CABLE ASSEMBLY DESIGN GUIDE

Crimp-and-Poke Style Cable Assemblies

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview 3

Molex Cable Assembly Design 4

and Process Capabilities

Hookup/Lead-Wire 5

Multiconductor Jacketed Cable 6

Cable Assembly Tolerances 7

Connector Selection 8

Wire Twisting 9

Wire Management 10

General Design Tips 18

2
Overview

The intent of this guide is to assist cable

assembly designers in selecting readily
available components (when possible)
to minimize sample, preproduction and
production lead times. It provides insights
between cost and performance trade-offs
for the most common design decisions
faced by cable assembly designers in the
Consumer and commercial markets.

The guide also familiarizes developers with

engineering services and manufacturing
capabilities for Molex’s crimp-and-poke-style
cable assemblies.

3
 Molex Cable Assembly Design
and Process Capabilities
MOLEX CABLE ASSEMBLY DESIGN SERVICES
• Design cable assemblies from scratch.

• Recommend modifications of cable assembly concepts to improve

manufacturability, safety and/or lower cost.

• Recommend readily available alternate materials of cable assembly

concepts to reduce production lead time.

• On-site customer visits to jointly design cable assemblies.

CABLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS CAPABILITIES

• Any combination of automated wire cutting, wire
stripping, terminal crimping and crimped lead poking.

• Any combination of automated wire cutting, wire

stripping, terminal crimping and wire twisting.

• In-line vision systems monitor for common crimping

quality issues.

• In-line crimp force monitoring.

• Semiautomated jacketed cable stripping and crimping.

• Multibranch harnesses assembled and tested on

custom-designed and custom-built layout boards.

• Overmolding.

• Low-pressure injection molding.

• Laser welding.

• Automated wire soldering.

• In-line air leak testing for sealed connectors.

4
Hookup/Lead-Wire
HOOKUP/LEAD-WIRE COLOR SUGGESTIONS

Molex has developed a proprietary process that eliminates

the need to design cable assemblies with multiple wire
colors.* Using a single wire color for all circuits provides
the following advantages:
• Lowers cable assembly cost by allowing longer automated wire
crimping process runs.

• Lowers cable assembly cost by reducing wire inventory needs.

• Lowers cable assembly cost by reducing production time.

*Cable assembly designers typically specify different color wires to ensure the line
operator inserts the correct crimped lead into the correct housing silo.

COMMON HOOKUP/LEAD-WIRE UL STYLES

UL 1061
• Use for internal wiring in electronics and home appliances.

• Very thin-walled insulation; best for fine pitch connectors.

UL 1007
• Use for internal wiring in electronics and home appliances.

• Medium thick-walled insulation; best for mid-range pitch connectors.

UL 1569
• Use for internal wiring in electronics and home appliances.

• Medium-thickness insulation; best for higher-temperature applications.

UL 1015
• Use for internal wiring in home appliances.

• Thick-walled insulation; best for high-temperature/high-voltage applications.

HOOKUP/LEAD-WIRE SPECIFICATIONS
Maximum Nominal Insulation Molex Stocked Relative Cost
Wire UL Style Voltage Rating Flammability Rating Wire Range (AWG)
Temperature Thickness Color Implications
UL 1061 80°C 300V UL 1581 VW-1 18 to 28 0.01" Black, Red Low
UL1007 80°C 300V UL 1581 VW-1 18 to 28 0.015" Black, Red Low
UL 1569 105°C 300V UL 1581 VW-1 14 to 24 0.015" Black, Red Medium
UL 1015 105°C 600V UL 1581 VW-1 6 to 20 0.03" to 0.06" Black, Red High

Note: Molex can source hookup/lead-wires that meet different or more demanding specifications if they’re required
for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

5
 Multiconductor Jacketed Cable

COMMON MULTICONDUCTOR,
UNSHIELDED JACKETED CABLE

UL 2464
• Use for internal wiring in electronics and home appliances.

• Thin-walled insulation; best for most applications.

UL 2517
• Use for internal wiring in electronics and home appliances.

• Thin-walled insulation; best for high-temperature applications.

UL 2587
• Use for internal wiring in home appliances.

• Thick-walled insulation; best for higher-voltage applications.

UL 2586
• Use for internal wiring in home appliances.

• Thick-walled insulation; best for high-voltage, high-temperature

applications.

MULTICONDUCTOR, UNSHIELDED JACKETED CABLE SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum Number of Nominal Insulation Relative Cost

Wire UL Style Voltage Rating Flammability Rating Wire Range (AWG)
Temperature Conductors Thickness Implications

UL 1581 VW-1
UL 2464 300V 80°C 18 to 24 2 to 12 0.01" Low
CSA FT-1

UL 1581 VW-1
UL 2517 300V 105°C 18 to 24 2 to 12 0.015" Moderate
CSA FT-1

UL 1581 VW-1
UL 2587 600V 90°C 18 to 24 2 to 12 0.032" Moderate
CSA FT-1

UL 1581 VW-1
UL 2586 600V 105°C 18 to 24 2 to 12 0.032" High
CSA FT-1

Note: Molex can source multi-conductor jacketed cables that meet different or more demanding specifications if
they’re required for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time impact.

6
Cable Assembly Tolerances

COMMON CABLE ASSEMBLY TOLERANCES

• Adopting the length tolerances shown in the table below

minimizes cable assembly manufacturing costs.

• The tolerance recommendations apply for overall cable

assembly length and for branch lengths of complex assemblies
with multiple breakouts.

• Molex can accommodate tighter tolerances if they’re required

for a particular application.

Up to 300mm 300mm to 1.5m 1.5m to 3.0m Greater than 3.0m

± 10mm ± 25mm ± 50mm 2%

7
 Connector Selection
COMMONLY STOCKED HOUSINGS AND TERMINALS
• At our cable assembly manufacturing plants, Molex stocks a wide
variety of receptacle housings, plug housings and terminals from our
most popular wire-to-board and wire-to-wire product families.

• The table below details the commonly stocked receptacle and plug
housing circuit sizes and the commonly stocked terminal platings and
wire gauge ranges for each of the most popular product families.

• Selecting housings and terminals from these tables when designing

a cable assembly will result in reduced sample, preproduction and
production lead times as well as lower manufacturing costs.

COMMONLY STOCKED HOUSING AND TERMINALS

Stocked Stocked
Stocked Stocked
Pitch Positive Stocked Terminal Stocked Terminal Single-Row Dual-Row
Product Family Max. Current Single-Row Dual-Row
(mm) Locking Wire Range Plating Options Receptacle Receptacle Plug Circuits
Plug Circuits Circuits
Circuits
1.00 Pico-Lock 1.5A Yes 28-30 AWG Gold 2-6 - - -

1.00 Pico-Clasp 1.0A Yes 28-32 AWG Gold 2-6, 8 - - -

1.20 Pico-EZmate 2.5A No 28-30 AWG Gold 2-6 - - -

1.25 Micro-Lock Plus 1.0A Yes 26-30 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8, 10, 12 - - -

1.25 PicoBlade 1.0A No 26-28 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8, 10, 12 - - -

1.50 Pico-Lock 3.0A Yes 24-28 AWG Gold 4-6, 8, 10 - - -

1.50 Pico-SPOX 2.5A No 24-26 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8, 10 - - -

1.50 CLIK-Mate 2.0A Yes 24-28 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8, 10 - - -

1.80 Squba 1.8 6.0A Yes 22-24 AWG Tin 2-6 2-6 - -

2.00 Dura-CLIK (ISL) 3.0A Yes AVSS 0.3mm2 Tin, Gold 2-4, 8, 10 - - -
22-26 AWG
2.00 Micro-Lock Plus 3.0A Yes Tin 2-6 - - -
AVSS 0.3mm2
2.50 Nano-Fit 6.5A Yes 20-26 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6 - 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 -

