Difference Between Wire Cable Assembly And Wire Harness

Wire and cable are both two different items. Although both constitutes same materials and serves same purpose they are both different from each other. Nevertheless, we all use these terms interchangeably. Even the professionals working in the field use these terms interchangeably. This makes us more confused and mislead. However, when you are planning to redo the wiring system of your house or office, you might need to purchase a wire cable assembly as well as a few wire harnesses. At such occasions you need to identify these items in order to place the right kind of orders.

What Is A Wire Cable Assembly?
 

A wire cable assembly or a cable assembly is a common electric wire that has extra sheathings over its core. A core stands for the copper string that conducts electric signals. In the mechanical world, wires are also termed as conductors. Hence, you can also say that a cable assembly is an assortment of conductors bound within a powerful sheath made of thermoplastic. Big cable assemblies also have a protective layer of steel plates on the top of the thermoplastic coating. This is placed as a security measure. Usually, cable assemblies are used for exterior wiring purposes where the wires are often exposed to environmental factors. You can find such assemblies at electrical posts, elevators and industrial controls.

What Is A Wire Harness?
 

A wire harness is an assembly of wires or conductors. Compared to a wire cable assembly, a wire harness contains fewer protective layers. The core of the wire is protected with a single layer of thermoplastic that offers only normal protection. A wire harness doesn’t have any steel plates to protect its plastic covering. If such a wire is exposed to rain, there is a good chance of the wire getting ruined. Wire harnesses are only fit for internal uses like wiring internal lighting system, computers, vehicles and so on. Compared to cable assembly wire harnesses are less expensive and less heavy. They are also easily portable from one place to another.

Quality wire cable assembly has a long lasting life and they offer maximum protection against environmental hazards and vandalism. Visit vctitech.com for additional data.

Shopping For Custom Cable Assemblies

Cable assemblies can be a complex item to shop for if you are naive to the field of mechanical services. Fortunately, you can try and learn about these items if you have some patience. Online sources offer lot of information on custom cable assemblies and their potential uses. This information not only helps you in understanding the application of cable assemblies but also helps you in identifying right kind of service providers in this field. In this review we will be looking into some of the important aspects of getting a major wiring job done.

Reliability
 

If you are planning to redo the entire wiring system of your home or office, you would naturally require a lot of wire harnesses, cable assemblies and electronic items like light fixtures. So, before you start out with your shopping, it would be wise to spend some time understanding the basics of various products and services you are going to require. Unless you are a mechanic or an engineer, you would be definitely hiring a technician to install all the wires and cables at your home or office. Assuming that you have hired a reliable technician I would advise you to take his assistance in shopping for quality custom cable assemblies. Reliability is the foremost requirement. Hence, look out for a popular brand that offers affordable products.

Guarantee
 

Most probably you would be requiring custom cable assemblies for your exterior wiring needs. When you are shopping for cable assemblies, try to find a reliable brand that offers a good deal of guarantee. Certain manufacturers offer 5 to 10 years of guarantee. However, there are also companies that do not offer any guarantee on their products. It goes without saying that you should rule out such companies irrespective of all the discounts and price reductions they offer you. You should opt for a manufacturer that gives you at least 5 years of guarantee along with an affordable quote. If your contractor is helpful and experienced, he can easily help you in finding such a manufacturer.

There are many aspects to consider while purchasing custom cable assemblies for your home or office. Sites like vctitech.com can assist you in this regard.

Design Process in Electronic Manufacturing

There are countless number of electronic device manufacturing companies in the world. The end-products of these grand manufacturers happen to be the advanced electronic devices such as TV, Computer System, Calculator, Video games, Consoles etc. which are being used in our day to day life.

All these important devices need a special device inside the cabinet. This special device is called the Circuit Board or the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The essential electronic components are attached to the board to form the PCB assembly. This assembly acts like the heart of every electronic device we use in our life.

Therefore, PCB assembly is supposed to be the most important aspect which further requires the design of electronic kit. There are many companies which provide the electronic design services to bigger electronic manufacturers.

How Electronic Design is Accomplished

In electronic manufacturing, only conception is not enough to build what’s actually needed in the end. It’s the work of professionals in electronic design who take the conception to the next level. The specialists in this field transfer the ideas into detailed sketches and diagrams, and then a brief synopsis is prepared to explain what the project is all about.

The printed circuit board is manufactured based on the design. All the necessary elements are assembled and the materials are transformed to fit into the plan. The key stages like internal mechanics, electronics, schematic circuit design, and schematic capture of PCB layout are individually drafted and designed to form the workable plan for the project manager. Each of these key stages is designed and documented by specialist designers with proper care.

As soon as the project manager is handed over the complete design, s/he appoints a specific team including specialist designers who work to their maximum potential ensuring that the job is going to be completed on time. While individual design specialists have to be engaged in their respective jobs, the communication specialists work their best to make sure the relevant knowledge has been contributed properly. This is how the whole design process is accomplished.

