Cables are definitely one of the most confusing and complicating things to understand. Especially when it comes to choosing a cable that better suits applications. In recent times molded cables have become an attraction among many users. In fact, it’s now becoming one of the comfortable cable options for users.

What Is Molded Cable?

Molded cables are created by injecting heated molten material into a mold cavity. The mold mechanically attaches the connectors to the cables making it a single part. This gives the cable the ability to withstand vibration, shock, and flexibility along with good exposure to a harsher environment.

Molded cables have become extremely important among many users. But many users rarely notice they use a molded cable. This applies to everyday objects; you perhaps didn’t know your phone charger had a molded cable. So let’s give you a clear guide on these types of cable.

How a Cable is Molded?

The molding process takes a great deal of pressure in forcing material into a mold cavity. It all starts by installing molding materials into the heated barrel of the molding machine. When heated, the material melts and turns into a resin. Any desired colorants can be mixed at this point. The resin mixed with the colorant is then forced into the mold cavities. After cooling, it will then take the appearance of the mold including any trade names, logos and so on.

Pretty useful right? Now let’s see the types of molded cables you can come across.

Cable Inner Pre molding In Mold 2 cavities

After Over molding

Types Of  Molded  Cables

There are many types of molded cables that are offered by different brands in the cable industry. However, they all more or less narrow down to the following types of molded cables.

Standardized Molded Cables

These are the standard molded cables that are designed to meet the essential uses of a molded cable. These include rugged performances, watertight compatibility, superior strength, and other compulsory technical specifications.

Most of the standard molded cables can be found in the form of medical cables, RF cables, USB cables, and HDMI cables. These types are the most basic form of molded cables and are used just about everywhere. They’re also the most low cost molded cables you can get purchase. In fact, there’s a high chance you’d be coming across this type of molded cables daily. Maybe even in your own household applications.

Molded Cables For Harsh Environments

This is a recent trend taking over the types of molded cables available. This is where a molded cable is given the additional reliability and durability to withstand extreme weather conditions. It also includes the added benefit of risk-free termination under urgent situations. This type of cable is significantly designed to cater to industries or organizations that are prone to a harsher environment.

However, they may be comparatively slightly more expensive as it requires more complexity in designing and greater material usage. We can help you with choosing the right cable for you so it’s always a good idea to get in touch.

Custom Molded Cable

As the word indicates, these types of cable are customized to better suit your application needs and requirements. Custom molded cables are one of the highly demanded cables in the market. This has now created an endless range of customizable features in molded cables.

Customization, by its very nature, can come at a higher price. Custom molded cables can be the most expensive out of all the types of molded cables. And of course, depending on the complexity involved within the customization, the price can get even higher. so again, it’s worth coming to talk to us about your requirements first

Customizing cables is a perfect solution if you’re looking for alternative ways to make and find a cable to suit your applications. So let’s give you a round-up on the most common customizable features in molded cables. But remember this customizability requirement can vary from one organization to another.

Flat Ribbon molding cable

HD15 Overmolded

Power connect DC overmolded

Cable joint overmolding

USB/RJ45 Overmolded

Power Cable Overmolding

Enclosure Cable Strain Relief

Cables are usually exposed to a high amount of strain. Especially with the heat and may bend. This leads to most standard cables failing due to stress. So molded cables can be customized with strain relievers that protect the cable from such strains.

Cable Strain Relief

Cable Breakouts

The terminated cable ends and multi-core cable crutches are sensitive to moisture and other contaminants. So cable breakouts can be customized to molded cables through an over-molding process. These over molded cable breakouts can then insulate and seal over the crutch of multi-core cables and terminated cable ends of molded cables. And so protecting against sensitive elements.

Cable Glands & Seals

Very often cables used in harsh environments can easily get unwanted substances into them. So it’s necessary to seal or gland these cables to protect them from unwanted substances. This customizable feature in molded cables is commonly used in video security, military, and recreational applications.

PG16 Cable gland

Cable Joints PG threads

Cable Stops

Cables are often treated with greater force than they were designed for when in use. This excessive force can sometimes be transferred causing connections to break. So to avoid this, molded cables can now be customized with cable stops.

