Flexible Wire- Conductor and Insulation selection for flexible wire and cable

Medical device, aerospace and automation manufacturers often require flexible cables for their products. Flexible wire and cable can have many interpretations. Sometimes a simple description such as, “the wire needs to be as limp as a wet noodle” is enough to understand your needs. The choice of type of conductor and insulation can greatly influence the flexibility of the cable performance. Understanding what the flexibility requirements are will help to determine the materials and construction for the flexibility of the wire or cable.

When specifying a flexible cable you need tell your cable manufacturer what the intended use will be.

• Do you need to route it through equipment or a tight space?
• Will it be subject to repetitive flexing?
• Do you need the cable to flexible during use?

There are several factors which make a cable flexible, a few are:

• Conductor stranding
• Shield types
• Cable lay
• Insulation materials.

Typically in conductor stranding, the more strands a conductor has the more flexible the wire will be. Normally “off the shelf” wire and cable is stranded in 7 or 19 strand configurations, is not flexible enough for most applications requiring flexible or high flex cycles. The general rule is the higher the strand count of the conductor, the more flexible the wire or cable will be. Stranded conductors are composed of un-insulated “strands” of wire twisted together. The advantages of stranded conductor over a single strand are increased flexibility and flex-fatigue life. When you see 22AWG (19/34) for example, what the description means is that there are 19 strands of 34 AWG making up the 22 AWG conductor. Other common options for a 22 AWG is a single strand (solid) up to 168/44 strands. The construction of the conductor also plays a role in the cable’s flexibility, for example a rope stranding is the most flexible. For repetitive flexing applications such as robotics and automation, the use of high strand alloy material is recommended.

Choosing the right insulation can add to the cable’s flexibility. Silicone is one the most flexible of the compounds used. Silicone wire is used to meet a variety of demands such as extreme high and low temperature requirements, flame resistance, flexibility, strength and purity. The application and environment also play a role when choosing jacket material. Harsh environments, chemicals, and abrasion will narrow down your insulation and jacket options. Discussing your flexible wire application with a cable manufacturer can help you choose the right materials for the performance and longevity of your product

Finding Reliable Aerospace Products

Though it is not something most of us think about every day, some people’s livelihoods are dependent on finding high-quality aerospace products. Things like a specialty wire and cable and other materials need to be reliable and trustworthy. When you are building flying machines, you have to understand you have the lives of others in your hands. Though you need to protect your bottom line and make smart investments to save money, you also need to make safety your main priority.

Industrial wire and cable products are one of the most important investments you will make as an airplane manufacturer. If you are in charge of buying materials, you will probably have access to several different options. Your choices will not be unlimited, though. Most airplane parts and airplanes are built by one of just a few different companies. All have comparable quality and are well-known within the industry. If you have spent any length of time working in the industry, you are familiar with the companies that manufacture parts. If you should come across a company that offers parts for a deeply discounted rate, you should be skeptical of their quality.

It might be tempting to look for discounts on coaxial cables you buy in bulk. This is the common line of thinking for managers and buyers in large companies. You are always looking out for your bottom line. However, when you are dealing with an industry in which safety is a factor, the price should be secondary. Finding quality materials is your main priority. If you try to cut corners, it could cost people their lives.

Conductor flexible cables are just a few of the components you will be focused on when building an airplane. You might feel as if your attention is being pulled in several different directions. You have a lot of responsibility, but you still need to make intelligent decisions that provide you with the safest materials possible. Do your research and make sure you are making a smart choice. You can look for a good deal or buy parts from a lesser-known manufacturer, but in the long run, you are likely to regret your decision. Proceed with caution and make sure you have your priorities in order. There are plenty of ways to get great deals on parts without sacrificing quality or safety.

Custom Cable Requirements for Aerospace, Defense, And Medical Industries

Wire and cable companies have the unique privilege and responsibility of supplying materials to important applications ranging from medical fields to military defense. Common requirements of military or aerospace wire and cables include tensile strength, longevity, temperature resistance, purity of materials, conductivity, and a host of other factors. Let’s examine each of these properties that custom cables and wires must possess in order to serve the function these wires are designed to fulfill.