A Custom Cable Assembly Can Serve You Best

•At home we all have got a lot of electrical equipment. Yet there comes the requirement of additional electrical hardware installation. Some unwanted circumstances may also come that need you to change the entire wiring and cabling of the building. When there is an immediate demand, we go for some instant supply sources like searching your store room, searching online. In this way you can find some wires instantly; but chances like short wires or wrong type of wires occur in majority cases. This is the particular reason why Custom cables come in handy all the time.

•What is cable assembly?

•A cable assembly is basically a group of individual wires and connectors bound together with a tape. This grouping of the wires saves space and gives protection to the wires. In addition to this, the assembly can be made of any length and any no. of plugs and sockets can be used in the Custom Cable Assemblies. In other words, a custom cable assembly can serve every purpose. For example, you can use the bespoke cable virtually for any type of application.  

Where is the cable assembly used in?

 •The most common use of cable assembly can be seen in vehicles and computers where it is called as the wiring loom and cable harness. There you can see a wide range of connectors like Molex, D-subminiature, SDL, USB etc.

•Whether you need a cable with HDMI connections at both ends or HDMI connection at one end with SVGA connection at the other: you would surely get the best choices in a customized cable assembly.

•The wide and flat Ribbon cables used inside computers and other electrical devices can also be customized. These cables are used to connect hard drives and CD drives.Again the other benefit of customization is you can avail the cable with suitable distance between the wires, and with SCSI and IDE connections.

•When you talk about the look of the house interior, cables need to be hidden inside the wall plates. When complex designs are there, bespoke wire cable assembly can also be used behind the wall plate. Wall plates protect the cables from storing dust and remove trip hazards. •

Who can help you avail the best custom cable assembly?
 

•All cable assemblies are generally made by hand, however, it’s essential to go for a professional and trustworthy company. The main reason for affording professional company for this is a company can really provide you with the thorough knowledge from design to delivery. From company to company the timescales and costs may vary which is why you need to check all these upfront. A thoroughly tested and carefully manufactured customized cable assembly serves you the best.

Important Utilities of Electronic Manufacturing Services

•In the present day scenario can you imagine the life without electronics? Whether you stay at home or go places, or you may talk about your workplace – you literally come across many electronic devices. You sometimes feel that certain tasks are almost impossible to accomplish if you don’t use an electronic device. As an instance you can consider all the computer-related works which are really impossible to do when the computer is shut down.

•The electronic devices that come in great use cannot be seen if there is no electronic manufacturing process or services (EMS). So all electronics you see in your surrounding are the result of the hard work of electronic manufacturers. Here in this post we will discuss some of the important utilities of electronic manufacturing in our usual life.

•Mobile Phones are considered as the handiest devices for people of all classes. Almost every individual owns a mobile phone for communications while internet enabled featured phones come in more advanced uses. Considering the benefits of today’s mobile phones, it’s easily understood that the job of electronic manufacturers is nothing short of incredible.

•Electronics is again used in Computers, Digital diaries, notebooks and all computer-related devices. These are the common example of useful electronic devices that come in handy in all business purposes. Whether you talk about any government sector or private sector, virtually all works are computer-controlled now. While connecting internet with the computer we require additional devices like modems, adapters, and splitters etc. which are also some of the useful electronic equipments.

•Television sets, calculators and other devices. The scope of electronic design services has no specific limit. Every day you can see technologies advancing and new competitors coming into the industry. Calculators are the electronic devices which have great use in mathematical, scientific calculations in studies. These devices also have great use at shops.

•Coming to TV sets, these are the leading entertainment devices present at every house. To make it better advanced technologies like Satellite TV, DTH services and IPTV have also some into great effect. All these technologies require additional software installation along with additional devices connection. The additional devices like Set-top box, amplifiers, and transformers are also a couple of handy electronic devices.

•EMS does also provide a wide range of services to businesses. In case of factories there is the requirement of various electronic machinery that produce goods and products. Aside from this, all modern-day companies prefer to install automation software devices like time clocks that are used for marking automated daily tasks. We can also take the example of Closed Circuit cameras. All modern companies are now installing CCTV and peripheral cameras to keep track of all activities inside the company premises.

•In this way EMS is extremely useful for people in numerous ways. Over time the EMS industry is becoming more beneficial to users and customers because of the strong competition in the industry and constant technology updating.

How to choose the best PCB contract manufacturer

•PCB (Printed Circuit Board) contract manufacturers are important since they’ve got to play the most essential role in PCB assembling. When you look for outsourcing your PCB assembly jobs, you obviously have to select the best one in the industry, or in your area. This post is specifically aimed at providing you knowledge on how to select the best PCB contract manufacturer. Let’s get started.

 •Manufacturer’s background.

•Before you deal with a PCB contract manufacturer the first thing to watch out for is its experience. Since how long the manufacturer is in biz holds the key. Assembling printed circuit boards in electronic devices is not a new concept so better to go for the oldest among the contract manufacturers. This is how you can have a great chance of availing the best and robust PCB.

•.Location.

Choose the company which is nearest to you. You cannot afford to spend efforts, time and extra dollars just to go reach the contractor. Keep in mind that communication and transport matter a lot when it comes to outsourcing parts of any work (just like the circuit board of the entire device in this case).