Cable stops transfer all the force inserted to a cable to an anchor point. The force that is then anchored will make sure no connections occur or ensures connections are not compromised.

Conductor Sizes

Even conductor sizes are customizable in molded cables. Conductors can be extruded from the smallest 34 gauge to largest 12 gauge. In fact, they can also be combined creating a mixed gauge cable. The most commonly available sizes are listed below. AWG stands for American Wire Gauge and is the standard set of non-ferrous wire conductors sizes.

Very rarely odd sizes can also be customized for molded cables. Such as…

Stranding Sizes

Stranding sizes can also be customized in molded cables. Conductors stranding as small as 0.002 inches (0.05mm) or as large as 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) can be customized.

Small stranding sizes could be ideal for hi-flex cables. Whereas large stranding sizes are more suitable for a standard power conductor. Stranding is usually of bare copper, tinned conductor and tinned stranding.

They can also be plated for better conductivity using metals such as silver. Sizes such as 0.002″, 0.003″, 0.004″, 0.005″, 0.006″, 0.007″, 0.008″, 0.009″, 0.010″, 0.013″, 0.016″, 0.020″ and 0.023″ are some of the most common customizable sizes offered.

Conductor Colors

Molded cables can be made using many conductors types and sizes, and identifying them can be difficult.

For this, it’s possible to customize the conductor colors. This way it helps to better keep track of conductor specifications. Even customizing cables with marks such as stripes, dashes or even text is possible and useful.

This will also make sure the right cable is connected to the right port. The colors available for conductors include

Combination colors mean which color in the front taking more rates on the insulations.

Conductor Insulation

A conductor’s insulation is the foremost protection for any cable. So nowadays insulating materials are also customizable in molded cables. Natural rubber, PU, TPE, PTFE (Teflon®) and silicone are some of the most common customizable insulin materials.

PVC Jacket

TPE/TPU Cable jacket

High Temperature Teflon Cable jacket

Fillers

The overall performance of a cable depends on the fillers inside the cable. Molded cables can have materials that are custom matched for fillers depending on the application requirements.

Basic materials such as cotton, Nylon, Kevlar®, PVC to Fleece can be customized for fillers to match applications.

Wraps And Shields

Cable conductor essentially needs to be wrapped or shielded. In fact, RFL and EMI interference can only be prevented by shielding. Also in Hi-flex cables, to prevent abrasion, a soft barrier is needed between the conductors and outer jacket.

Usually, the wraps and shields are made using customized materials that match the operating environment. Fleece, cotton and aluminized mylar are some common materials that can be customized for wraps and shields.

High Performing Molded Cables

As the name suggests, this type of molded cable is where the cable is customized for high performance. The aim behind this type of molded cable is to offer unique designs, creative configurations and complex structuring that promotes high performance.

This type of molded cable has impeccable reliability, aesthetics, and overall environmental performance. High performance customized molded cables offer adaptability to any environment. Issues such as water tightness or sterilization compatibility are better handled by this type of molded cable.

But as you might be able to guess, with high performance comes a higher price. So this type of customized molded cables can be expensive comparatively. In this instance, come and speak to us so we can properly advise what specification you need.

So let’s have a look at some of the uses for Molded Cables.

Functions and Uses of Molded Cables

All the uses of molded cables are narrowed down to two main requirements, these are,

1.    Protection

One of the core use of molded cables is its ability to serve as a protector for the different components in a cable. In recent times, many connections between wires and connectors are set by soldering.

Soldering is where two metals are joined by melting. The purpose of soldering is to create a permanent connection between two electronic components.

So it’s extremely important that nothing gets between the soldered connections. Especially water, metal pieces or any other sensitive environmental conditions can easily disrupt the connection or cause damages to the wire or the connector. As such with the use of molded cables, the protection necessary for cables is inbuilt. In fact, molded cables assure a long life span for soldered elements of a cable.

