Extreme Materials White Paper Profiles Specialty Blends to Award

Winning Connectors
White paper created by cable manufacturer Northwire along with LEMO, the originator of Push-Pull
connectors, navigates cables with features from breather tubes to salt water resistant connectors.
Osceola, WI, USA -- Aggregating decades of interconnectivity knowledge, Northwire, Inc. (NWI) along with
its partner The LEMO Group, has released Part IV of their "Extreme Environments, Complex
Requirements" white paper series, titled "Extreme Materials: Robust Performance from Cable to
Connector."

By gleaning understanding from teams of NWI custom cable and LEMO precision connector Subject Matter
Experts, the white paper details critical considerations in the design of cutting edge connectivity technology.
Solving complex and continually evolving wire and cable assembly challenges, Northwire's cable designers
partner with connector specialists at LEMO to provide customized solutions for extreme and diverse
applications.
Immersing themselves fully into the end application with a comprehensive understanding of the product's
required functionality, NWI and LEMO SMEs critically assess the complex factors that will contribute to the
attainment of each customer goal.
The Extreme Materials white paper identifies the cable and connector attributes contributing to highest
performance and reliability while abating the environmental challenges associated with medical cable,
underwater cable, industrial wire and cable, and heavy duty cable and connector applications. Just some of
the critical factors detailed within the Northwire-LEMO Extreme Materials white paper include:
Inside-Out Cable Construction
Dissecting foundational cable engineering elements and their contributions to high performance, reliability,
and longevity in cable life, the following components are detailed within the white paper:
Copper Stranding
Strength Member
Breather Tube
Water Blocking Material

 Fillers
Barriers
Shielding
Jacketing

Applied in conjunction with resilient and durable cable assemblies, water blocking agents are integrated to
mitigate failure in the event the cable assembly is compromised. Water blocking agents quickly react to
moisture seeping into a damaged part of the cable, sealing off the leak, and preventing migration of the
liquid. Northwire capabilities reducing risk of leaks within underwater cable and wet environments are
featured within Extreme Materials along with LEMO's NiCorAl surface treatment for rugged connectors
which protects cables from salt water corrosion.
NiCorAl lengthens the life of aluminum components and passes the 500 hours salt spray test under
AECTP 300 / MIL-STD-810 / MIL-STD-202 standards. It is also RoHS2 and REACH 2017 qualified.
NiCorAl was honored as second runner up in the 2016 i-NOVO Awards for the Tech Category with LEMO's
HALO LED connector winning the i-NOVO Award for Design recognizing the product's cutting edge design
trends, attention to ergonomics, and exceptionally innovative solutions.
This LEMO HALO LED connector includes an LED light flange which displays connection status and offers
compatibility with the existing 1B, 1K, and 2K Series. The connector will be available in crimp or solder
contact versions. The HALO LED connector efficiently displays connection status helping to prevent
counterfeit functioning, unauthorized use, and mis-mating, only applies power when allowed, and records
usage along with other benefits and features.
Important use and environmental considerations when selecting cable are detailed within the white paper
including whether the cable will be utilized within high flex cable and constant motion applications and
subjected to extreme temperatures and environmental factors including contact with oil, chemicals, welding
slag, etc.

