Monday, December 10, 2012
How to Find Aerospace Wire Suppliers
Friday, November 9, 2012
Medical Wire – When Quality Matters
Monday, October 22, 2012
Finding Wire and Cable for Industrial Applications
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Top 3 Reasons People chose Custom Wire
- “My existing wire keeps breaking.” Wires that break and fail are usually not designed to be repeatedly flexed or bent. High flex custom wire is normally made with high strand count conductors and sometimes with alloys. Hook up and lead wires that are off the shelf are normally available in solid core, 7 or 19 strand. This wire is intended for static installations where the wire is not required to move once it is installed and is not intended for repetitive movement and high flex applications. As the fine strands break loss of conductivity and complete failure will occur. High strand count conductors will withstand this type of environment due to the construction and number of strands. High strand count wire can sometimes be purchased off the shelf, but in most cases need to be purchased from a custom wire and cable manufacturer. Custom lead wires can be manufactured with the application in mind using materials intended to withstand movement such as robotic /automation, handheld devices, and other applications.
- “I need a more flexible wire for my project.” Ultra flexible wires are are manufactured using very high strand count conductors and flexible insulation and jacket materials which are hard to find ready-made and off the shelf. Custom wire and cable manufactures specializing in super flexible wire and cable can assist you with your flexibility requirements. There are several types of insulation that can be used to make a wire extremely flexible. Silicone insulated wires are probably the most flexible wire available together with high strand count conductors the wire can be extremely limp even described as “noodle wire” even in the larger gauge sizes.
- “I can’t find the wire I need anywhere.” This is usually the case when a small gauge wire is needed, retrofitting and repairs, or a wire becomes obsolete. Wire gauges smaller than 30AWG can be difficult to find off the shelf, turning to a custom wire manufacturer that works with small gauges is usually the only option. Custom wire can be made smaller than 50AWG by some custom wire manufacturers. Often we have requests for hookup wire and cables for equipment that needs to be repaired, updated, or overhauled. This type of situation the existing wire can’t be identified or the existing wire needs to have improved performance. Custom cable manufacturers can reverse engineer existing wire and suggest better construction or materials to achieve the improved performance and longevity of the wire.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Growing Importance of Custom Medical Cables

While medical devices are incredibly important in the medical world, without medical cables to run them, those incredibly important medical devices would be rendered useless. In that respect, it is already quite obvious to see why functional, effective, and reliable medical cables are an absolute necessity for an evermore technology-dependent medical field.
There are many different types of medical cables that are needed during everyday medical practices- a medical wire that connects a medical ventilator to a power source or something as simple as a medical cable that connects a specialized printer to print out custom patient reports and the like.
However, these days, the medical technologies used to treat patients have become more advanced as well as highly customized, which means that the computerized apparatus that are currently being used to treat patients need to be created from parts that have been specialized for certain procedures and applications.
Take, for example, MRI machines. Although the basic function of MRI machines are the same- to visualize internal bodily structures using a medical imaging technique- there now exist needs to tweak an MRI machine to make it capable of taking more specialized images for internal bodily structures. In order to do this, however, specialized medical cables are needed.
Just like a specialized MRI machine, there are, and will be, many medical devices that are needed for more and more specialized reasons, calling for the need for customized parts, especially cables. This is because medical cables are what powers the machines and relays information from one part of the machine to the other.
Medical cables can be composed of so many different materials such as cadmium copper, beryllium copper, and carbon fiber. But each type of material has very specific strengths and weaknesses. For example, carbon fiber has the property of being almost invisible with MRIs and other medical imaging procedures as well as the property of being radio translucent, making them the near perfect material with which to make EKG leads or wiring in defibrillators.
The complexity and variety of medical cables necessitates the need for specialists who are highly capable of creating effective and trustworthy custom medical cables. Not only does the complexity and variety of medical cables dictate a need for specialist, but the fact that a good amount of medical environments need sterilized medical devices shows that medical cables need to be made by trained and trusted specialists.
There are custom medical cable specialists who can help figure out how to develop medical cables according to virtually any specification. These cable specialists can help create custom cables and wiring for medical devices such as devices used during surgery and even specialized devices such as laser eye surgery devices and tools.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Medical cables and UL certification.

There are times where medical cable designs requiring super flexible wire and the available UL styles don't match the design requirements. This happens often. UL sets the standards for different categories of wire and cable. The standards include wall thickness, material, voltage rating, flammability, type of conductor and other factors. What these standards do not take into account are the requirements for individual medical devices for ultra flexible wire or cable, high flex wire applications and sterilization techniques. Custom wire and cable manufacturers can manufacture the same construction to meet the UL specification while making improvements on performance for example using higher strand conductors, alloys for added flexibility and strength or insulation and jacket material improvements.
Recently, we received design request for a flexible flat medical wire for a two conductor cable with multiple lumen, the customer required a UL style for the wires but not the lumen. We often receive requests for medical cable designs requiring UL certified conductors but not all the components in the cable.
The reality is that UL certification for individual components becomes null and void when used in medical devices. If the device needs to be UL certified then the entire device needs certification not just the components individually. Custom cables can be manufactured to perform better than a UL cable. Some examples of improvements are:
- More flexible construction and materials
- Withstand sterilization and chemicals
- Hi-Flex and vibration resistant
- Conductor sizes outside the UL style
There are many UL styles for wire available and finding a close match to your needs is possible however, finding a close match is not the same as having a cable to meet or exceed your requirements. Wire can be designed to meet voltage, flame and other requirements and doesn't have to be UL certified to do so. When designing your wire and cable it is important to look at your individual product requirements and design the wire to meet those needs.
If your medical device is required to be UL certified, then design the wire and cable to meet your product's needs instead of designing your device around available UL styles. In the end the entire device will need to be certified.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
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.