2.50 Mini-Lock 3.5A Yes 20-28 AWG Tin 2-6, 8 - - -

2.50 Mini-SPOX 3.0A No 22-28 AWG Tin 2-6 - - -

2.54 SL 3.0A Yes 22-30 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8 2-6, 8 - -

3.00 Micro-Fit 8.50A Yes 18-30 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8, 10 2-6, 8, 10 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

3.50 Ultra-Fit 14.0A Yes 16-22 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6, 8 - - -

4.20 Mini-Fit Jr. 9.0A Yes 16-28 AWG Tin, Gold 2-6 2-6 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

5.70 Mega-Fit 23.0A Yes 12-18 AWG Tin, Gold - - 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

7.50 Sabre 18.0A Yes 14-20 AWG Tin 2-6 2-6 - -

10.00 Mini-Fit Sr. 50.0A Yes 8-16 AWG Gold 2-6 2-6 - -

11.00 Guardian 80.0A Yes 6-10 AWG Gold 2-6 2-6 - -

8
Wire Twisting
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE

EMI (electromagnetic interference) is a disturbance generated by an

external source that affects an electrical circuit. It can degrade the
performance of the circuit or stop it from functioning.

The three most common methods used to lessen the effects of EMI in
cable assemblies are:

• using shielded multiconductor jacketed cable, or

• twisting together pairs of hookup/lead-wires,

• wrapping the wire bundle in shielded tape.

This subsection focuses on twisting pairs of wire together to mitigate EMI.

PAIRED HOOKUP/LEAD-WIRE TWISTING CAPABILITIES

• Based on the EMI expected or measured in an application, an electrical engineer will

determine the number of wire wraps over a given length that are required to reduce or
eliminate the effects of the EMI.

• The table below identifies the maximum number of wire twists per 100mm that Molex
can offer for PVC-insulated hookup wire, depending on the wire gauge.

Paired Paired Paired Paired Paired Paired Paired Paired

14 AWG 16 AWG 18 AWG 20 AWG 22 AWG 24 AWG 26 AWG 28 AWG
Wires Wires Wires Wires Wires Wires Wires Wires

Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of Maximum of

3 Twists per 4 Twists per 6 Twists per 6 Twists per 6 Twists per 6 Twists per 8 Twists per 8 Twists per
100mm 100mm 100mm 100mm 100mm 100mm 100mm 100mm

9
 Wire Management
WIRE MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Cable assembly designers have many options to evaluate when

considering whether to bundle the wires in a cable assembly.

The most common and lowest-cost option is to do nothing.

Other options offer secondary benefits.

• Keeps loose wires from snagging during installation.

• Offers mechanical protection from abrasion.

• Provides resistance to chemicals or liquids.

• Adds mounting hardware used when a cable assembly is installed.

• Enables a cable assembly to be pulled through tight spaces.

WIRE MANAGEMENT MANUFACTURING IMPLICATIONS

Many simple cable assemblies can be manufactured on automated equipment that crimps
the terminals to wire and then inserts those pre-crimped leads into housings. This can be a
very economical approach.

The table below shows which cable bundling options are compatible with the three
different manufacturing techniques.

Cable Bundling Option Manual Assembly Semi-Automated Assembly Automated Assembly

Cable Ties Yes Yes Yes

Tape Yes Yes Yes

Expandable Woven Braid Yes Yes Yes

Heat Shrink Tubing Yes Yes No

Spiral Wrap Yes Yes Yes

Insulation Tubing Yes Yes No

Slit Wall Corrugated Loom Tubing Yes Yes Yes

10
Wire Management
CABLE TIES

• There are two common types of cable ties used to bundle cable
assemblies: standard and push-mount.

• Cable ties offer a quick and durable way to bundle wires.

• Push-mount cable ties offer a second benefit. Their snap-lock

feature is used to securely position and attach the assembly in the
end product.

• Cable ties can be used equally well on both simple and complex cable
assemblies.

• Cable ties provide no protection against abrasion.

• Neither type of cable tie is suitable if the cable assembly will be

pulled through tight spaces, as the locking feature may cause
interferences.

• Is compatible with fully automated cable assembly manufacturing.

• The cost implications of using cable ties are low.

