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Cicoil Cable vs The Challengers

Extruded Flat Cables

When failure is not an option, Cicoil flat cable provides true flexibility and tremendous resilience to shock and vibration. And our flat cables are available in miniature configurations, with wires as small as 44 AWG.

 

Flex Circuits

Flex circuits have some useful properties; however, many designers try to make use of them beyond the limits of the flex circuit's capability. The reality is that despite the name, flex circuits have limited flexing capability. Over flexing and stress can cause cracks and breaks in the brittle circuit tracing.

Take a look below at the Tale of the Tape. Cicoil Extruded Flexx-Sil™ Flat Cable is The Clear Winner!

Extruded Flat Cables

Flex Circuits

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

QUALITY

FLEX CIRCUITS

Each wire can have its own shield.

 

Shielding attained by using adjacent conductors or flat shield planes above and below the circuit trace layer; results in larger and stiffer assemblies.

High strand count, high flexibility and flex life. Can withstand >10 million+ flex cycles.

 

Have solid, flat conductors and flex life below a million cycles.

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

STRENGTH & RELIABILITY

FLEX CIRCUITS

CICOIL flat cable is durable and will withstand severe impact and rough handling.

 

Flex circuits are very ridged and susceptible to micro- cracks and failure in severe vibration applications.

CICOIL flat cable is durable and will withstand severe impact and rough handling.

 

Flex circuits are more fragile. They can be easily dented, bent and damaged from minor impact or improper handling.

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

VERSATILITY & COST

FLEX CIRCUITS

Can include twinax, coax, digital communications, power and twisted pair wires. Pneumatics and fiber optics can also be included.

 

Single conductors only (typical).

Can be formed to custom fit in equipment to aid installation to make installation a quick task.

 

Can be shaped to fit the installation path. This eases assembly and maximizes real estate use.

Inexpensive custom cable tooling of $250. Tooling is made in-house in less than a day.

 

Large initial tooling costs. Once made, tooling is expensive to change or new tooling may be required.

Short lead time of 1- 2 weeks using wire from our large inventory.

 

Long lead times are typical and flex circuits does not lend itself to rapid prototyping.

Cable is produced in continuous lengths (bulk) that can be cut to suit various applications.

 

Flex circuits are individually made and the size is fixed according to the tooling.

Flat cable can be installed in tight spaces where equivalent round cable won't fit.

 

Flex circuits can be used in small spaces where equivalent round cable won't fit.

Flexible Flat Cable - Cicoil Standard Series

Flat Cable Live Catalog

Go here to view our Standard line of flexible flat cables. Each series offers bulk cable and finished assemblies in multiple lengths. Find full specifications and pricing here.

View
online design head module

Online Cable Designer

Design your own flat cables right now, and receive an instant drawing and price. Millions of possible variations, and your custom cable is shipped 1-2 weeks after ordering.

View
sectionmodule custom2

Customized Cables

Go here when you need a sophisticated custom flat cable, assembly or harness. Any level of sophistication. View examples and request a quote on your specific needs.

View

Cicoil Cable vs The Challengers

Extruded Flat Cables

Cicoil Extruded Cable Process
  • Extruded in continuous lengths
  • Automated, climate controlled process
  • Easy setup of wide variety of cable and tubing
  • Flexx-Sil™ jacket is produced with complete integrity and without any breaches through the encapsulation
    Any Shape.
  • Cable shape customizable and infinitely repeatable
 

Molded Flat Cables

1.  Wires are stretched between pins in a mold, and then liquid silicone is poured over the wires.
2.  Multiple pours are needed to get proper thickness, and the molded cable takes 24-48 hours to fully cure.
3.  The cured cable is cut out of the mold, leaving sharp edges and multiple holes.
4.  The holes are filled in by hand, and the cable needs to be cured again.

Take a look below at the Tale of the Tape. Cicoil Extruded Flexx-Sil™ Flat Cable is The Clear Winner!

Extruded Flat Cables

Molded Flat Cables

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

QUALITY

MOLDED FLAT CABLES

Cable thickness precisely controlled to within .005″, and conductor spacing accuracy to within .002″.

