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Ultra-Flexible Cat 6A Cables for Aerospace Applications

Ultra-Flexible Cat 6A Cables for Aerospace Applications

Valencia, CA; October 19, 2020: Unlike common Ethernet cables, Cicoil’s highly flexible Cat 6A cables are rugged, halogen-free + flame retardant (HFFR), free of contaminants; and perform exceptionally well when continuously flexed and exposed to extreme temperature conditions (-65°C to +165°C).  This combination of features makes Cicoil Cat 6A the ideal Ethernet Cable choice for Mission Critical Aerospace Applications.

Cicoil's patented extrusion process allows 4 individually shielded 28 AWG 100 Ohm pairs to be placed in a small, flat profile, precisely controlling the spacing of each component, insulation thickness and the overall cable shape.  As compared to other Cat 6A cables, the Flexx-Sil™ Rubber encased cable design allows for easy stripping and a significant decrease in cable prep time.  The Cicoil cable is also compatible with standard hand-held manual and automated stripping and crimping equipment. 

While meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Cat 6A standard, Cicoil’s Cat 6A cable is designed to provide high speed data transmission rates of 10 Gbit/sec, frequencies of 500 MHz and above average suppression of Electromagnetic Interference, especially in continuous flexing applications.  In addition, the unique outer jacket is also self-healing from small punctures and will not wear, crack or deform due to long term exposure to vibration, rigors of supersonic flight, sunlight, acid, submersion in water, sea ice, steam, coarse sand, flames, radiation (107 Roentgens), alcohol, mechanical stress, humidity, ozone, UV light, autoclave and many chemicals.

In repeated flexing applications, the space saving Cat 6A cable features a repeated bend radius of just 0.9 inch, and a cycle life exceeding 10,000,000 repetitive flexing cycles.  Individual Cat 6A cables can be stacked in a cable track and through the use of Cicoil’s On-line Cable Configurator, multiple Cat 6 cables, as well as other components, can be incorporated into a custom made single flat cable design.

Standard "off the shelf" Cat 6A cables are available from stock for immediate delivery and custom designs, including cable assemblies with connectors of your choice, are also available with minimum lead times.  In addition, Cicoil offers low-friction coatings, custom shape cables and torsion designs by request.

Cicoil's quality system is certified to ISO 9001: 2015, including the Aerospace AS9100D standard, cable assembly technicians are certified to IPC J-STD-001, J-STD-001ES and IPC-620 Space Addendum, for cable soldering and crimping. 100% of Cicoil cables are electrically inspected for all point-to-point and electrical values, ensuring that each and every cable assembly meets 100% of the quality standards required by the most critical application.

Cicoil's Crystal-Clear, Class 1 Clean Room Rated Cat 6A Cables are low outgas (NASA 1124 & ASTM E595-93), RoHS & REACH Compliant and are cured continuously, with no debris or material impurities in an automated, climate-controlled environment.  The HFFR cables also pass UL/CSA VW-1, FT 1 & FT 2, UL 94V-0 flammability testing, HL1 & HL2 levels of EN 45545-1 and FAA burn testing.

Cicoil has been a leader in designing and manufacturing high performance cable assemblies for over sixty years. The company's Patented Flexx-Sil™ Flat Cable Technology provides high flexibility, extremely long life, and they can withstand temperature extremes from -65 degrees to +260 degrees Celsius. Cicoil's flat cables are used in thousands of demanding applications, including aircraft fuel control cells, semiconductor automation, and the International Space Station. Cicoil designs and manufactures its Flexx-Sil™ jacketed cables and cable assemblies in an automated facility in Valencia, California. Cicoil's quality assurance system is certified to the ISO 9001 (AS9100) standard. Visit www.cicoil.com for more information, or call 661-295-1295 to speak to an application engineer.