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Capabilities

Being small has many advantages… One being we do not tie up our equipment with large runs of “commodity type” product. This helps give us the flexibility and equipment availability to rapidly respond to prototype requests, small orders, and unexpected customer emergencies requiring a rapid turn-around.

Being small also helps ensure that our customers have DIRECT contact with the departments and personnel best able to answer their questions and address their concerns. You do not speak to a sales person when you call Gavitt… You speak with the engineer who will be designing the cable, retractile cord, ribbon cable or assembly best able to meet your particular requirements… You speak with the department head who personally knows exactly where your order is at any given moment – who knows your product(s) and can also provide you with pricing and expediting service. Should you have a quality concern, you will speak directly with our quality control manager who will work with you to quickly resolve any issues or concerns.

We feel this “smallness” – along with the personal attention we are famous for – is an integral part of our capabilities and are proud to note that all of our managers have at least a decade (many 2 – 3 times that) of experience in their areas of expertise and with our company.

While our focus is on smaller orders, “old fashioned” personal attention, and a commitment to quality, we do seek to use technology in our efforts to provide the best service to our customers. We are extensively computerized and networked and have an ongoing program to update and add to our production equipment both from a numbers and a size/range/abilities perspective.

Melding our personnel and equipment resources, along with a wide range of conductor, shielding, insulating, jacketing, and ancillary materials, enables us to focus on those made-to-order wire, cable, retractile cords, ribbon cables, and assemblies our customer’s have trouble finding elsewhere. Our solicitation is on such markets as aerospace, biomedical, geophysical, mil-spec, communications, entertainment, instrumentation, and avionics – especially those demanding unusual flexibility and/or flex-life. But we are happy to consider all requests within our capabilities.

Below are highlighted some of the materials we have available. Please peruse the remainder of this page and consider how Gavitt might help you procure the product best able to meet YOUR specific needs.

Conductors

Conventional Stranded Copper

Economy champ, easiest to process and solder, wide range of sizes, strand, lays and configurations, moderate flexibility and flex life.

Superflex Bunch or Rope Stranded Copper

High strand count of fine gauge strands in a bunch or rope configuration, flexibility second only to tinsel, flex life often similar to conventionally stranded Soft Cadmium Copper Alloy, easy to process and solder, moderate cost.

RoHS Compliant, cadmium free formulations of the following three high strength alloy conductor materials are also available:

Soft Cadmium Copper Alloy (STCC)

Conventionally stranded (limited Superflex constructions also available) high performance copper alloy construction offer similar solderability and processability to copper but typically offers over twice the flex life or fatigue strength, slightly higher resistance than copper, moderate to high cost.

Hard Cadmium Copper Alloy (HTCC)

A conventional strand construction offering outstanding flex life (often up to 5 times or more that of soft copper) and over twice the tensile strength of plain copper, is stiffer and has more “spring” than copper which can make fabrication more difficult, more difficult to solder, moderate cost.

Tinsel

The ultimate in both flexibility and flex life (up to 100x that of conventional copper), wide range of conductor materials (for the helically wound single and double served “conductor” component) combined with assorted natural and synthetic textiles (for the supporting core) combine to form a composite conductor of extremely high performance, higher resistance, more difficult to process and solder than copper, and cost can be a consideration.

Insulators

PVC

Economical, wide range of formulations provide for a variety of hardnesses (ultra flexible to semi-rigid) and operating temperatures (as low as -70°C to as high as +125°C), moderate durability, chemical resistance, and dielectric qualities.

Polyethylene

Excellent electrical qualities, good resistance to many chemicals, good low temperature flexibility, available in LDHM, HDHM, and Foamed formulations, available in hardnesses from flexible to semi-rigid depending on type, economical, not suitable for use in coil cords.

Polypropylene

Electrical and chemical resistance properties similar to polyethylene, better crush and abrasion resistance make polypropylene especially well suited to thin wall (.004” to .012”) applications, lightweight, economical.

Thermoplastic Elastomer

Typically olefin based and offering many of the same fine electrical qualities of polyethylene but in an elastomeric insulation which allows TPE to replace thermoset rubbers in some applications, generally better electrical performance (but poorer physical qualities) than thermoset rubber, more expensive than PVC, but low cost compared to conventional rubbers.

Nylon

Extremely abrasion resistant, suitable for use in thin wall applications or as a secondary extrusion over conventional insulations like PVC, low coefficient of friction allows individual wires to slide within a bundle or cable, stiffer and more expensive than PVC or Polyethylene.

FEP

Superb temperature stability (-80°C to +200°C), excellent resistance to most chemicals, very good electrical qualities (similar to polyethylene), rather expensive.

Thermoset Rubber

Gavitt uses a variety of thermoset of vulcanized rubbers (Natural, EPDM, Neoprene, SBR) most of which offer outstanding physical qualities, exceptional flexibility and durability, moderate cost and more limited applications.

Jackets

PVC

Workhorse material, best variety, specialty grades available, flame retardant, good durability, low cost.

Thermoplastic Elastomer

Economical rubber-like alternative, wide temperature range (-70°C to +120°C), flame retardant grades available, moderate cost.

Thermoset Rubber

Available in a variety of types (Natural, Neoprene, SBR), vulcanized rubbers offer outstanding physical qualities, very good abrasion and crush resistance, exceptional flexibility and durability, but are expensive to apply and have less varieties available compared to thermoset alternatives.

Note: vulcanized rubber jackets are not available for use in coil cords.

Polyurethane

The “Prince” of jacketing resins, outstanding crush and abrasion resistance, resistant to many chemicals, excellent weatherability, superb cosmetics (your choice of high-gloss or special “rubber look” matte), suitable for low temperature applications to -55°C, more economical than rubber but more expensive than PVC. Best choice for coil cords.

Textile Braids

Not as popular these days as in years past, braided jackets still offer a degree of flexibility (cotton or rayon braid) or durability (nylon braid) difficult to achieve with extruded jackets of any type, not a contiguous jacket, limited suitability.

Shields

Spiral

Provides for very flexible shielding (well suited for use in coil cords), easily processed and terminated, economical, best used for audio frequencies and below unless used in concert with other shielding methodologies.

Reverse Spiral

Similar to spiral shield but with a few ends of shielding placed in opposite direction to reduce inductive effects inherent in spiral shields, adds only slightly to cost, but still not as effective as a braided shield for frequencies above the audio range.

Braided

Suitable for use at audio frequencies and above, can add mechanical protection to cable, more expensive than spiral shields, not recommended for use in coil cords.

Semi-Conductive PVC

Used with a drain wire (or in conjunction with a spiral [or braided] shield for improved coverage and shielding effectiveness), often used in coil cords and where gaps in shield coverage cannot be tolerated, more expensive than most other shielding alternatives.

Aluminized Mylar

Used with a drain wire (or in conjunction with a spiral [or braided] shield for improved coverage and shielding effectiveness), minimum size build-up, lowest cost when used alone, not suitable for use in coil cords or in flexing applications.

Note: Gavitt does not recommend the use of aluminum/mylar or braided shields in coil cords because they adversely effect cord coil qualities.