Tensile strength, longevity, and temperature. In the harsh, zero gravity environment of space, and the unforgiving climate conditions in parts of the Middle East, having equipment that will perform optimally despite adverse temperature, humidity, and impact damage can mean the difference between a successful mission, or the loss of human and equipment assets. In a context closer to home, a team of surgeons assisted by surgical robot machines employing high-tech robotics cables, can help a patient undergoing surgery in ways not previously possible. And it is important to the success of a surgical operation that these robotic components perform at the highest level of efficiency with regards to conductivity and strength.

Conductivity and purity of materials. This refers to the ability of custom cables to convey power and data through their medium within acceptable parameters of time taken and power transferred. For equipment to operate properly, the right amount of data or power within the allotted time required for a wide range of applications. Much of the technology employed by the medical, defense, and aerospace engineering fields run on electric power, and that power is conveyed through various lengths of wires and cables from a power source to the end of a crane’s arm or a space shuttle’s piloting console HUD display.

All these critical qualities of custom wires and cables play an integral role when operational requirements call for specified and tangible results in the context of aerospace, defense, and medical applications. And since these applications by nature have high standards of performance due to the stakes involved for each respective industry, experts in this specific field of custom cables and wires manufacturing are usually the ones who handle these requirements for NASA, government agencies, and various medical practices.

Wire Applications in Military Vehicles: H Model Cougar MRA

Applications for custom wires and cables generally fall into one of several categories, one of which being mechanical requirements for military vehicles and equipment. Military wires and cables provide electrical power, communications, and a host of other functions within a given piece of hardware.

As combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq (Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom) intensified, there was a growing need for a series of vehicles designed to survive the explosive threats posed by the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) as well as conventional mining and ambush tactics employed against Coalition personnel. These vehicles were collectively described as MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) capable, and would be specifically built to defeat these threats. One such vehicle is the Cougar. Manufactured by Force Protection Inc. employing advanced flexible wire technology, the Cougar has been in production, and in service for the past seven years.

Vehicles such as the Cougar are not new designs. While new to the US military, the Cougar design can trace its origins to the Olifant Manufacturing Company of South Africa, which originally developed the multi-wheeled, "V" shaped blast hull design for use by the South African military in its operations against Angola and Namibia in the 1980s. These vehicles were designed to have good road speeds and endurance (to allow for the long distances traveled, as well as reduced maintenance requirements because of their wheeled design) and were specifically designed with advanced silicone wires and armor technologies to maximize passenger survivability against small arms ambushes and conventionally laid mines and IEDs.

The Cougar MRAP H model is a 19.4 feet long, 9 feet wide (spare tires mounted), 8.6 feet tall (not including turret splash shield.) 3-door, diesel powered, 3-ton capacity 4-wheel drive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. The Cougar-H is The Cougar is equipped with an automatic transmission and in addition to the driver and co-driver, has seating for 4 additional passengers. Each seat is equipped with a 4-point ribbon cable shielded pur safety harness. The vehicle is equipped with driver/co-driver doors, as well as double doors for the passenger compartment, and a single vehicle accessibility hatch on the roof. The Cougar is equipped with dual A/C units (24,000/48,000 BTU/hour), is NBC overpressure and filter protected, and is equipped with a 9,000-pound capacity electrically powered winch. The unprepared fording depth is 39 inches, an approach angle of 40 degrees and a departure angle of 50 degrees. The Cougar is capable of travel both on and off road and is equipped with run-flat tire inserts. The Cougar-H is air transportable by the C-17 transport aircraft.

Requirements Information On Custom and Medical Cables

Custom cables are cables specially designed and manufactured to meet specific needs of clients. Companies that manufacture custom cables offer a whole variety of specialist services in diverse fields such as aerospace, telecommunications, radar, military, medical, industrial electronics, transportation, commercial, marine and many other fields. Custom cable manufacturers provide complete control from unique design to finished product, extremely competitive service and lead times that suit their clients. They also work with their clients to find a cost effective solution for all their clients’ custom cable needs.

High performance military wires and cables must meet the most stringent requirements for airframe defense wiring and other on-board applications. Military wire should have high temperature resistance, be small in dimension, be low weight, have low flame propagation and be mechanically tough and chemically resistant. Custom designed cables are used in radar systems, wire and special avionics cables, weapons systems cables, electronic surveillance and others. Custom military wire manufacturers develop, manufacture and market custom designed cables and cable assemblies for demanding military applications.