2.     Resistance & Insulated

Molded cable has the ability to withstand changing environmental conditions. This is yet another significant use of molded cables. We can all accept that not all cables can perform at its best under given environmental conditions. In contrast, molded cables can withstand more extreme weather, frequent strain, constant flexibility and exposure to dust or debris. This gives users more reliability with molded cables over other cables.

With that being said, let’s provide a breakdown to the above uses for even greater understanding.

• Molded cables increase flexibility at the cable exit. As the cable exit is where most of the movement takes place, this flexibility gives molded cables a longer usage.
•  As mentioned, molded cables are highly resistant to different environmental conditions, abrasion and are equally shockproof. Again giving molded cables more life span and greaterreliability.
•  Molded cables provide 360-degree strain relief with an increased pull strength. This will make sure the cable is not easily damaged by rough or intense usage of the cables.
•  The most obvious use of molded cables is the high customization options it provides.As we’ve already covered the customization options available for molded cables, this is definitely a major use of molded cables.

This is because it gives users convenience in creating cables that best suits their applications and requirements.

In fact, it’s the protection and resistance that makes molded cables the best use for most applications, even for home appliances and accessories. Molded cables are used in headphones, stereos, cell phone chargers, power cords, USB cables, laptop chargers, and many other everyday devices.

Just walk around your house or office and you’ll know your daily life depends on and is largely run on molded cables.

So, let’s cover the materials used in molded cables?

Materials Used In Molded Cables

As described previously, there are customizable materials in a molded cable. But then nowadays photopolymers are commonly used for simple injection molds in molded cables.

This has become possible through 3D printing. The photopolymer material allows low-temperature resin for a small number of molding cycles. However, a smaller number of molding cycles can cause the mold to wear out easily. That, unfortunately, means molded cables that use molds with lesser molding cycles can have a shorter life span and can wear more easily.

On the other hand, if hardened steels are used in molds it guarantees high life expectancy.

This is because hardened steel is given a higher number of molding cycles, enabling them to become relatively stronger. Hardened steel molds in molded cables are used typically in mass production environments. However, on the negative side, these molded cables can be expensive.

Aluminum can also be used for molds in molded cables. However, aluminum is a softer material and can only go through a smaller number of molding cycles. Again this means that the molded cable can only expect a shorter life span. But in terms of price, they have a lower cost. This is because aluminum has a greater malleability giving a lower tool fabrication cost.

Along with this remember that the materials used for molds are usually decided based on the material that will be used for the molding. For example, if thermoplastic is used for the resin, the mold material can something be like aluminum and steel (hardened or stainless).

Similarly, a liquid injection type material like silicone used for molding will call for tooling that is hardened steel.

Recently 3D printed materials are used to test the mold and to produce test cables. This use of 3D printed molds is quicker, easier and cost-effective for testing. Also, it’s best to mention most of the molds nowadays are produced with the support of CNC (Computer Numeric Control). Some molded cables use electrical discharge machining processes.

Conclusion

Molded cables in simple terms are cables that are molded to give better protection, resistance, and an overall longer cable life. These cables are taken through a detailed and careful molding process that gives the cable the right texture, appearance and overall performance expected from a molded cable. Molded cables are made using a range of materials such as photopolymers, hardened steels, and aluminum. The materials and its ability to go through higher or smaller molding cycles will decide the life span of the cables. And of course, the price of cables depends on the materials it uses and the number of molding cycles.

Currently, there are many types of molded cable such as standard molded cables, molded cables for more harsh environments, customized molded cables and high performing molded cables. Out of these types, the custom molded cables are special. They have the ability to be customized to better suit your applications. There are many features in molded cables that can be customized. The most common customizable features range from sizes, colors, materials, fillers, insulation, and shields.

Despite the types, all the molded cables serve for two primary functions, protection and resistance. Flexibility, adaptability, customization to better suit applications and adaptability to harsher environments are a few other supporting uses of molded cables.

We hope this has been useful for you in understanding more about Molded Cables. If you have a need for any of these kinds of cables, or simply would like to discuss your ideas and requirements to get some professional advice, then QC-Cable staff are available to help, simply get in touch and we’ll do what we can.