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Cable Clamp Strain Relief Exploded
could get a high volume production vendor up and running.” In this regard, Steve asserts that they are not really selling labor as much as the know-how in custom molded assemblies.
Having had a recent conversation with the folks at Stapla about the necessity of over molding dissimilar metal welds, I asked Steve if he has encountered this need. “As a matter of fact they have had experience with Stapla and had a couple of Stapla machines running for a few years. Stapla was helpful working with us,” he replied.
Steve explained that there are really three different disciplines that go into an over molded part. “First is the cable assembly, and you need to assemble it in such a way that it will survive the molding process,” he instructed. “Next, you have the tooling design which is its own unique process, then finally the actual injection molding.” The expertise, he explained, comes in combining these three distinct disciplines into one orchestrated process. “I tell people we’re not an expert in assembly, or tooling, or injection molding; but rather an expert in the combination of those three disciplines.”
The companies that find ISC are glad they did. As Steve pointed out, “The only people that do over molding on cable assemblies are other cable assembly companies, and they’re not going to support their competitors.” He noted there are many companies that do general injection molding, but are unfamiliar with the complexities of molding a cable assembly. “We’re open in what we do and they can come here and get whatever they need.”
Steve also revealed that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to find a high-volume manufacturer who will help on the front-end development of an over-molded assembly. “That’s not how they’re structured as companies,” he advised “but in our case, you can
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get the design, the prototype and initial development, and get all that pretty quickly.” ISC will then help their customers transition to high volume production houses.
Although ISC Engineering advertises themselves as a low volume, high mix company, they have an impressive, vertically integrated facility. They operate a 15,000 sq ft manufacturing space, with sixty-five employees running two shifts. They have fourteen injection molding machines, five Haas CNC’s, and a couple of Gromax EDMs. They are ISO 9001: 2008 certified and their operators are certified to IPC/WHMA A-620 and the company was recently Certified by IPC for QML class 1,2 and 3 per IPC/WHMA-A-620. With over 400,000 ft. of wire and cable in stock, they carry over 500 different options. ISC stocks over 200 different resins, and has 3D printing for rapid prototyping.
Since their inception 18 years ago, the company has completed over 70 outsourcing programs where companies have added injection molding equipment to overmold cable assemblies that ISC has designed for them. “And those 70 plus companies have purchased over 90 molding machines and most of those machines are operating in North America,” Steve was proud to say. “We’ve helped bring some of this activity back to the US, and I think we’re going to see more of this as NAFTA rules change and as some of the trade barriers improve.”
Circular Connector Overmolded Spin Coupling
He is confident about the future of ISC, and of manufacturing in general in the US saying, “Most of the people working today have never been in an economy where we’ve had growth, and I think we are going to see growth that we haven’t seen since the 70’s and 80’s.” Steve sees ISC as an integral part in fostering that growth by expanding custom molding capabilities so that OEM’s and Tier 1’s have a domestic choice
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Overview:
ISC Engineering is a worldwide leader specialized in custom molded cable assembly and overmolded cables. ISC provides rapid prototype and quick turn with pre-production and quick turn, low volume and high mix assemblies to the audio, automotive, electronic, industrial, instrumentation, robotics, medical and mil-aero industries. Overmolding to provide strain relief in conjunction with overmolded connectors can improve conventional interconnects. OEM molded cable assembly and custom molded cable assembly designs with standard pvc, plastic and thermoplastic and thermoset over-molded cables are available in weeks not months. Custom molded cable assemblies are their specialty.
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