Should Cables be 100% tested before they leave the factory?

In any cable manufacturing endeavor consistency in all aspects of the process is key but it is not a means to an end in itself.  Along with 100% consistency in process you must have validation of the process by a comprehensive testing methodology.

That means every cable gets tested 100% before it can be signed off to ship.  For some cables that means testing at the final step of QC but for others it also includes in-process testing.  Some complex harnesses may have several electrical tests before they reach their final test.

As you’d imagine the testing methodology you choose is as important as the choice to test.  Not all testing is alike and not all methods guarantee a proper working cable.

You can test all cables 100% for continuity (shorts and opens) but that doesn’t insure a proper pin-out.  You can have continuity but at what resistance level?

At PSC we’ve chosen the industry gold standard Cirris Systems CR Easy Wire Tester.

https://www.cirris.com/products/testers/item/8-cr

The Cirris CR allows up to 32,000 test points, resistance threshold can be set from 0.1 Ohm to 500k Ohm.  The CR tests resistors, diodes and capacitors.  It will test in process and at final QC.

The Cirris CR “learns” from a “golden” cable and stores each cables characteristic by a unique filename.  Operators are alerted to cable pass/fail status by audible tone and Pass (Green) and Fail (Red) notifications on their PC’s when performing tests.

What I like best is its test reporting features.  For some of customers, we serialize each cable and provide test reports with each cable.  Soft copy test results are archived on all results and can be called up at anytime.

It’s a powerful way to test and it get’s you the cable you want each and every time!