How Industrial Strength Cables Improve Efficiency, Reliability

Industrial environments can be very unforgiving on components and equipment. Often, a lot of effort goes towards sourcing rugged components and electronic systems, with designers paying less attention to the selection of cabling and wiring. However, two cables that deceptively look the same may behave very differently in harsh industrial environments.

Why cable choice is so important

The wrong choice of cabling may appear to function fine at first, but from the very beginning may actually be causing signal degradation and power loss. Over time they can also introduce intermittent connection failures that are notoriously difficult to troubleshoot, causing expensive system downtime. This can be especially troublesome in high vibration environments. Also, if the cable does not have the appropriate outer jacket material, exposure to chemicals or extreme temperatures and physical abuse can expose the wiring and open the door to short circuits and sparking.

Center conductor wires

Copper is the best conducting material for wires. Lesser quality cables may use aluminum, which is an inferior conductor compared to copper. While solid wires are better conductors than stranded wires, solid wires do not bend as easily, making them impractical for many situations. Stranded wires are easier to place and route because they are more flexible.

Exterior outer jacket

The outer jacket material and thickness are crucial for the long life of industrial cables. The thicker the outer jacket, the better protected the cable.

The cable’s outer jacket in industrial environments needs to handle many forms of harsh abuse that can quickly degrade the cable. Sunlight, particularly ultraviolet (UV) light, can cause outer jacket discoloration or cracks. Solvents including oil, gasoline, and cleaning chemicals can also dissolve the outer jacket leading to failures.

The outer jacket must also be able to handle physical abuse such as the abrasive effect of pulling the cable around sharp corners. The wrong outer jacket can lead to openings in the cable revealing the shielding or conductor wires.

Cable connectors and contacts

The cable’s connection to the connector can be the most abused part of the assembly. It is recommended to always remove a cable connector from a socket by pulling on the connector shell and not the strain relief. However, technicians in a hurry will sometimes pull on the strain relief instead. Sometimes the cable connector is placed in a tight space where removing the connector by pulling on the strain relief cannot be avoided.

Cable shielding

Noisy environments like factories and office buildings are filled with electrical noise. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) can severely affect the efficiency and operation of electronic equipment. Cabling can generate EMI or can be affected by it. The correct cable shielding can inhibit or eliminate most EMI.

There are two types of cable shielding. Aluminum foil shielding is common in both industrial and commercial cables and provides 100% coverage. For industrial applications, the side of the foil facing the wires is attached to a thin, non-conductive surface for better insulation from the conducting wires.

Conclusion

The proper choice of cabling early in a project can prevent problems later. Industrial cables are superior in quality compared to commercial cables, with the advantages of higher signal quality and longer life.

Aic Technik is engaged in the Field of High Quality Electrical, Electronic & Automation Products and solutions.