Common Questions for Custom Cable Assemblies

Loos and Company has a few rules of thumb when it comes to determining the right custom cable assembly for every application

You wouldn’t buy your peanut butter in one store and your jelly in another, would you? So why should you buy your cable from one vendor and fittings from someone else? Within our 200,000 square foot facility, Loos and Company manufactures cable assemblies in their entirety from start to finish. This includes everything from the individual wires which make up the cable itself, to fitting that cable with terminals to make a finished cable assembly. Easy as cake, right? 

Well as it turns out, manufacturing high quality cable assemblies is a bit tougher than making a PB&J – but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right information. When ordering cable assemblies there are virtually a million ways to specify what you need. In order to make sure what you spec is what you get, here are a few questions to ask yourself before ordering: 

 

• Are you measuring under load?

On more than one occasion, customers do not take into account that they are measuring a cable assembly while it is under load. This is significant because the overall length will change as the load is lifted. In order to ensure that you are getting the exact assembly you need, please make sure there is no load being applied while measuring. 

 

• Are you measuring at the bearing point, swage point, or elsewhere?

When you specify the length of a cable assembly, what points are you measuring from? We generally recommend that our customers measure from bearing point to bearing point. This will ensure that when you say you need a 12 inch assembly, we are both measuring from the same point to get the same number. Use the graphic below to determine what that might mean for you:

 

 

Many times if you have a drawing of what you need, one of Loos and Company’s knowledgeable representatives will be able to provide you with a quote for the right product. If you are unsure of your measuring points or don’t even have a drawing yet, contact us today, and we will help you determine exactly what it is that you need. 

 

• Does your cable assembly need to be identified?

For aircraft control and military cable assemblies, we are often asked to provide identification on the assembly. However did you know there are a wide variety of options available for identification? Whether you need the part number to be mechanically etched onto the fitting or you just need a simple paper tag attached to the assembly, we can provide exactly what you need. As a manufacturer, we are able to fill any number of custom requests in order to meet their requirements. 

 

• Do you need certifications?

As with all of our other products, Loos and Company cable assemblies are able to be fully certified to any qualifying specification. Many times, non-commercial cable assemblies are required to have full traceability and the certification must be provided as proof. We understand the need for these strict requirements and we are fully capable of providing the certification. Just let us know at the time of order and we will send the required certification with your shipment. 

 

In short, cable assemblies can be as simple or complex as you need them to be. We hope this guide has provided you some food for thought before you place your next cable assembly order with us. Click the link below to contact us today to learn more: