Computer Interface Cable Extrusion Line

Computer Interface Cable Extrusion Line

Computer interface cables, commonly known as computer connection cables, are cables used to connect computers to external devices (or between internal computer components) for data transmission and power supply. They act as the "bridge" for communication between the computer system and the outside world, responsible for transmitting various signals such as images, data, instructions, and electrical power.

Core Functions

The main functions of computer interface cables can be summarized into two points:
Data Transmission: Transmitting data between the computer host, monitors, storage devices, printers, mobile devices, etc. For example, transmitting the processed image signal from the graphics card to a monitor, or copying files from a USB flash drive to a computer.
Power Supply: Providing power to connected devices. For example, charging a laptop, powering an external hard drive, or supplying power to a monitor.

Key Characteristics

When selecting a computer interface cable, the following key characteristics need to be considered:
Interface Type: This refers to the physical shape and specification of the connectors on both ends of the cable (e.g., USB Type-A, HDMI, DisplayPort). The interface must match the ports on the computer and the device.
Protocol and Version: Determines the performance ceiling of the cable. The same interface type (e.g., USB) has different versions (e.g., USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB4). Higher versions generally offer greater speed and functionality.
Data Transfer Rate: Refers to the amount of data the cable can transmit per second, usually measured in Gbps (Gigabits per second). For example, high-definition video transmission requires a much higher rate than keyboard/mouse transmission.
Video Transmission Capability: For display cables (e.g., HDMI, DP), pay attention to the maximum supported resolution, refresh rate, and color depth (e.g., 4K@60Hz, 8K@30Hz).
Power Delivery Capacity: Refers to the current and voltage the cable can carry, which is crucial for charging and powering peripherals. For example, a USB-C cable might support up to 240W charging power.
Shielding and Material: High-quality cables have good shielding layers and pure copper conductors, which effectively resist electromagnetic interference and ensure signal stability, especially over long distances.

Common Types and Applications

There is a wide variety of computer interface cables. Below are some of the most common and important types:
Universal Data Transmission and Power Supply
USB (Universal Serial Bus) Series: The most widely used interface.
USB Type-A: The most common standard USB port, widely used for keyboards, mice, USB flash drives, printers, etc.
USB Type-B: Typically used to connect printers, scanners, and some external hard drives.
Micro-USB: Formerly the standard charging port for Android phones, power banks, etc., now being phased out.
USB Type-C: The trend in modern devices. The port is compact and reversible. It is powerful, integrating data transmission, video output, and fast charging. Supports the latest USB4 and Thunderbolt protocols.
Thunderbolt: A high-speed interface primarily promoted by Intel and Apple, often using the USB-C physical form factor. It provides extremely high data transfer speeds (e.g., Thunderbolt 4 reaches 40 Gbps) and can simultaneously transmit data, video signals, and power. Commonly used to connect high-performance external graphics cards, storage devices, and docking stations.
Video/Audio Transmission
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface): The absolute mainstream in home audio-visual environments. Used to connect computers, TVs, projectors, game consoles, etc., transmitting high-definition video and multi-channel audio simultaneously.
DisplayPort (DP): The preferred choice in the computer monitor field. Performance is often better than contemporary HDMI, especially supporting higher refresh rates, making it highly valued by gamers and professional designers. Also commonly used to connect docking stations.
VGA: An ancient analog signal interface, transmitting only video, with poorer image quality. Largely obsolete on new devices.
DVI: A digital video interface between VGA and HDMI, also gradually being replaced by HDMI and DP.
Data Transmission (Storage and Networking)
SATA: Mainly used to connect internal hard drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) inside a computer.
Ethernet Cable (Network Cable): Used for wired network connections, offering more stability and lower latency than Wi-Fi. Common categories include Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7, etc. Generally, higher numbers support faster network speeds.
Internal Power Cables
ATX Power Cables: Connect from the computer power supply to components like the motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and hard drives to supply them with power.

Computer Interface Cable Extrusion Line

An extrusion production line for computer interface cables is a complete set of equipment specifically used for manufacturing the insulation layers and sheaths of various computer connection cables (such as USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, network cables, etc.). It is an automated system that melts specific plastics (e.g., PVC, PE, PP, low-smoke zero-halogen materials) at high temperatures and precisely, uniformly extrudes and coats them onto the exterior of conductors (e.g., copper wires, twisted pairs, cable cores) to form the required insulation layers and outer sheaths for the cables.