COMMON CABLE TIE SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum Cable
Minimum Flammability Maximum Panel Nominal Hole
Cable Tie Type Temperature Material Color Tie Strap
Tensile Strength Rating Thickness Diameter Width
Rating

Standard 80 N 85°C UL 94 V2 Nylon N/A N/A Natural, Black 2.5mm

Push Mount 80 N 85°C UL 94 V2 Nylon 2.4mm 4.7mm Natural 2.5mm

Note: Molex can source cable ties that meet different or more demanding specifications if they’re required for
a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

11
 Wire Management
TAPE

• There are two common types of tape used to bundle cable

assemblies: insulation and cloth.

• Insulation and cloth tapes can be used equally well on both

simple and complex cable assemblies.

• Both types of tape are ideal for covering irregular shapes.

• Insulation tape provides some resistance to chemicals and

moisture.

• Insulation tape is suitable for applications up to 105oC.

• Cloth tape is suitable for applications up to 150oC.

• Cloth tape has noise-absorbing properties that can be beneficial if

the cable assembly is used in an application that creates vibrations.

• Either tape is compatible with fully automated cable assembly

manufacturing.

• The cost impact of insulation tape is typically low and the cost
impact of cloth tape is typically moderate.

COMMON TAPE SPECIFICATIONS

Tape Type UL Style Maximum Temperature Flammability Rating Material Color Tape Width (mm)
Rating

Insulation None 105°C VW PVC Black 20.0mm

Cloth None 125°C UL 94 VTM-2 Acetate Black 10.0mm, 19.0mm

Cloth None 150°C Class B per LV 312 PET Black 9.0mm, 19.0mm

Note: Molex can source tapes that meet different or more demanding specifications if they’re required for a
particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

12
Wire Management
EXPANDABLE WOVEN BRAID

• Protects from surface abrasion.

• Can drain water effectively; is suitable for marine applications.

• Resistant to fuels, oils and chemicals.

• Lightweight, very flexible and does not trap heat or humidity.

• Suitable for unusual shapes.

• Standard construction expandable woven braid is suitable for simple

discrete wire cable assemblies, and slit-wall expandable woven braid is
best for complex cable assemblies.

• Is compatible with fully automated cable assembly manufacturing.

• The cost implications of using expandable woven braid are high.

COMMON WOVEN BRAID SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum Temperature Molex Preferred Tape Width (mm)

UL Style Rating Flammability Rating Material Molex Preferred Color 20.0mm 10.0mm,
Nominal Diameter (mm) 19.0mm
6.0mm, 9.0mm,
UL 1441 150°C UL 94 VW-1 PET Black 9.0mm, 19.0mm
15.0mm, 19.0mm

Note: Molex can source expandable woven braid that meets different or more demanding specifications if
required for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

13
 Wire Management
HEAT-SHRINK TUBING

• Heat-shrink tubing provides good abrasion resistance.

• Heat-shrink tubing bundles wires tightly together.

• It can serve as a strain relief over splices or as a strain relief at the

interface between the rear of a connector and the wire bundle.

• It is applied after the terminals have been crimped to the wires but before
the crimped leads have been poked into at least one of the housings. The
terminal-locking tangs for that housing can be damaged during processing.

• The flexibility of cable assemblies that incorporate heat-shrink tubing is

greatly reduced.

• Heat-shrink tubing is not compatible with fully automated cable assembly

manufacturing.

• The cost impact of heat-shrink tubing on cable assemblies that are

manually or semiautomatically produced is moderate.

COMMON HEAT-SHRINK TUBING SPECIFICATIONS

UL Style Maximum Temperature Voltage Rating Flammability Rating Shrink Ratio Color Diameter Range
Rating

UL 224 125°C 600V VW-1 2:1, 3:1 Black 1.0mm to 50.0mm

Note: Molex can source heat-shrink tubing that meets different or more demanding specifications if it’s
required for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

14
Wire Management
SPIRAL WRAP

• Spiral wrap provides excellent abrasion resistance.

• The flexibility of cable assemblies using spiral wrap is reduced.

