The Importance of Prototype Cable Assemblies

The process of prototyping the mechanical cable assemblies that Sava produces is critical to proving a product's concept. Not only does prototyping prove that the individual components comprising an assembly satisfy rigid factors of safety, but as importantly, testing prototypes also ensures mechanical cable assemblies function within and surrounded by mating components in often incredibly tight cavities, and as often amid hostile environmental conditions.  

It’s one thing to say that a steel wire rope product can serve a function or deliver what it's designed to do. But it’s quite another to prove the cable/wire rope assembly can do what’s advertised and promised. This is the benefit of prototyping: it gives everyone an objective means to measure the performance of the cable assembly against its stated objectives. With mechanical cable assemblies this is especially important because wire rope -- massive or infintecimal in diameter -- supports loads and motion control in just about any industry you can think of, including, but not limited to MedTech, aerospace, defense, industrial, consumer and countless other commercial and consumer categories.

Concept to Reality

From concept to construction, the primary benefit to prototyping is that it actually require engineers to produce a small, "test" production run of the very mechanical cable assembly under consideration. So, the cable assembly's concepts, though initially drawn-up, are produced in small quantities and placed through a battery of tests to determine both the efficacy of the production process, and of course, the product itself. A key distinction in prototyping cable assemblies is that the prototype doesn’t necessarily need to meet the full requirements of a finished product. While testing is underway, various characteristics of the assembly are tested, meaning that the finished product's testing can come after each facet of prototyping yields the desired outcomes, across each area of evaluation.

Experts know that performing prototyping testing is vital to a product's overall success. The process of building a prototype can help define which materials are available during testing, what expertise and equipment is needed to fabricate the assembly, how long it will take under build conditions, and what potential limitations the assembly may possess.

Catching Problems Early

The prototyping process provides a critical window into what strengths (and flaws) may exist in a custom cables assembly concept. This is an early canary signal, if paid attention to, and it can help prevent big production mistakes and perhaps even worse, failures in the field. And remember, just because a prototype reveals a significant problem, that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Matter of fact, engineers are just studying the assembly's performance, without favor or passion. They simply need to know how the product will perform and are pleased, in a manner of speaking, when they find potential issues with the assembly concept. Prototyping is testing. Therefore, engineers are thrilled when testing reveals an issue best addressed before large-scale productions runs are begun.

Protecting Investments Through Prototyping

Additionally, prototyped mechanical cable assemblies are key to demonstrating to investors that the component is ready for long-term production. With a prototype on file, proving the capability of a new cable assembly design, investments become easier to obtain because the product has been tested and proven effective. So, essentially prototyping allows engineers to test assumptions, which helps mitigate the risks of overleveraing too early, while making production investments closely protected from costly design errors later on, when go-to-market strategies become the new pressing priority.

Prototyping with Sava's cable experts offers numerous quality and reliability advantages. Sava complies with stringent standards such as ISO 9001:2015, FDA, ITAR, REACH, and RoHS. Our cables are manufactured with internal lubrication and abrasion-resistant coatings, ensuring flexibility and durability for various industries. The prototyping process involves close collaboration with clients to refine designs and provide effective cable solutions®. Each product undergoes comprehensive testing to meet all requirements.

For more information about our prototype kits, cable solutions®, and services, contact us today.