Core Components

An advanced extrusion production line for computer interface cables mainly consists of the following systems:
Pay-off System
Function: Pays off the conductor, twisted pair, or cable core smoothly.
Characteristics: Must use active pay-off or tension-controlled pay-off to ensure constant tension. This is crucial for maintaining the conductor's geometric structure, avoiding thinning, and thus stabilizing the characteristic impedance.
Preheating System
Function: Preheats the conductor.
Purpose: Removes moisture, improves adhesion between the plastic melt and the conductor, reduces internal stress, and ensures the concentricity and electrical performance of the insulation layer.
Extruder System - Core
Function: Precisely plasticizes and conveys the plastic.
Composition:
High-Precision Screw and Barrel: Optimized for different plastics (e.g., FR-PP, FEP for high-speed materials) to ensure uniform plasticization and avoid degradation.
Temperature Control System: Requires high control accuracy (±1°C), as temperature fluctuations directly affect melt viscosity, extrusion pressure, and final wire diameter.
Drive Motor: Requires stable rotation 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 and signal reflection.
Cooling System
Function: Rapidly solidifies the molten plastic.
Characteristics: 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 - The Soul of Quality Control
Function: Measures the cable's outer diameter 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 provide feedback to the extruder and haul-off for automatic adjustment, ensuring dimensional tolerances are always within extremely strict limits.
Spark Tester
Function: Used in insulated wire production to detect defects like pinholes in the insulation layer.
Laser Marking Machine
Function: Prints specifications, model numbers, certification marks, meter length, and other information on the cable sheath.
Caterpillar Haul-off
Function: Provides smooth, constant pulling force.
Requirement: Speed must be highly stable, without any jerk, typically using a dual-track-type haul-off.
Take-up System
Function: Neatly winds the finished cable onto a reel.
Requirement: Must be an active take-up with tension control capability, ensuring neat and consistent winding, and preventing cable deformation.
Integrated Control System
Function: The brain of the production line.
Composition: Centered around an industrial PC or high-performance PLC, coupled with a touch screen.
Capabilities: Centralized control of all process parameters (temperature, rotation speed, tension, speed, etc.), integration with diameter gauge data for Automatic Process Control (APC), recording production data, and enabling full traceability.

Production Process Flow

The manufacturing of computer interface cables is a multi-step, precise process. The extrusion line is primarily involved in the following key stages:
Typical Production Process Flow:
Pay-off → Preheating → Extrusion → Molding → Cooling → Online Diameter Measurement → Spark Testing → Laser Marking → Haul-off → Take-up
Specific Application Stages:
Insulated Core Wire Extrusion
Content: Precisely extruding and coating insulation plastic (e.g., HDPE, PP, FEP) onto a single copper conductor.
Requirements: Extremely high concentricity and dimensional stability. This is the foundation for ensuring the cable's characteristic impedance (e.g., 100Ω for USB) meets standards. For example, the insulated core wire diameter tolerance for Cat6A network cables is extremely strict.
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, but the twisted pair may need to go through the extrusion line again for further processing.
Purpose: To cancel out electromagnetic interference and reduce signal crosstalk. This is an essential structure for network cables and high-speed data cables.
Cabling
Explanation: Stranding multiple twisted pairs (e.g., 4 pairs for network cables) with possible rip cords, ground wires, etc., into a cable core. This is done by a cabling machine.
Shield Application (Non-extrusion process)
Explanation: Applying a shield over the cable core, such as an aluminum foil mylar tape (for interference suppression) or a braided copper mesh (for interference suppression and flexibility). This is done by a braiding machine or a taping machine.
Outer Sheath Extrusion
Content: Extruding a layer of wear-resistant, weather-resistant sheath material (e.g., PVC, PUR, low-smoke zero-halogen) over the shield or cable core.
Requirements: Tight wrapping, smooth appearance, uniform thickness, providing final protection.