 

Large variation in thickness, and inaccurate conductor spacing. Gravity causes molded cables to be thicker at the bottom, and thinner at the top. Thickness will vary throughout the length of the cable.

Computer-controlled extrusion process means entire cable exactly the same.

 

Manual pouring and curing method means each cable will be unique, and there will be large variations among different cable batches.

Continuous cable lengths, as long as needed

 

Limited by physical mold, usually no longer than 6 feet

Extruded cable cured continuously, with no debris or material contamination.

 

Molded cables take many hours to fully cure. While curing, the gooey cable will collect dust, metal chips, and other airborne debris.

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

STRENGTH & RELIABILITY

MOLDED FLAT CABLES

Cable is solid, one-piece construction, due to the continuous extrusion process.

 

‘Bed of Nails’ in tool leaves many holes in cable when pulled from the mold. These holes are then filled by hand, and the cable is cured again, resulting in a weaker cable construction.

Cicoil cables have rounded radiuses on each end, making them stronger and also more flexible.

 

Molded cables are cut from the mold with Exacto blades, resulting in sharp, square edges. This greatly lessens the strength and the flexibility of the cable.

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

VERSATILITY & COST

MOLDED FLAT CABLES

Virtually any outside cable profile can be created, exactly as the application requires.

 

Manual pouring process does not allow complex or variations in profile, as the molding material will conform to the shape of the conductors.

Wide variety of wire conductors, tubing, mounting strip, even fiber optics can be easily incorporated into the cable.

 

Conductor variation is limited, and tubing, fiber optics, etc., are not available.

Quickly and easily make new cables, only $250 tooling cost.

 

Expensive tooling for new cables, with long lead times.

Summary

The results are clear: Cicoil's extrusion technology is the modern, automated way to produce high quality flat cables. The old fashioned method of hand pouring liquid to make molded cables is inefficient, inconsistent, and results in a lower quality flat cable.

Flexible Flat Cable - Cicoil Standard Series

Flat Cable Live Catalog

Go here to view our Standard line of flexible flat cables. Each series offers bulk cable and finished assemblies in multiple lengths. Find full specifications and pricing here.

View
online design head module

Online Cable Designer

Design your own flat cables right now, and receive an instant drawing and price. Millions of possible variations, and your custom cable is shipped 1-2 weeks after ordering.

View
sectionmodule custom2

Customized Cables

Go here when you need a sophisticated custom flat cable, assembly or harness. Any level of sophistication. View examples and request a quote on your specific needs.

View

Cicoil Flat Cable vs The Challengers

Extruded Flexx-Sil™ Flat Cables

Cicoil Extruded Cable Process
  • Patented Cicoil process
  • Flat cables are extruded in continuous lengths
  • Automated, climate controlled process
  • Easy setup of wide variety of flat cables
  • Patented Flexx-Sil™ rubber jacket has complete integrity, totally surrounding the cable elements in a durable one-piece construction
    Any Shape.
  • Cable shape customizable and infinitely repeatable
  • -104°C to +260°C (-85°F to +500°F). Our flat cable temperature capability exceeds even specialized PTFE jacketed cables.
 

PTFE Flat Cables

extruded silicone cable vs PTFE cable construction
1.  2-Piece Contruction: Two PTFE shell halves are bonded together to produce the flat cable jacket for the enclosed wires.
extruded silicone cable vs PTFE cable construction
2.  Loose Wires: Wires are loose inside the two-piece cable jackets, rubbing against each during flexing cycles, and requiring clamping devices to hold in place.
extruded silicone cable flexibiltiy vs PTFE cable flexibility
3.  High Stiffness: PTFE jacketing is fairly stiff, resulting in less flexibility and higher bend radiuses than highly flexible Flexx-Sil™ rubber. Image above show the greater natural flexiblity of Cicoil extruded Flexx-Sil™ encapsulated flat cable.
4.  Limited Variation.  Manufacturing process to produce two-piece PTFE flat cables results in a limited number of variations, and limited cable widths and lengths.

