Contributed by Ben Dudley, marketing at Meltech Cable machinery is an integral part of engineering, providing countless benefits across a range of different industries. There is so much that can be done with cable machinery that it can be difficult to determine the top uses of the process. Of course, personal opinion on the most […]
Cord retaining clip for IEC C8 inlets
SCHURTER has expanded its broad range of cord retaining systems to include a new retaining clip for IEC C8 inlets and mating cord sets. V-Lock, wire-bail and clamp systems have proven successful solutions in preventing the accidental disconnection of power cords from inlets according to IEC 60320; however these systems are only available for C14 […]
Igus launches competition for cable carrier designs
This is a cool idea, a great way to promote a product line while also recognizing the customers that do so. Every two years, igus, East Providence, R.I. awards its vector award for the most creative applications of its Energy Chain Systems. Whether a tiny energy chain or an enormous application, anyone can enter to […]
Enclosed cable carrier protects moving cables
Cable carriers used in the workspace of lathes, milling and sawing machines must be chip tight, while simultaneously guiding moving cables with low abrasion. For this purpose, igus, East Providence, R.I., has developed its first foldable plastic energy tube, the R68 in its Energy Chain System line of enclosed cable carriers. This latest energy tube […]
SilverFox cable labels: low-smoke, zero halogen
This is interesting news, and not something I would really have thought about as a critical accessory to cable design, but it clearly is. A UK-based manufacturer of labeling solutions for the cable and wire industry, Silver Fox Ltd., has successfully flame tested its Fox-Flo Low Smoke Zero Halogen Tie-On Cable Labels against a direct […]
Cable carrier design guidelines
Of all the machine design details to worry about, cable carriers probably don’t top your list. Yet if you care about the reliability and uptime of moving machines, it pays to devote extra engineering attention to cable carriers and the components within them. A well-designed cable carrier will dramatically extend the life of cables and […]
An introduction to flat cables
Three common types of flat, flexible cables exist—extruded Flexx-Sil, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and molded flat cables. They all have their history from ribbon cables, which were developed for early mainframe computers in 1956 by Cicoil. Like a piece of thin band cloth ribbon, a ribbon cable is a type of cable that is flat, wide and […]
Fiber growing in use, speed for data networks
Three news stories this week highlighted the continued growth of fiber networks, as users search for higher bandwidth speeds in more compact cable and network designs. In one major development, researchers from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) may have come up with an idea to increase ten-fold the throughput in telecommunications systems. Currently, pulses […]
Shielded Cable: When To Use
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is prevalent throughout the factory floor. This is why data and signal cables are usually protected with insulated conductors and wrapped with a conductive layer. Shielding reduces electrical noise and reduces its impact on signals and also lowers electromagnetic radiation. Shielding prevents crosstalk between cables near each other. Shielding not only protects […]
Shielded signal cables provide uninterrupted data transmission
Hi-Flex Shielded Signal Cables from Cicoil, Valencia, Calif., are compact, flame retardant cables free of contaminants and halogens that have been engineered to provide uninterrupted data transmission, space efficiency and consistent electrical characteristics. Cicoil’s patented computer-controlled extrusion process allows each individually shielded pair to be placed in a flat parallel profile, precisely controlling the spacing of […]