Computer Interface 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

Computer Interface Cable Extrusion Line Application

The application of extrusion production lines for computer interface cables is a highly precise and specialized process. Its core objective is to produce cables that meet high-speed data transmission standards (such as USB4, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, etc.). These applications run through the key processes of cable manufacturing, where the precision of each step directly determines the performance of the final product.
1. Insulated Core Wire Extrusion - The Cornerstone of Signal Integrity
Application Content: This is the most critical first step. High-purity oxygen-free copper conductors (solid or stranded) are passed through the extrusion line, where a layer of insulating plastic (such as HDPE, PP, FEP, etc.) is precisely coated onto their exterior.
Process Requirements:
Extremely High Concentricity: The insulation layer must uniformly surround the conductor. Any minor eccentricity can cause unstable characteristic impedance, leading to signal reflection and attenuation, thereby affecting transmission speed and stability. This is the foundation for producing HDMI, DP, high-speed network cables, etc.
Precise Outer Diameter Control: The diameter tolerance of the insulated core wire must be controlled within a very small range (typically ±0.01mm or stricter). An online diameter gauge performs 100% real-time monitoring and feedback control in this step.
Cleanliness and Defect-Free: The insulation layer must be free of bubbles and impurities internally, and the surface must be smooth and free of scratches. A spark tester is used to check the continuity of the insulation layer, ensuring no pinhole defects.
2. Outer Sheath Extrusion - Providing Final Protection and Durability
Application Content: Extruding an outer sheath over the cable core that has already undergone processes like pairing, cabling, and shielding.
Process Requirements:
Tight Encapsulation: The sheath must tightly encapsulate the internal cable core structure, preventing wrinkling or loosening, and ensuring the overall roundness and mechanical strength of the cable.
Uniform Thickness: The sheath thickness needs to be consistent to provide balanced protection against abrasion, compression, and environmental stresses (such as oil, acid, alkali resistance).
Material Characteristics: Select sheath material according to the application scenario. For example:
PVC: Low cost, good versatility.
PUR: Excellent abrasion resistance, oil resistance, and flexibility, widely used in frequently moving drag chain cables.
TPE/TPU: Good tactile feel, excellent elasticity, environmentally friendly.
Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen: Used in places with extremely high requirements for flame retardancy and safety (e.g., data centers, subways), producing low smoke and non-toxic gases when burning.
Collaborative Application Process of the Production Line
In the complete manufacturing process of computer interface cables, the extrusion line is the core and works collaboratively with other specialized equipment:
Pay-off and Tension Control: The active pay-off system ensures the copper conductor enters the extruder with constant tension, avoiding conductor thinning or uneven internal stress due to tension fluctuations, which affects impedance.
Preheating: Preheats the conductor to remove surface moisture, enhances adhesion between the plastic melt and the conductor, reduces internal stress, and improves insulation quality.
Precision Extrusion: The extruder melts and plasticizes plastic pellets under precise temperature control and conveys them steadily to the die head via a high-precision screw.
Molding: Uses semi-pressure tubing dies to produce insulated core wires for optimal concentricity; uses pressure dies to produce the outer sheath for tight encapsulation.
Staged Cooling: Passes through a long cooling water trough where the water temperature is precisely controlled in sections, allowing the plastic to crystallize slowly from the inside out, ensuring optimal physical and electrical properties.
Online Detection and Feedback:
Diameter Gauge: Monitors the outer diameter in real time and feeds back to the control system, automatically adjusting the haul-off speed or screw speed to achieve closed-loop control.
Spark Tester: Applies high voltage after insulation production to check insulation integrity.
Printing and Marking: A laser marking machine permanently and clearly prints specifications, model numbers, certification information, meter marks, etc., on the sheath for traceability.
Stable Haul-off and Neat Take-up: The high-precision haul-off ensures absolutely stable line speed; the active take-up system maintains constant tension, winding the finished cable neatly onto the reel to avoid damage.
Application Example: Producing a High-Speed USB Type-C Data Cable
Step 1: Manufacturing Insulated Core Wires
Strand multiple very fine tin-plated copper wires into a single conductor.
Use the extrusion production line to extrude a layer of specialized HDPE insulation plastic onto the conductor, forming multiple insulated core wires of different colors. Strictly control the diameter and concentricity of each core wire.
Step 2: Pairing/Twisting
Twist the two insulated core wires used for transmitting high-speed differential signals (e.g., D+ and D-) together at a precise pitch to cancel out external electromagnetic interference. This process is completed by a twister machine.
Step 3: Cabling and Shielding
Gather the twisted pairs, power wires, ground wires, etc., together and strand them into a cable core using a cabling machine.
Wrap a layer of aluminum foil mylar tape (shield) around the cable core.
Braid a layer of tinned copper mesh (second shield) over the aluminum foil, completed by a braiding machine. This creates strong anti-interference capability.
Step 4: Extruding the Outer Sheath
Pass the shielded cable core through the extrusion production line again to extrude a layer of soft PUR or environmentally friendly PVC sheath.
Ensure the sheath thickness is uniform, the appearance is smooth, and print identifiers like "USB-C" on it.