HDMI Cable Extrusion Line

HDMI Cable Extrusion Line

HDMI cable, the Chinese full name is High-Definition Multimedia Interface cable, is a fully digital video/audio transmission cable. It is one of the most common and important audio-visual connection cables, used for lossless transmission of high-definition and even ultra-high-definition audio and video signals between devices.

Core Functions

The core function of the HDMI cable is to replace old-style analog signal cables (such as VGA, component video cables) and separate audio cables. It enables the simultaneous transmission of high-definition video and multi-channel audio through a single cable, along with additional features, greatly simplifying connections for home theaters, game consoles, and computers.
Video Transmission: Transmits video signals from standard definition to 8K Ultra HD.
Audio Transmission: Transmits audio signals from stereo to immersive 3D sound fields (such as Dolby Atmos).
Control Function: Supports HDMI-CEC function, allowing users to control multiple connected devices with one remote control (e.g., using the TV remote to adjust soundbar volume).
Data Channel: The latest standards also support an Ethernet channel (HEC), allowing compatible devices to share a network connection.

Key Characteristics

When choosing an HDMI cable, the most important factor is not its appearance, but the HDMI version specification it supports, which determines the cable's performance ceiling.
Key Characteristics:
Version Standard (Most Important):
HDMI 1.4: Supports 1080p Full HD, 4K@30Hz. Supports 3D functionality.
HDMI 2.0: Supports 4K@60Hz, with richer color representation. It is the entry-level choice for 4K Blu-ray players and game consoles.
HDMI 2.1 (Current Mainstream High-End): Supports 8K@60Hz and 4K@120Hz. It is crucial for next-generation game consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X, enabling high refresh rates, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), delivering an extremely smooth gaming experience.
Transfer Rate: Higher versions support higher bandwidth. HDMI 2.1 has a bandwidth of up to 48 Gbps, more than double that of HDMI 2.0 (18 Gbps). This is the foundation for achieving higher resolutions and refresh rates.
Resolution and Refresh Rate:
Resolution: Refers to image clarity, such as 1080p (Full HD), 4K (Ultra HD), 8K.
Refresh Rate: Refers to the number of times the image refreshes per second, measured in Hz. 60Hz is standard, while 120Hz or higher provides smoother motion pictures, especially suitable for gaming and high-speed sports videos.
Cable Types:
Standard HDMI Cable: Suitable for 1080p and 4K@30Hz applications.
High-Speed HDMI Cable: Meets HDMI 2.0 requirements; essential for 4K@60Hz content.
Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable: Meets HDMI 2.1 requirements. This type of cable is necessary to fully utilize top-tier performance like 4K@120Hz and 8K.

Connector Types

Although the most common HDMI connector is the standard size (Type A), there are actually several different sizes:
Type A (Standard): The most widely used, for the vast majority of devices like TVs, monitors, projectors, and game consoles.
Type C (Mini): Smaller than the standard type, often used in some portable devices like digital cameras and high-end laptops.
Type D (Micro): Even smaller, mainly used in ultra-portable devices like some mobile phones and tablets. Usually requires an adapter to connect to a standard interface.

HDMI Cable Extrusion Line

An HDMI cable extrusion production line is a high-precision, complete set of equipment specifically used for manufacturing the insulation layers and sheaths of High-Definition Multimedia Interface cables. Its core process involves melting specific plastics (such as PVC, PE, TPE, etc.) at high temperatures and then continuously and uniformly extruding and coating them onto the conductor or cable core through precision tooling, forming insulation layers and an outer sheath that meet HDMI standard requirements.

