Galaxy relishes opportunities that present a challenge, and a recent customer request for a very specific flat maritime cable stretched our resources, but we still were able to meet a tough challenge.
In this particular case, the customer had some very unusual and quite specific needs for a cable to use in a maritime application. First off, the cable had to be flat. It had a Kevlar® strength member. And maybe most unusual, it required Surlyn® insulation material. One other quirk – 27 gauge conductor wire was designate; most gauges are even numbers. This cable has no jacket.
This is a example of something we see from time to time – a difficulty with design for manufacturability. In this case, there were design specifications that were difficult to make with typical manufacturing capabilities.
In this case, Galaxy really had to scramble to come up with the manufacturing capabilities for this flat maritime cable. In particular, some new tooling needed to be created to make this unusual cable in a flat shape, coupled with the non-standard conductor gauge, unusual insulation, and Kevlar strength member. But Galaxy was able to get the prototypes made and in the hands of the customer for testing in a timely manner. The prototypes were approved and production is now in process.
We do recommend that designers consider how easy or difficult it will be to get the manufacturing done. Design for manufacturing should be considered early in the process to keep costs lower and time to production faster.
If your company has an unusual or tough to manufacture custom cable, Galaxy has the experience and expertise to help. Galaxy is well known in the industry for being able solve tough problems like this. Please contact Galaxy for assistance.
Surlyn® and Kevlar® are registered trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.