Take a look below at the Tale of the Tape. Cicoil Extruded Flexx-Sil™ Flat Cable is The Clear Winner!

Extruded Flat Cables

PTFE Flat Cables

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

STRENGTH & PERFORMANCE

PTFE FLAT CABLES

Cable is solid, one-piece construction, due to the continuous extrusion process.

 

Two-piece construction is an inherent weakness, as cable bonding is more likely to separate during operation, flexing, or under exposure to heat, cold, and/or chemicals.

Each element in Cicoil flat cables are completely surrounded by Flexx-Sil™ rubber, ensuring that they do not rub against each other and wear during operation.

 

Conductors are loose inside the cable halves, which can lead to premature wear as they rub together during operation.

Flexx-Sil™ rubber is naturally much more flexible than PTFE, allowing tighter bend radiuses and longer flex life.

 

PTFE is stiff, requiring larger bend radiuses, which takes up more space and limits flex life.

Cicoil flat cables handle extreme heat and cold.  See cables resist a blowtorch, and remain flexible at -100 degrees.

 

PTFE cables burn and melt under exposure to fire, and become very stiff and crack in extremely cold temperatures.

Flexx-Sil™ jacketing is ‘self-healing’ from small punctures, and cable damage can easily be repaired in the field.

 

Any damage to PTFE shell can’t be repaired, necessitating a new replacement cable.

EXTRUDED FLAT CABLES

VERSATILITY & COST

PTFE FLAT CABLES

Virtually any outside cable profile can be created, exactly as the application requires.

 

Pre-formed PTFE shells limit the cable profile and design.

Wide variety of wire conductors, tubing, mounting strip, even fiber optics can be easily incorporated into the cable.

 

Existing cable shells limit the variety of conductors, and range of sizes, that can be incorporated into a single cable.

Flat cable conductors are completely surrounded by Flexx-Sil™ rubber, requiring limited clamping.

 

Loose wires require extensive clamping, adding weight, inertia, and cost to overall cable.

Quickly and easily make new cables, virtually unlimited in width and length.  New cables require only 100 foot minimum, and a small tooling cost.

 

Existing cable shells limit cable width and length.  For new cable designs, there are often high minimums and/or tooling costs.

Summary

The results are clear: Cicoil's patented extrusion technology is the modern, automated way to produce high quality flat cables and flat cable assemblies. PTFE flat cables are limited in reliability and performance, while often resulting in higher design and equipment costs.

Flexible Flat Cable - Cicoil Standard Series

Flat Cable Live Catalog

Go here to view our Standard line of flexible flat cables. Each series offers bulk cable and finished assemblies in multiple lengths. Find full specifications and pricing here.

View
online design head module

Online Cable Designer

Design your own flat cables right now, and receive an instant drawing and price. Millions of possible variations, and your custom cable is shipped 1-2 weeks after ordering.

View
sectionmodule custom2

Customized Cables

Go here when you need a sophisticated custom flat cable, assembly or harness. Any level of sophistication. View examples and request a quote on your specific needs.

View

Cicoil LSZH Cables vs The Challengers

Download PDF

Non-LSZH Cables

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Cicoil LSZH Cables

Non-LSZH Cables

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Cicoil LSZH Cables

Common jacketing materials like PVC, Neoprene, and PTFE/Teflon™ require the addition of halogens to reduce flammability. In cases, however, where combustion does occur, burning halogens result in dense smoke and corrosive/toxic gases.

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Cicoil’s Flexx-Sil™ cable jacketing is inherently flame resistant and uses NO HALOGENS. Flexx-Sil™ is our proprietary elastomeric cable encapsulation material that is naturally resistant to combustion, and if ignited under extreme conditions, does not produce black smoke or toxic gas or corrosive substances.

Cables containing halogens present a serious risk to any populated environment. If exposed to water after being burned—as in the case of the use of fire suppression systems or even humidity in the air—halogen-containing cable/wire jacketing will release dangerous or even deadly chemicals such as hydrochloric acid.