Core Components

An advanced HDMI cable extrusion production line mainly consists of the following systems:
Pay-off System
Function: Smoothly pays off the conductor (e.g., very fine tin-plated copper wires) or internal cable core.
Requirement: Must use active pay-off or magnetic powder tension-controlled pay-off to ensure constant, minimal tension. Any tension fluctuation may cause conductor stretching or internal stress changes, thereby affecting the final characteristic impedance.
Preheating System
Function: Precisely preheats the conductor.
Purpose: Removes surface moisture from the conductor, improves adhesion between the plastic melt and the conductor, reduces internal stress, and ensures the concentricity of the insulation layer and the stability of electrical performance. This is crucial for high-speed transmission.
Extruder System
Function: Precisely plasticizes and conveys plastic pellets.
Composition:
High-Precision Screw and Barrel: Optimized for special materials like low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH), PE, foamed PE, etc., ensuring uniform plasticization and no degradation.
Temperature Control System: Temperature control accuracy must reach ±1°C. Temperature fluctuations alter melt flowability, directly affecting extrusion pressure and wire diameter stability.
Drive Motor: Requires stable rotational speed without fluctuation.
Die Head and Tooling
Function: Key to shaping.
Requirement: Must use high-precision semi-pressure tubing dies to produce insulated core wires, ensuring extremely high concentricity. Concentricity deviation directly leads to uneven impedance, causing signal reflection and attenuation, and failure to pass HDMI certification.
Cooling System
Function: Rapidly and uniformly solidifies the molten plastic.
Characteristic: Uses a segmented cooling water trough with precisely controllable water temperature. The cooling rate affects the plastic's crystallinity, which in turn affects its dielectric constant and ultimately the signal's attenuation value.
Online Diameter Gauge
Function: Measures the outer diameter of the insulated core wire or sheath in real-time, without contact.
Importance: It is essential for achieving closed-loop control. It can instantly detect micron-level diameter changes or eccentricity and immediately feed back to the control system to automatically adjust process parameters, ensuring the dimensional tolerance of every meter of cable strictly complies with standards.
Spark Tester
Function: Performs online detection of defects such as pinholes or scratches in the insulation layer, ensuring insulation integrity.
Laser Marking Machine
Function: Permanently and clearly prints specifications, model numbers, HDMI version, meter length, and other information on the sheath for traceability.
Caterpillar Haul-off
Function: Provides smooth, constant pulling force.
Requirement: Speed must be highly stable and jerk-free, typically using a dual-track haul-off to prevent slipping.
Take-up System
Function: Neatly winds the finished cable onto a reel.
Requirement: Must be an active take-up with precise tension control capability, ensuring neat and consistent winding, and preventing cable deformation.
Integrated Control System
Function: The brain of the production line.
Composition: Centers around an industrial PC or high-performance PLC, coupled with a touch screen.
Capability: Centralized control of all process parameters, integration with diameter gauge data for Automatic Process Control (APC), recording production data, and enabling full traceability.

HDMI Cable Extrusion Line Datasheet

Model	30	40	50	60	70	80	90
Screw Diameter (mm)	φ30	φ40	φ50	φ60	φ70	φ80	φ90
Screw L/D Ratio	25:1	25:1	26:1	26:1	26:1	26:1	26:1
Extrusion Amount (kg/hr)	25	40	70	100	140	200	250
Outlet Wire (mm)	0.2-1	0.4-3	0.8-5	1-8	2-15	3-25	5-35
Total Power (KW)	18	20	25	33	40	55	63
Traction Power (KW)	2.2	2.2	4	4	4	5.5	5.5
Production Speed (m/min (Max.))	600	600	600	500	500	300	300
Take-up Spool (mm)	φ200-400	φ300-500	φ400-630	φ400-630	φ500-630	φ800-1000	φ1000-1250

HDMI Cable Extrusion Line Application

The HDMI cable extrusion line is a concentrated embodiment of high-end digital cable manufacturing technology. Its technical level directly determines whether the final HDMI cable can pass certification and stably support signal transmission under the HDMI 2.1 standard, such as 4K@120Hz, 8K@60Hz, and even higher specifications. The HDMI cable extrusion production line is primarily involved in the following key processes:
Insulated Core Wire Extrusion
Content: Precisely extruding and coating insulating plastic (such as foamed polyethylene) onto a single or stranded tin-plated copper conductor, forming multiple insulated core wires of different colors.
Requirements: This is key to ensuring the characteristic impedance remains stable at 100Ω ±15%. It must achieve extremely high concentricity and precise outer diameter control (tolerance often needs to be within ±0.01mm).
Pairing/Twisting
Explanation: Twisting two insulated core wires together with a precise pitch to form a "twisted pair." This process is completed by a dedicated twister machine.
Purpose: To cancel out electromagnetic interference and reduce signal crosstalk. The clock line and the three data line pairs (TMDS channels) within an HDMI cable all require twisting.
Cabling
Explanation: Gathering the twisted pairs, power wires, ground wires, etc., together and stranding them into a complete cable core using a cabling machine.
Shield Application
Explanation: First wrapping a layer of aluminum foil mylar tape around the cable core, then braiding a layer of high-density tinned copper mesh over it. This is done by a braiding machine, providing excellent resistance to external electromagnetic interference.
Outer Sheath Extrusion
Content: Extruding a layer of wear-resistant and flexible sheath (such as PVC, TPE, or low-smoke zero-halogen material) over the shield.
Requirements: Tight encapsulation, smooth appearance, uniform thickness, providing final physical protection and an aesthetic function.