Cable Routing Simulators

W. L. Gore & Associates has been a long-time supporter of testing our products extensively to show how reliably they perform in real-world environments before launching them to market. So we built simulators to show the complexities high data rate cables face during routing and the effects on signal integrity.

Now, manufacturers can be sure they’re getting a robust cable solution that delivers superior mechanical and high-speed performance over the application’s lifetime. And installers can be confident that they’re getting a cable that will perform reliably before and after routing — ultimately reducing cable replacements, maintenance, downtime and total costs.

Our cable routing simulator has various mandrels located in fixed positions for repeatability that replicate minimum bend radius conditions. It also includes two cable cleats to hold tension. Testing characteristics such as return loss and crosstalk after routing through the simulator verifies whether a cable can withstand complex installation challenges that can degrade signal integrity and lead to failures over time.

Using our Ethernet 4-pair version for Cat6A protocol as an example, we routed a 2-meter (6.5-foot) cable through the simulator for 4 cycles and measured the electrical performance after each cycle. Then, we did the same with leading alternative Ethernet cables. As we predicted, our Ethernet cable outperformed the leading alternative cables in durability and electrical performance.

Gore also designed an aviation display that mimics an airframe bulkhead to demonstrate the challenges engineers face when designing an Ethernet system. We terminated our Ethernet Cat6A cables with leading connectors and attached them to common flight components, like cockpit displays, mission computers and aircraft survivability equipment.

Our demonstration showed how easy it is to bend, flex and route our airborne and defense cables in existing bulkheads with tight spaces without breaking or failing.

Watch more videos of our engineers demonstrating the durability of Gore’s high-speed data cables.

YOUTUBE