Cable Assembly Design Criteria

Often times, minor details can substantially increase the cost and the complexity of a cable assembly, and may not be necessary.

Here are some ways to keep quality high and hold costs down:

Supply full-scale drawings.
Give precise dimensions with loose tolerances. Keep tight tolerances to a minimum use three decimal places with a tolerance of +/- .030 inches.
Specify all dimensions from the connector reference plane.
Avoid direct marking; use shrink tube markers or self-laminating labels.
Specify center and outer conductor material if there are any special requirements.
Design bend radii as large as possible.
Specify the cable or connector, but state "or equivalent" if possible. Different manufacturers often make identical parts but with wide variance in cost.
Specify electrical properties only across desired frequency ranges, as over-testing can be expensive.
Avoid female terminations since the connector may require special orientation.

See our blog post to learn how we turned a napkin sketch into a production ready cable assembly.

Cable Assembly Process

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America's Oldest. A History of Innovation.

Over the past 70 years, the electronics manufacturing industry has changed dramatically as the industry continues to adapt to evolving demands and technology. Epec is at the forefront of innovation, with the expertise and agility to move at the speed of today’s businesses. At Epec, the customer comes first, and everything we do must be put through that filter. Whether it is developing e-commerce platforms to make it easier to work with us or creating a new product introduction (NPI) process that helps our customers get to market faster, we must focus on building the new. By doing that every day, and by always making the customer our top priority, we plan on being here for another 70 years and then some.

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