•Meeting deadlines. Meeting work deadlines happens to be one of the special features of the best contract company. You can never walk with a contract company that does not assemble the PCB on time. Dealing with a company that delays in production might cost you heavy when manufacturing the total electronic device. So make sure the track record says the best about the assembling company you are going to choose.

•Assembly technicians and Manufacturing equipments.

Best quality and On-time production depend mostly upon the experience and capability of workers, staff and the manufacturing quipments. While outsourcing the job one important thing you should do is review the certification record of the entire staff. Additionally, make sure that every assembler is properly skilled and trained.

•Coming to equipments, proper maintenance is a must. This shows how serious the manufacturing contractor is. Some equipment like wave soldering equipment, reflow ovens and pick-and-place machines must have to clean well in order to retain their durability.

How printed circuit board assembly is done

When you talk about manufacturing circuit boards, note that this is not a simple thing; rather it is a long and complicated process. The entire process consumes time, requires expert brains, technology and electricity, and much more. All these are used to make way for manufacturing the end product, i.e. your mobile phone, or computer system or any other electronic equipment you see around you.

The PCB (Printed Circuit Board) integrates all chips and microprocessors to form the operational part of every electronic device. So, needless to say, PCB assembly is the most important factor in the manufacturing of all electronic devices. Here we will discuss about how printed circuit board assembly is done. So, let’s get started.

Beforehand, it’s good to know that we are not going to cover PCB design and manufacturing. So what we will discuss is what's done to the PCB after it is manufactured, means PCB assembly or integration to all microprocessors and equipments.

PCB assembly is done using 2 types of construction methods.

1. Through-hole construction: Here the leads of the components are inserted into holes.

2. Surface-mount construction: In this case the components leads are placed on the outer surface of the PCBs using some lands or pads.

Both these construction methods include the fixing of component leads to the PCB with molten metal solder electronically or mechanically. When the production volume of the circuit boards is more, then soldering components to the printed circuit board is best done by machines. And, if the production demand is less, hand-made soldering is fine (Ball grid arrays cannot be soldered by hand however).

When the circuit board has the possibility of going through any physical stress, Through-hole construction method practically has the edge on Surface-mount method as it gives more strength and grip to the components. Otherwise, Surface-mount technique works good as it takes up less space on the PCB.

In Circuit board assembly process next comes the testing phase. After the board and components have been fully constructed they are tested to ensure that there is no fault in the operation and the performance of the device is fine. The testing process includes:

1. A thorough visual check to inspect whether all the components are soldered and assembled properly to the circuit board or not (this is accomplished when power is off).

2. When power is OFF, Analog Signature Analysis is also performed. Here a current-limited AC sinewave is applied across two points of the components and the circuit.

3. Switching the power ON, an In-Circuit test is performed to check all the physical measurements like voltage, frequency etc.

4. When power in ON the final Functional Test is also performed to verify whether the circuit board is functioning properly or not. This confirms the product delivery time.

During the testing phase if any part is found improper, then it is removed from the board and allowed to process again which is called Reworking. This concludes the entire PCB assembly process.

PCB assembly process and its importance

Have you ever seen what is there inside your cellphone or computer that operates the system software? It’s not only your computer or mobile but every electronic device works because of an electronic circuitry present inside the device. This circuitry is the main functional unit which is a combination of many small components assembled with a printed circuit board (PCB).

The PCB assembly process:

The entire PCB assembly is a complicated process that involves the following processes.

• Solder paste printing: In this process an initial solder paste is applied on the PCB using a stencil. This concludes the initial binding process of the various components to the PCB.

• SMT Pick and Place assembly: This is considered as the heart of the entire assembly line. Here all individual chips are taken and placed accurately on their designated spots on the PCB.

• Through-hole curing: This is otherwise known as the Reflow mechanism. In this mechanism the board, after fixing the chips onto the solder paste, goes through a conveyor oven to melt the solder and bind the chips the PCB.

• Conformal coating: There are some boards which require lacquer coating for protection. Conformal coating process involves some special machinery work to apply a protective coating quickly and accurately.

• AOI & AXI: Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) and Automated X-ray Inspection (AXI) are two processes done to make sure the total assembly process is free from errors and mistakes.

• Reworking: Well, this is done once any component or device is found defective or the whole assembly does not function properly. After testing reworking is done by heating the board and replacing the defective part of the PCB with a good one.

Each of these processes is again a complex process altogether which needs heavy technology involvement, specialist man-power and material consumption.

Importance of PCB manufacturing and assembling:

• Microprocessors and chips cannot do on their own. The process of building microprocessors and chips is itself a long and complicated process. But these chips, after they are manufactured, cannot perform their operations if they are not integrated onto the printed circuit board (PCB). So a PCB is an essential part of every electronic device.

• PCB manufacturers are specialists. All companies designing chips and microprocessors can also invest in making PCB integration; but it requires technology and specialists to make components and equipments needed for the integration and assembling of chips onto PCB.

• PCB assembly companies help devise the end-product. To facilitate the assembly work and provide assembly services the PCB integration companies have a no. of Surface Mount Assembly lines making sure the end-product is manufactured successfully.