When transmitting data or conducting power in harsh environments, protecting your cables is crucial to safe and reliable operation. This is where armored cables come into play. They are used primarily in industrial applications, often in cable trays and raceways. They often not used in flexing applications. While they could operate there, the connector cable […]
Basics
Materials are critical in medical cables
When specifying cables for machines or systems to be used in a medical application, it is critical to consider the jacketing material covering the cable. Not only must they be durable and flexible, they must also protect from current leakage and also be suitable for use with human and chemical contact. The cable jacket acts […]
The virtue and value of labeling cables
Nick Michaelson, CEO of Silver Fox, offers answers to the questions of ‘why’, ‘what to’ and ‘how to’ label cables. Any parent will tell you that it can get wearing when children, at a certain age, become obsessed with using the word ‘why?’ By the time children reach school age, they’ve learned to curb this […]
What are benefits of PVC in cable designs?
PVC is a surprisingly useful material, and is used in a wide variety of different manners in a number of diverse industries. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. It is a thermoplastic resin, which means it can be softened by heating, and is produced by a process known as polymerization. PVC is tough and resistant […]
Know what cable jacketing material is right for your application
I love when I stumble upon great engineering resources just by digging through websites of companies I don’t know much about. Like this morning, when I was looking at The Okonite Co.’s website. The more than 130-year old company makes 300 V to 345 kV insulated products for industrial, utilities, renewable energy and railroad and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Copper vs. fiber wire in cable design
By Frank Koditek, Product Line Manager, Belden Since the invention of the stone hammer, tools and equipment have helped humankind achieve great things. Yet, sometimes the equipment can make life a little more challenging too. Take communications cables, for example. Cables are an important component of the Ethernet-based industrial networks that are becoming more common […]
Cable carrier basics
More than 60 years ago, Dr. Gilbert Wanninger, an engineer at Waldrich Siegen Gmbh, a machine tool manufacturer, invented a simple device to improve cable management and lengthen cable life in moving applications. This initial design of the cable carrier kicked off a whole industry, with Tsubaki Kabelschlepp being the original designer of steel link […]