When choosing miniature cable, it may feel overwhelming to find the suitable option for your application. While some may believe that picking a cable diameter is the only important choice, there are many other considerations to get the most out of miniature cable products. A few key choices include construction, jacket materials, and jacket colors. Check out this handy guide for more information.
Construction:
By choosing the correct strand or cable construction, you will reach the highest performance possible in your application. For strand, there are two miniature cable construction types available: 1x7 and 1x19. 1x7 strand is six outer wires laid around a center wire. 1x19 strand is 12 outer wires laid around a 1x7 center. Both constructions are ideal for push and pull constructions, and have low to medium levels of flexibility. 1x19 miniature cable is more flexible and has slightly higher tensile strength than 1x7.
For cable construction, there are four options: 3x3, 7x3, 7x7, and 7x19. Each of these constructions have different capabilities and specific applications where they perform best. To learn about the four cable constructions available for miniature cable, you can view our detailed guide here.
Jacket Material:
When buying miniature cable, two jacket materials frequently used are Poly-Vinyl-Chloride (PVC) and Nylon.
Features of PVC include:
- Most commonly used plastic for mechanical cable coatings
- Excellent weatherability and UV resistance
- Operates from 30 degrees F to 180 degrees F
- Reasonably flexible and priced
- Supplied in a range of hardness and durometers, creating a spectrum from stiff to hard and spongy to soft
Features of Nylon include:
- Can be tailored to fit specific applications
- Wide range of flexibility options
- Various options for chemical/fatigue resistance
- High cycle life
Jacket Color:
As miniature cable is used in a range of industries, such as medical instruments, sporting goods, office equipment, security, agriculture, and orthodontics, the color you choose makes a difference. Standard jacket colors include white, black, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. Loos and Company offers fluorescent and translucent colors alongside other additional colors available upon request. Choosing the right color jacket will make your application look the way you want it to, without comprising any features of your equipment.
If you want to learn more about miniature cable, you can visit our webpage here. Alternatively, if you are ready to buy miniature cable, submit an inquiry here. Why buy cable from Loos? We have decades of experience, various construction, materials, and sizes, and our products are domestically manufactured. If you have any questions, our team is happy to help! Reach out to us by email at sales@loosco.com or by phone at (860) 928-7981.