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A safer choice for all environments, but essential when the safety of human life is a top priority, as in highly populated facilities, mass transit, and crewed vehicles. In the event of a fire, the danger to individuals will not be compounded by toxic, halogen-based airborne chemicals.

The microcircuitry aboard most electronic equipment is particularly susceptible to the acidic moisture produced by materials without LSZH classification.

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Mitigates damage done to equipment during a fire. Flexx-Sil™ does not release the corrosive chemicals that eat away at delicate electronics and computer systems.

Flame and combustion retardation additives used on common cable and wire jacketing typically stiffens the material, making the product less flexible and compliant, and susceptible to a shorter functional life in motion applications.

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Even with LSZH classification, Flexx-Sil™ jacketing provides extreme flexibility, is 100% transparent, self-heals small punctures, and remains very durable within stressful environmental conditions.

Industry standard cables are infused with color additives that contain contaminants and don't allow for inspection of the cable for possible wire shorts and safety issues.

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Crystal-clear jacketed cables offer 100% transparency, which allows for quick, safe inspection of cables in just about any application.

LSZH Cables from Other Manufacturers

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Cicoil LSZH Cables

Typically, LSZH cables require filler materials to make them low smoke and zero halogen. This makes the jacket less resistant to chemicals, water, and other environmental stresses as compared to non-LSZH cables, and may even inhibit the cables' mechanical and electrical characteristics.

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Cicoil’s Flexx-Sil™ jacketing material is flame retardant by nature, completely non-toxic, and requires no additives to achieve zero halogen. It also offers excellent resistance to harsh environments, water, acid and many chemicals.

The materials used to make the cable LSZH limits the flexibility of the cable and impedes its performance in continuous motion and robotics applications.

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Cicoil’s flat cables are designed to prevent wire breakage, jacket punctures, and operational failure when exposed to tight bending, flexing, mechanical stress, and harsh environments.

The outer jacket of LSZH cables may crack during installation or tight bends, so lubricants are recommended to prevent jacket damage.

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Cicoil’s unique cable jacket requires minimal maintenance thanks to its self-healing properties and integrity through long term exposure to tight bending, confined spaces, and even vibration.

Download PDF

Read more …Cicoil LSZH vs Other LSZH Cables

Cicoil high flex flat cables have many advantages over round flex cables. Round cables feature insulated wires in a bundle which is surrounded by several layers of other material. The bundle is usually wrapped in either a textile material or a polymer chosen to minimize frictional heating as the cable moves. A PVC jacket surrounds these layers. In shielded cables, there is an additional set of layers consisting of another low-friction wrap, braided copper, and an overall jacket of PVC or other material selected for abrasion resistance. A problem with this construction is its use of multiple layers of insulation and special low-friction materials necessary to reduce the friction that arises as cables go through numerous cycles of repetitive motion.

Cicoil’s flex cables make more efficient use of insulating material. It needs no low-friction tapes and fillers because conductors don’t move within our patented Flexx-Sil™ rubber material that forms the outer jacket. And when bent in the plane of its thin cross section, Cicoil Flat Cables have inherently more flexibility than round cable. The flat form factor of Cicoil cables also provides better heat dissipation than round cables because there is more surface area for a given volume. The larger surface area lets flat cables carry a higher current level for a given temperature rise and for conductors of a given cross section. Conductors in flat cable also have a fixed geometry that makes for consistent and non-varying electrical qualities. The spacing of conductors in the extruded Flexx-Sil™ rubber never changes as the cable moves. Thus cable impedance, inductance, capacitance, time delay, crosstalk, and attenuation all remain constant. Similarly, the conductors in the cable all have the same physical and electrical length. This, coupled with the fact that the dielectric dimensions stay constant, means that signal skewing and differential time delays between signals in the cable stay at a minimum.

Space SaverCicoil flex cables and flat cable assemblies form an inherently high-density interconnect system. Packing density of flat cable is higher than is possible with round cables. The fact that conductors can be visible in the Flexx-Sil™ extrusion simplifies coding, inspection, and tracing circuits for trouble shooting.