The Extreme Materials white paper presents multiple levels of cable design considerations explaining
Concentric, Unilay, and Rope Lay stranding configurations and copper as the standard for measuring
conductive materials and its attributes. The role of the cable assembly's strength members in protecting
connectivity and their contributions in providing unique solutions such as pull strength, push strength,
mechanical strength, or rigidity is summarized along with application for common types including fiberglass
rods, steel strength members, and aramid fiber.
Extreme environment protection from high heat, pressure, oil, water, chemicals, flame, and abrasion is
provided by integrating the appropriate breather tube for the cable application. Direction is provided for
navigating the wide range of sizes, durometers, and material options such as PE (Polyethylene), nylon,
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PUR (Polyurethane), and PTFE (Fluoropolymers).
With a primary function of filling space between components to secure the desired cable form, filler
materials and their associated benefits are noted. Important considerations when selecting filler materials
include the need for moisture, flame, shrinkage, and heat resistance, increased strength and insulation
factors, infusion with water blocking chemicals, and cost effectiveness.
Given the importance of a cable's jacket for its performance and role in protecting critical internal
components from extreme environments throughout the life of the cable, materials that excel in extreme
temperatures are summarized within Extreme Materials. Northwire's fluoropolymer jackets rated from
-200C to 260C, polyethylene jackets that perform up to 125C, and a wide range of specialty PVC and
TPE blends that can be rated from -60C to 105C are featured. Cut, crush, and abrasion resistant cable
jacketing utilizing fluoropolymers and TPUs along with Hytrel (thermoplastic polyester) that allow for ease
in coiling offer additional damage control options. The need for high performing Low Smoke, Zero Halogen
cable (LSZH cable) is increasing. In response, Northwire offers a commercial TPU to meet or exceed
requirements with additional options including rigidity, flexibility, oil and chemical resistance, and varying
flame resistance.
Customization and specialty blends are regularly developed by NWI's cable design engineers for specific
applications. One such example was a new jacket material that achieved a direct burial rating. This rating
requires a 1,000lb weight to be applied to the cable over a " steel rod and held for one minute without any
tears in the insulation or jacket material. NWI's materials engineers designed a unique material blend that
passed this intense direct burial rating.
In addition to ensuring that the cable can withstand extreme environments, consideration should be given
to the connector and assembly manufacturing. The connection is often more vulnerable to the elements
than other parts of the assembly. Together, Northwire and LEMO provide completely integrated customized
cable and connector solutions.
Read this newest white paper or previous white papers by clicking here. For more information about the
"Extreme Environments and Complex Requirements" white paper series, contact the Customer Care TEAM
at 800.468.1516, CableInfo_Northwire@lemo.com, or via live chat.
About LEMO
LEMO (http://www.lemo.com/en) is an acknowledged leader in the design and manufacture of precision
custom connection and cable solutions. LEMO's high quality Push-Pull Connectors are found in a variety of
challenging application environments including medical, industrial control, test and measurement,
broadcast, and telecommunications.
LEMO has been designing custom connectors for over six decades. Offering more than 100,000
combinations of products that continue to grow through tailored, specific designs, LEMO and its affiliated
sister companies REDEL, NORTHWIRE and COELVER currently serve more than 100,000 customers in
over 80 countries around the world. In 2014, LEMO Group acquired Northwire, Inc.
About Northwire
Cable manufacturer Northwire, Inc., celebrating over 43 years of innovation, has corporate headquarters

and manufacturing in Osceola, Wisconsin and engineering and manufacturing in Santa Teresa, New
Mexico. The cable engineering company is the premier partner for the design, manufacture and contract
services of custom technical products including custom technical wire and cable, retractable cable, cable
assemblies, connectors, harnesses, injection molding, over-molding and contract engineering and OEM
(Original Equipment Manufacturer) for diverse applications in broadcast, life sciences, energy, MIL-Spec
defense, industrial, machine vision, architectural lighting, underwater and beyond.
In addition to ISO 13485:2003, ISO 9001:2008, SAE AS9100C:2009 certifications and qualification to ISO
17025:2005, Northwire is a member of NDIA (National Defense Industrial Association), NCMA (National
Contract Management Association), RIA (Robotics Industries Association), AIA (Automated Imaging
Association), FieldComm (fka Foundation Fieldbus), ODVA (Open DeviceNet Vendors Associations) and
WAI (Wire Association International), among others.
For more information, visit http://www.northwire.com.
Media Contact:
Katina Kravik
Northwire, Inc.
110 Prospect Way
Osceola, Wisconsin 54020
715-294-2121
cableinfo@northwire.com
http://www.northwire.com