Standard, mass-produced cable assemblies are created for simple applications. And in those simple applications they work well.

But in order for a standard assembly to work properly for a more complex application or a project with unique requirements, it must be reconfigured. This can be time consuming, costly, and, in the case of a failure, disastrous or even life threatening.

Rather than attempting to configure an off-the-shelf cable assembly to meet your specific needs, custom cable manufacturing allows you to create the perfect setup for your equipment. Not only are you able to design a custom cable or complete connectivity solution for a specific end application, but custom cable assemblies, when designed to specification, produce a return on your investment.

Whether it’s an existing or new solution, partnering with a custom cable manufacturer and their design engineering team will ensure your application requirements are met every time.

Custom Cable Design Ensures a Perfect, Reliable Fit For Your Equipment

Finding a premade assembly to fit the exact requirements of your equipment can be difficult, if not impossible. Customization gives you a perfect, reliable fit for the assembly to the equipment and provides protection against the elements to which an assembly and its connections will be subjected.

To ensure your assembly meets the specific needs of your equipment, a custom cable manufacturer will gather all of your requirements, such as:

1. Identify end application
2. Application’s environment (time, temperature, frequency, and concentration)
3. Critical-to-quality characteristics (needs vs wants)
4. Flexibility vs flex life expectations
5. Required certifications

Enjoy the Benefits of Material Selection

Material selection may be the biggest benefit of customization. A custom cable assembly gives you the benefit of qualified engineers sourcing or developing the best materials for the actual application for which your product is intended.

When it comes to connectivity, proper material selection and stranding configuration aligned with your application affect attributes such as flexibility, flex life, and termination to the connector.

Custom cable design allows you to choose the ideal conductor materials for your assembly (bare copper, coated copper, or copper alternatives), as well as the size of the stranding and the stranding configuration.

In addition, shielding selection will provide protection to the cable and wire, adding strength, flexibility, and noise suppression. And ruggedizing protects against environmental factors and application demands. A custom manufacturer will help with selection of the appropriate jacket, your first line of defense.

Choose Your Ideal Cable Types, Termination Options, and Color Coding

Customization also allows you to choose from different cable types — coiled cords, for instance. Whether it’s for aesthetics or performance, having the ability to choose the right cable type for your project is important.

Customization allows you to choose your cable’s termination as well (i.e., soldering vs. crimping).

And the ability to color-code cables and wires greatly reduces the chances that an element is incorrectly installed, ensuring the custom assembly remains the perfect fit from production through implementation. Since the end user may be responsible for connecting the attachments of a product in the field, making the cables easily identifiable and color coded reduces the chances of user error and returns.

Work Through Pain Points and Performance Issues

If the goal is to improve a current underperforming design, working with a custom cable manufacturer allows you to work through any existing pain points or performance failures that are occurring in an assembly.

If working on NPI, prototyping ensures that the cable solution is performing as expected in the real world environment.

A More Accurate, Efficient Process

It’s commonly thought that standard cable is less expensive and will allow for faster turnaround time. But this is a false economy.

In reality, a standard cable will likely need to be reconfigured to meet the specific requirements of your project. If you don’t reconfigure the standard cable, the ill-fitting assembly or imperfect electrical specifications could produce costly failures. Plus, on-the-fly materials sourcing can be time consuming and expensive.

Custom cable design offers advantages here as well:

• All of the project source materials are known ahead of time and planned pre-production
• The production timeline is much more accurate, helping you keep to your production schedule

Improved Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are key elements of custom cable assembly manufacturing.

Custom assemblies must pass a variety of testing — electrical tests, visual inspections, and manual and machine-aided pull and bend tests, as well as any specific testing required for your unique application. A standard off-the-shelf cable will not meet these unique standards.

In summary, custom cable assembly design provides the capability to meet the unique needs of your project, offering you endless possibilities.

Macrotech is your global OEM manufacturing authority for the medical, electronics, computer, and telecommunications industries. Schedule a call today to learn how we can help you source custom cable assembly manufacturing for your next project.