Why does a wire assembly consist of jacketed cables? Why aren’t uncovered and unprotected cables used in a wire assembly? Well, there are two main reasons – one is for protection, and the other is for aesthetic value.
The jacket or cover that surrounds a cable is an overall sheath that serves as the foremost protection to keep the inner components of the cable secured and safe. This jacket can be made up of a variety of materials like looms, wraps, and shrinkable/non-shrinkable tubing. However, whichever material is used is sure to be flame retardant so that the cables do not get damaged by heating up. Thus, it is very important that the jacket provides the right amount of flame suppression and protection required by the installation environment – whether the installation is within a wall cavity, in an enclosure, between the floors in a wire chase, within home/office premises, or anywhere else. It is important here to remember that every installation environment requires different materials to be used for cable construction. What works in an enclosed area may not work for cables that are to be used in a wire chase between floors. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze and identify what the particular application demands.
Purpose of providing protection
With the jacket on, the inner components of a wire assembly are covered with a layer of protection. If the wire assembly lacks the jacket, the inner cables can be easily caught or pinched in nearby equipment, thus causing early failure of the wire assembly. The jacket also protects the inner components of the assembly from fluids like chemicals, oils, water, and cleaning fluids. Without a jacket that can withstand such fluids, the wire assembly and attached components can fail, corrode, or cause electrical shorts due to exposure to outside influences.
Purpose of providing aesthetic value
The jacket is applied to a cable’s core and the method of application enhances the wire assembly’s appearance. Depending on the requirements or preferences of the customers, different finishes like matte, glossy, and dull can be applied. Jackets can also be coloured to match the equipment the wire assembly is to be installed on, or to match the colour of the connector housings. Also, different assemblies of the same type can be coloured differently so that individual jacket colours can allow for easy recognition, if the assemblies are placed in close proximity to each other. Finally, jackets can also hide minor imperfections of the cable’s core.
Wire assemblies are built in accordance with current codes and standards that are regionally adopted and provide the details of safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. States and municipalities all follow these standardized and safe electrical practices. All details about the physical characteristics, operational characteristics, and electrical construction are described in detail, and must be met in order to operate safely. Additionally, all these products must be checked and tested after construction to verify that they meet all the set standards. Miracle Electronics is the name you can rely upon to provide you with the finest quality wire harnesses that are not only built with superior materials and perfection, but are also tested for dimension, weight, continuity, megger/high pot, pull tests and other verification processes. Also, the certifications for quality to ISO 9001, AS9100C, and approvals of quality by DGAQA and MSQAA prove that Miracle Electronics is one of the best wire assembly manufacturers in India.