Harwin strengthens custom cable assembly resources

The Harwin HRi high-reliability interconnect products for which custom cabling can be provided include the company’s 1.25mm-pitch Gecko, 2mm-pitch Datamate, 3mm-pitch M300, and high-power Kona families, as well as the Mix-Tek combined power and data connectors. Among the numerous applications where they will be used are robotics, UAVs, AGVs, satellites, and medical equipment.

When looking to source custom cable assemblies for their designs, at the moment, OEMs only have a limited number of possibilities. They can go to an assembly house, but that will call for a large upfront payment – for tooling, etc. It can often prove uneconomical, especially if there are only relatively small unit quantities required. The OEM could instead choose to do the work itself. This, however, requires investment in specialist assembly equipment, as well as extensive staff training, reorganising workflows, etc. Then there will be the testing that needs to be conducted, which will further add to the cost and logistical complexities involved.

By engaging with Harwin, all this may be avoided. Thanks to the Harwin team’s engineering expertise, even the most challenging cabling projects can be addressed. They have the skills necessary for coax cabling work, as well as the use of twisted pairs and the addition of shield braiding to combat EMI issues. Backpotting can also be incorporated into assemblies to achieve better cable retention.

With very small minimum order quantities (MOQs) being catered for, Harwin’s custom cable offering is suitable for early-stage prototyping work. It also fully supports customers across the rest of their products’ lifecycles, including transition into production phases.

Drawing on the knowledge of Harwin’s engineering professionals, the cabling implemented will deliver the maximum possible performance while still keeping the overall size and weight down. This can be very important in situations where it is necessary to consider severe constraints. Once assembled, thorough testing is carried out on the cabling to assure its quality and long-term reliability. The company’s cable assembly facility is fully compliant with the IPC-A-620 standard.

“The ability to quickly and conveniently access cable assemblies that match their exact criteria is vital for an increasing percentage of our customers. Rather than doing this work themselves, they want to offload it onto a trusted supply partner with all the in-house know-how,” states Ryan Smart, Head of Product Management at Harwin. “The broad array of custom capabilities we can now provide complement our off-the-shelf cabling options.”

“By being able to deal with everything under one roof, we are bringing real value to customers; in terms of amenability, cost-effectiveness and short turnaround times,” Smart continues. “And what sets us apart is that we can take care of even the smallest volumes.”