Custom Wire and Cable Assemblies

At Minnesota Wire, we’re changing the world one project at a time. That’s a pretty bold statement, but we stand behind it. Providing lighter, more agile, and more effective custom wire and cable assemblies across the medical, defense, and space technology industries enables those sectors to perform at their best – and those industries are indeed changing the world.
Some of the advantages of custom cable assemblies include minimizing weight, optimizing layout, reduce cabling by combining multiple conductors within a single sheath, realize longer life with sheathing and insulation materials matched to the application environment, and saving assembly time by eliminating cable loops and ties.

Here is a quick overview of some of the customized jobs Minnesota Wire has done in wire and cable assemblies.

In the medical field, one case study had Minnesota Wire working on an automated external defibrillator.

An industry-leading manufacturer of automated external defibrillators needed an electrical interconnect between its power unit and the patient pads.

They needed custom terminations at the AED unit and the pads used to shock the patient – and they needed a rapid turnaround on the design.

Minnesota Wire worked with the customer to produce an interconnect solution that exceeded all the OEM’s requirements, including turn-around time. With complete in-house design, engineering, prototyping, test and measurement, and manufacturing, we provided a guaranteed, complete solution for high-voltage, life-critical pulses from termination to termination, with a complete in-house design, engineering, prototyping, test and measurement, and manufacturing.

Also in the medical field, another case study had Minnesota Wire working on carbon-fiber twisted pairs for EEG and fMRI.

The challenge for Minnesota Wire was to capture EEG data concurrently with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The customer needed carbon-fiber twisted pairs with robust micro-terminations.

Minnesota Wire worked with the company to design and produce custom carbon-loaded material. We created extremely small wires of carbon-fiber twisted pairs for robust terminal connectivity of the electrodes. The design, for a revolutionary skullcap device, ensured: guaranteed radio-translucence, a robust interconnect assembly for long product life, and zero-failure signal integrity due to dynamic in-process, in-house testing.

Another challenge Minnesota Wire was happy to take on in the medical sector was to replace silicone in a high-end patient monitoring probe assembly. A major medical OEM was looking for a supplier who could help reduce the unit cost for probe assemblies used in temperature monitoring. The OEM wanted to lengthen the product’s life as well as replace the proven silicon design that had been used for years.

Minnesota Wire collaborated with this customer to redesign a customized temperature probe assembly while meeting challenging cost and production life requirements. Minnesota Wire replaced the silicone with a thermo-plastic for a better cost and more longevity.

The thermo-plastic provided exceptional quality— advanced materials autoclavable 100 times at 134 degrees Centigrade—well beyond the U.S. temperature standard. Minnesota Wire utilized vertical integration: design, tooling, molding, extrusion, assembly, and testing—all in house.

Minnesota Wire also works extensively in the defense industry, providing custom wire and cable assemblies to help create or to improve on existing technologies.

One case study saw Minnesota Wire improving upon a defense aircrew cabling system. The challenge was the Program Executive Office (PEO) of Air Warrior needed a radical redesign of its cables for the Air Warrior system’s in-flight keyboard. Air Warrior is the Army’s newest-generation in-flight ensemble, using mission-configurable modules.

Minnesota Wire worked with the customer to redesign and deliver a custom overmolded cable in record time. Our redesign provided significant weight savings, a custom overmolded strain relief design, reinforced with ruggedized and fire-resistant materials. The cable was custom-tailored for space and system changes throughout the design process, with airborne operators in mind and shielded for a high-EMI environment.

Also in the defense industry, Minnesota Wire was tasked by the U.S. Air Force to come up with a quick turnaround on a redesign for a cabling system on the presidential aircraft’s intercommunications system.

Minnesota Wire worked with the Air Force to redesign and deliver a fully custom overmolded cable. The unique features of the cable included its robust shielding properties for a high-EMI environment, significant weight reduction, a custom overmolded strain relief design reinforced with ruggedized and fire-resistant materials. The overmolded cable was custom-tailored for space and system changes throughout the design process, with airborne operators in mind.

Minnesota Wire has also used our expertise with custom wire and cable assemblies in the industrial sector.

An outdoor construction machinery manufacturer tasked Minnesota Wire with building a custom ruggedized coil cord. The coil cord, part of a scissor-lift, was needed to withstand tough environmental conditions. The coil cord was subject to heavy usage in an industrial environment. It needed to perform in conditions that ranged from extreme heat to extreme cold. The cord had to retract easily after being fully extended over several days while exposed to the harsh elements.

Minnesota worked with the customer to redesign a fully custom coil cord that radically improved its overall performance. Minnesota Wire gave its full attention to its customer needs and design inputs in coming up with a state-of-the-art CAD design. Using custom in-house tooling, Minnesota Wire developed unique coiling processes and materials that were more than able to withstand the exposure to the rough elements.

Minnesota Wire is proud of the fact that time and time again we have been able to come up with customized wire and cable assemblies solutions for the unique challenges brought to us by our customers.

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