• It is applied after the crimped leads are inserted into the housings, so
there is no risk of damaging terminal locking tangs.

• Spiral wrap is well suited for complex cable assemblies where it can
combine many cables into a single manageable bundle while allowing
breakouts of individual cables where needed.

• It is compatible with fully automated cable assembly manufacturing.

• The cost impact is high relative to other wire-management options.

COMMON SPIRAL-WRAP SPECIFICATIONS

Flammability Molex Preferred Inner Diameter

UL Style Maximum Temperature Rating Material
Rating Color Range (mm)

2.6mm to 7.0mm,
None 93°C UL 94-V2 Nylon Black 6.0mm to 18.0mm,
12.0mm to 16.0mm

None 200°C UL 94-V2 PTFE Black 1.5mm to 16.0mm

Note: Molex can source spiral wraps that meet different or more demanding specifications if they’re required
for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

15
 Wire Management
INSULATING TUBING/SLEEVING

• Insulating tubing provides good abrasion resistance.

• The high dielectric strength of insulating tubing provides

additional electrical resistance around the cable assembly.

• Insulating tubing bundles wires together loosely.

• It is applied after the terminals have been crimped to the wires

but before the crimped leads have been poked into at least one of
the housings. The terminal locking tangs for that housing can be
damaged during processing.

• It is better suited for simple cable assemblies but can be used on

complex cable assemblies.

• It is not compatible with fully automated cable assembly manufacturing.

• The cost implications of using insulating tubing on cable assemblies

that are manually or semiautomatically produced are moderate
compared to other wire management options.

COMMON INSULATION TUBE SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum Temperature Molex Preferred Inner Molex Preferred Wall

UL Style Flammability Rating Material Color
Rating Diameters (mm) Thickness (mm)

UL 224 105°C UL 94 V0 PVC Black 2.0 mm to 15.0 mm 0.4 mm and 0.6 mm

Note: Molex can source insulation tubing that meets different or more demanding specifications if it’s required
for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time impact.

16
Wire Management
SLIT-WALL CORRUGATED LOOM TUBING

• Slit-wall loom tubing offers cable assemblies excellent

protection from abrasion, impact and crushing.

• It can be used equally well on both simple and complex

cable assemblies.

• Cable assemblies using corrugated loom tubing lose much of

their flexibility.

• Slit-wall corrugated loom tubing is compatible with fully

automated cable assembly manufacturing.

• The cost implication of using corrugated loom tubing is high

relative to most other wire bundling options.

COMMON CORRUGATED LOOM TUBING SPECS

Maximum Temperature Molex Preferred Inner Molex Preferred Wall

UL Style Flammability Rating Material Color
Rating Diameters (mm) Thickness (mm)

6.0 mm 10.0 mm
8.0 mm 18.0 mm
None 150°C FMVSS 302 Polypropylene Black 16.0 mm 25.0 mm
19.0 mm 35.0 mm

Note: Molex can source corrugated loom tubing that meets different or more demanding specifications if it’s
required for a particular application, but there may be cost, minimum order and/or lead-time implications.

17
General Design Tips

1 Where possible, reference length dimensions from

the back faces of connectors of other devices used
in the assembly.

2 Avoid direct marking onto connectors or cable

jacketing. Instead specify marking on self-
adhesive labels or marking on a piece of heat-
shrink tubing.

3 Cable assembly and/or wire bend radiuses should

be as generous as possible. Tight radiuses can
slow the manufacturing process (increasing cost)
and induce stress on the terminals seated inside
the connector housings. Those stresses may
create latent failures.

4 When specifying the wiring, identify the desired

UL style but avoid mandating a specific supplier.
That allows Molex the flexibility to weigh cost
versus component availability for sample builds
and production quotes and lead times.

5 When selecting the wire management solution,

whenever possible, identify specifications from
the list of common materials shown in this guide.
Components matching these specifications are
readily available.

6 When selecting dimensional tolerances, be as

generous as possible, within the needs of the
application. Tight tolerances are often a significant
cost driver.
19
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