Aerospace cables are designed to offer optimal performance in the special conditions found in aircraft, where requirements commonly include high reliability, long lifetime, high strength, light weight and wider temperature ranges than standard telecommunications grade fiber/cable. Typical applications of aerospace cables are In-flight entertainment systems, In-flight networking systems, display systems, data transmission, communication systems, high-temperature environments and corrosive chemical environments.

Medical cables manufacturers provide medical wire for the demanding requirements of medical instrumentation. These cables provide consistent and reliable performance. The designs of medical cables utilize features that are important in health care applications. Flexibility and extended flex life, high strand counts, coolant tubes, flat cables and bonded-zip constructions, lead free insulations, coaxial composite cables, shielding and high strength conductors and shields are some of the important features provided by custom medical wire companies. Medical imaging, diagnostic instrumentation, dental x-ray machines, medical robotics, cardiac instrumentation and precision lasers are some of the fields where custom medical cables are used

Custom Cables: Quality Counts

There are plenty of jobs in the world that require some sort of cable. Because these jobs are so diverse, most hardware and home improvement stores carry all kinds of different cable. But even with this level of variety, not every cable need can be met by a local hardware store. For special jobs, it may become necessary to order flexible cables from a cable manufacturer. There are many reasons why a company might need to purchase a custom-made cable, but there aren't too many places to get cable made exactly to your specifications. That's why, when you find a good one, you've got to hold on to them.

If you need a specific type of silicone wire, then a company that makes custom cables might be able to make exactly what you need. Silicone is a great material for wire because it's heat-resistant, extremely flexible and durable, and it doesn't stick to things. If you need a special type of wire for a delicate job, then silicone is an excellent material to choose for the job. The problem is more one of finding someone who makes wire with this material than of figuring out what material you should use.

The aerospace industry is an industry that often needs custom wire and cables made. Because precision and durability are key in aerospace applications, it is of utmost importance for silicone cables to be of the highest possible quality and durability. If you skimp on cost in the aerospace industry, you're playing with people's lives just to save a few dollars. It's definitely worth the money to have custom wire made that is sure to do the job that you need done, as opposed to opting for the next-best thing or any other cheaper alternative to your first choice of material.

If you need super flexible custom cable, silicone is also an excellent choice. It bends easily and doesn't lose elasticity with movement. Some materials lose their elasticity the more you move them around, but not so with silicone. There are all different kinds of wire out in the world, and not all of them are cheap. But, in some cases, it's not about how much something costs. It's about how effective and durable that product is because a high-quality could make a life-saving difference in practice. And it's worth the money to keep people safe as they push the boundaries of what mankind can accomplish. For additional information, visit http://www.calmont.com/ to learn more.

Cables – Numerous Options And Applications

As technology continues to drive the world, an often overlooked aspect of most systems and networks lies in the lowly cable. Whether you are wiring your home during new construction, handling the cable needs of a huge commercial complex, or using cables temporarily for a major event indoors or outside, you'll find yourself facing a need for cable. While most people are unaware of it, there are many different types of cables and wires that exist. From environmentally friendly cables to high grade military wire, whatever your cable needs may be you have more options at hand than you might suspect.

Green cables are becoming much more popular as concerns about the environment continue to grow. Many homes under construction now utilize these cables to wire networks, home theater systems, gaming centers, and computers for a number of reasons. First, they are made without the use of PVC, lead, halogen, and other harmful chemicals and materials. During a fire these chemicals will give off a thick black smoke filled with cancer causing agents. They're much less toxic and even have less of a negative impact if they find their way into our nation's landfills. These cables are becoming more available than ever and are easy to find.

Military cable is just what it sounds like – cables used predominantly by the military to carry data between command centers and other installations. While they are more expensive than standard cable, these types of cables are growing in popularity in private use due to their reliability and durability. High frequency applications are commonly needed in military settings and in private ones now as well, and these cables are designed to not only handle those frequencies without signal degradation but also to stand up to the most taxing conditions. High heat, severe moisture, extreme cold, and other conditions that would destroy most cable's effectiveness have little effect on these cables.

Finally, flexible cable is another type of cable that sees plenty of use but is often not given a second glance. This cable is commonly found in most industrial settings and is designed to withstand flexing, twisting, turning, and other stresses that other cables would fall apart on. Running from a control center along the length of moving machine parts such as robotic arms and other tools, these cables can withstand the constant pressure that these applications create. From environmentally friendly to incredibly durable, no matter what type of cable you need, there is absolutely a solution out there.