USB Data Cable Extrusion Line

USB Data Cable Extrusion Line

USB cable, fully known as Universal Serial Bus cable, is a standardized cable used for data transfer, device charging, and connecting external devices. It is the most widely used and common interface cable in today's electronic devices, connecting almost all of our digital devices.

Core Functions

The core functions of a USB cable can be summarized into three points:
Data Transfer: Quickly transfers data between computers, phones, and external devices (such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, printers, keyboards, mice). For example, importing photos from a phone to a computer, or installing peripherals for a computer.
Device Charging: Charges countless devices like smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth headphones, and game controllers. This is its most common daily function.
Audio/Video Transmission: Some USB standards (e.g., USB-C) support DisplayPort Alternate Mode, allowing direct transmission of video and audio signals for connecting to monitors or TVs.

Key Characteristics

When selecting a USB cable, pay attention to the following key characteristics, as they determine the cable's functionality and performance:
Connector Type (Physical Shape): This refers to the shape of the connectors on both ends of the cable, which must match the ports on the devices.
USB-A: The most classic and common rectangular interface, widely used in computers, chargers, USB flash drives, etc.
USB-B: Typically used to connect printers, scanners, or some external hard drives.
Micro-USB: Formerly the standard interface for Android phones, power banks, etc., now being phased out.
USB-C: The trend for modern and future devices. The interface is compact and reversible. It is the most powerful, integrating high-speed data, video output, and fast charging. It is the preferred choice for current phones, laptops, tablets, etc.
Lightning: Apple's proprietary interface, used for iPhones, iPads, and other devices.
Protocol and Version (Performance Standard): This is key to determining speed. The same physical interface (e.g., USB-C) may support different versions.
USB 2.0: Relatively slow speed (about 480 Mbps), suitable for keyboards, mice, or regular charging.
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0): Speeds up to 5 Gbps, suitable for transferring large files or connecting external hard drives.
USB 3.2 Gen 2: Speeds up to 10 Gbps.
USB4: The latest standard, with speeds up to 40 Gbps, integrating Thunderbolt 3 protocol, supporting higher-specification data transfer and video output.

USB Data Cable Extrusion Line

A USB cable extrusion production line is a high-precision automated equipment specifically used for manufacturing the insulation layers and sheaths of Universal Serial Bus cables. Its core process involves melting plastics (such as PVC, TPE, Nylon, etc.) and then continuously and uniformly extruding and coating them onto the conductor or cable core through precision molds, forming insulation layers and an outer sheath that meet USB standard requirements.

Core Components

An advanced USB 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 twisted pairs.
Requirement: Must use active pay-off or magnetic powder/vector tension control to ensure constant, minimal tension. Any fluctuation may cause conductor stretching, altering DC resistance, affecting power transmission, or compromising characteristic impedance.
Preheating System
Function: Precisely preheats the conductor.
Purpose: Removes moisture, 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 guaranteeing the integrity of high-speed data transmission.
Extruder System
Function: Precisely plasticizes and conveys plastic pellets.
Composition:
High-Precision Screw and Barrel: Optimized for different plastics (e.g., halogen-free flame retardant materials, TPE, foamed PE) to ensure uniform plasticization and no degradation.
Temperature Control System: Temperature control accuracy must reach ±1°C. Temperature fluctuations directly affect melt viscosity, extrusion pressure, and wire diameter stability.
Drive Motor: Requires stable rotational speed without fluctuation.
Die Head and Tooling
Function: Guides the molten plastic and enables precise 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 failure to meet the high-speed transmission requirements of USB 3.0 and above versions.
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 the dielectric constant and signal attenuation.
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 dimensional tolerances strictly comply with standards.
Spark Tester
Function: Performs online detection of defects such as pinholes in the insulation layer, ensuring insulation integrity.
Laser Marking Machine
Function: Permanently and clearly prints specifications, model numbers, certification marks, 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.
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), and enabling full traceability.

USB Data 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

USB Data Cable Extrusion Line Application

The manufacturing of USB cables is a multi-step, precise process. The extrusion production line is primarily involved in the following key stages:
Insulated Core Wire Extrusion (Most Critical Step)
Content: Precisely extruding and coating insulating plastic (such as HDPE or foamed PE) onto a single or stranded tin-plated copper conductor, forming multiple insulated core wires of different colors (e.g., the 4 cores for USB 2.0).
Requirements: Ensure stable characteristic impedance (e.g., 90Ω for differential pairs). Must achieve extremely high concentricity and precise outer diameter control (tolerance often required to be within ±0.01mm).
Pairing/Twisting
Explanation: Twisting the two insulated core wires used for transmitting high-speed differential signals (e.g., SSRX+/SSRX- in USB 3.0) together at a precise pitch. This process is completed by a twister machine.
Purpose: To cancel out electromagnetic interference and reduce signal crosstalk.
Cabling
Explanation: Gathering the twisted high-speed data pairs, power wires, ground wires, and low-speed data wires together and stranding them into a complete cable core using a cabling machine.
Shield Application
Explanation: Wrapping the cable core with an aluminum foil mylar tape, and then braiding a layer of high-density tinned copper mesh over it. This is done by a braiding machine, providing excellent anti-interference capability, which is crucial for high-speed USB cables.
Outer Sheath Extrusion
Content: Extruding a layer of wear-resistant and flexible sheath (such as PVC, TPE, or environmentally friendly halogen-free material) over the shield.
Requirements: Tight encapsulation, smooth appearance, uniform thickness, providing final physical protection (e.g., bend resistance) and an aesthetic function. For USB cables requiring frequent plugging and unplugging, the durability of the sheath is particularly important.