coating, Nylon, Vinyl (PVC), or Pebax; black, white, and clear coatings are the most popular, but just about any color can be chosen
• Length: there really is no minimum or maximum length, just let us know for your application
• Ends Fittings or Terminals: we have a large selection of end fittings, including balls, ball shanks, sleeves, stamped eyes, stops, thimbles, handles/knobs, stops, strap forks, strap eyes, and threaded studs. Others fittings are available as well.
• Hardware: if your application includes hardware, let us know what type. We can add almost any type you need.

For more information on specific types of custom wire rope cable assemblies, take a look at these pages:

• Lanyards
• Push-Pull Assemblies

Factors to Consider When Designing A Cable Assembly

• When it comes to cable assembly design, a number of factors need to be considered such as work load, abrasion, cycle life, and flexibility, environment, cost and safety.
• The larger the cable diameter, the greater the work load capacity. For most applications, use a 5 to 1 safety factor when designing an assembly.  For critical safety or shock load applications an 8 or 10 to 1 safety factor is needed.
• The larger the diameter of cable, the less flexible it will be.  Example:  1/8” 7 X 19 cable is more flexible than 1/8” 7 X 7 cable, but the 7 X 7 construction is more abrasion resistant.
• Stainless steel cable is more corrosion resistant than galvanized but has a slightly less tensile strength.
• Coated cable can greatly extend the life of the assembly in most applications. If using coated cable, the coating must be stripped off when swaging to achieve the maximum strength.
• The tighter the tolerance of your cable assembly, the higher the cost of the cable.

In addition to our custom cable assemblies, be sure to also check out our conduit cable offerings.

What are the components of a cable assembly?

A typical cable assembly includes:

• Conductors (copper or aluminum wires)
  
• Insulation layers around each wire
  
• Shielding (braid, foil) for noise protection
  
• Connectors or terminations (e.g. plugs, sockets, crimped ends)
  
• Outer jacket for environmental and mechanical protection
  
• Optional components: heat-shrink tubing, strain relief, labels

What is the cable assembly manufacturing process?

The manufacturing process typically includes:

1. Design review and bill of materials (BOM) preparation
   
2. Wire cutting and stripping to spec
   
3. Cable grouping and assembly into subunits (if required)
   
4. Adding shielding and insulation components
   
5. Connector crimping, soldering, or termination
   
6. Testing: continuity, insulation resistance, and visual inspection
   
7. Labeling and packaging for shipment or installation

Mechanical Cable Assemblies

Mechanical wire rope cable assemblies are used in many different industries in any number of ways.  Generally, wire rope cable assemblies have an end fitting at each terminal, which connects the cable to an object. Typical applications of custom wire rope assemblies include:

Wire rope assemblies are customized to meet specific requirements, including length, diameter, and type of fittings, making them essential components in numerous industries where strength and reliability are critical.