Custom Cable Assemblies to Help You Gain a Competitive Edge
Whether filling scheduled orders or building a custom stocking program, we’re a partner you can count on to meet your production goals with robust cable assemblies for the most challenging applications. Our experienced team of employees provides an unsurpassed level of customer service and technical expertise.
Among other reasons: the right equipment, efficient production methods and industry connections to a vast supply chain. Our customers also choose us for:
Decades of experience with complex cable assemblies
Highly trained technical staff that treats every project as unique
Whether you need a dozen 45-foot harnesses for heavy equipment or thousands of cable harnesses to be used on lawn mower engines, you will receive a robust and reliable assembly.
Our cable assemblies are built to the highest standards
Whether we’re producing a dozen units or 100,000 units, top quality is our goal, combined with superior service and value. As a US-based contract manufacturer with facilities in Wisconsin and Iowa, we take pride in building high-quality, reliable interconnect solutions. We build to IPC-WHMA-A-620 Class II and Class III and UL 508A standards.
The customer provides a list of materials and requirements, which goes to our engineers for analysis. At this stage, the exact length of the wires used in the cable assemblies are determined. This can vary from the prints we receive due to the bends and breakouts required.
Cut Sheet
Our engineers break down the bill of materials, fill in gaps, and organize it to allow our team to put together an NPI build. The cut sheet must be detailed in describing characteristics such as the type of wire or cable, its gauge, its color, its length, how far back it should be stripped and the material for the protective jacket.
The NPI Build
New Product introduction
Our team lays out the product on a harness board and creates an engineering document. Cable assemblies can be as long as 45 or 50 feet and extremely complex, with multiple breakouts. We have our customers approve the NPI build before moving into full production builds.
Markup
By examining and testing the NPI build, and through discussions with our customers, we determine what must be changed and capture that information in Engineering Change Notices. The bends, breakouts and multiple terminals involved can mean that wires need to be longer or shorter, or the amount they are stripped back must be revised. Continuity testing assures our customers that the routing of the wire matches from end to end.
Production
Production — After changes and testing are complete and the customer has signed off, we proceed to the production build.
Our Custom Cable Assembly Capabilities: Any Length, Any Quantity, Any Complexity
Your custom cable assemblies will be built to IPC-WHMA-A 620 standards. From 24 AWG to 250 MCM, we work with high-temperature rated wire, marine-grade wire, and many other specialty wires and cables to meet the toughest requirements. We handle a range of projects, from simple cable assembly applications—cut, strip and terminate—to extremely complex and large assemblies with multiple breakouts.
Automated cutting & stripping of multi-conductor cable
Cutting, stripping & terminating of lead wires
Large harness capability (up to 50 feet)
Braiding
Looming
Ultrasonic welding
Potting
ROHS-compliant tin dipping
Inline hot stamping of alphanumeric characters
Semi-automated heat shrinking
Wire marking
Label wrapping
Continuity & Functional Testing of Custom Cable Assemblies
Testing capabilities for the functionality and reliability of your completed cable harnesses include:
CableEye Testing
Checks for opens, shorts and mis-wires
Measures diode forward voltage
Checks resistance values
Tests conduction and isolation resistance against specified thresholds
Automated Pull Testing (performed on all terminal crimps)
Ensures against under-crimping, which can pull off the wire and/or jacket
Ensures against over-crimping, which can damage the wire and the jacket
Your All-In-One Solution
We serve customers in many industries, such as industrial controls, scientific instrumentation, aerospace, medical, agriculture, water purification and monitoring, high-density mobile storage systems and HVACR building controls. Rigorous, reliable and responsive, we exceed expectations through continuous improvement, personalized service and ISO 9001:2015 quality management.
A cable harness or assembly is a grouping of several wires and/or cables that are bundled together by a single, highly protective sleeve and installed in a larger product. No two custom cable assembly projects are alike—each assembly is unique in its length, quantity, complexity and application. In many cases, we are tasked with manufacturing a complete harness set, such as all the different cable assemblies that go into a wrecker or a cement boom, which could mean 12 or 14 different assemblies for a single end product.
How Are Cable Assemblies Different From Wire Harnesses?
A cable assembly is generally more durable and intended to withstand tough environmental hazards such as moisture, friction and heat. Cable assemblies are often used in heavy equipment or in high-speed data transfer for the medical industry, and they incorporate heavy-duty materials like vinyl, thermoplastic rubber or shrink-wrapped thermoplastic. We can help you determine whether the assembly you need is called a cable assembly or a wire harness. We manufacture both.
Custom Cable Assembly Industries & Applications
Our customer is typically an integrator who has access to many cable assembly manufacturers but relies on our custom capabilities to serve their customers, from large corporations to smaller OEMs. Here are just a few of the applications and industries we serve, from cable assemblies used for data transfer in medical applications to heavy equipment cable assemblies that withstand rugged outdoor conditions in agriculture, construction, forestry and other industries.
“First of all, we would like to thank you and the entire staff at ETI who were involved to make sure the first round of boards got completed and delivered on-time. We are very delighted to say the boards are now being tested and working well.”
“We have finished the review of the most recent shipment of box builds delivered. These chassis were very close to perfection. Please let everyone know at your facility we are very satisfied and appreciate all the time and effort spent getting to this point.”
– Brian, Quality Systems Manager | Specialized Power Supplies
What Our Clients Have to Say
“Thank you for all your hard work and great communication. I know we are in good hands with your organization.”
– Suzie, Buyer | Gaming Industry
What Our Clients Have to Say
“Thank you so much for your help and extremely quick service! You really got us out of a jam, and we appreciate your understanding.”
– Bill, Product Manager | Tube and Pipe Cutting Equipment