Cable Assembly
Build-to-print injection-molded thermoplastic encapsulation for rugged, sealed, and branded cable assemblies, with sealing and shielding built to the customer drawing and approved test plan.
Application Context
Overmolding uses injection-molded thermoplastic to encapsulate a terminated connection, transforming a standard cable assembly into a sealed, strain-relieved, and branded product that outperforms heat-shrink or boot-and-gland approaches in durability, reliability, and aesthetics. A single overmold operation can replace three to five separate components — boots, shrink tubing, adhesive, and the labor to assemble them — while delivering IP67/IP68 environmental sealing and 360° integrated strain relief right at the cable-to-connector interface.
We process six families of injection-grade thermoplastics — TPU, PVC, TPE, Nylon (PA6/PA66), silicone rubber, and Santoprene (TPV). Our team reviews the customer-specified material and tooling inputs against the drawing, flags manufacturability risks, and proposes alternates only for written approval. Validation follows the approved test plan.
Applications
Our overmolded cable assemblies serve mission-critical applications across six major industries where connection reliability and environmental protection are non-negotiable.
Biocompatible, autoclave-resistant overmolded assemblies for patient monitoring, surgical instruments, and diagnostic equipment.
Under-hood, EV battery, ADAS, and charging-port cable assemblies engineered for heat, vibration, and sealed connections.
Flex-life drag-chain, sensor, PLC/I-O, and servo cables built for harsh factory and automation environments.
UV- and salt-spray-resistant navigation, communication, submersible, and deck-equipment harnesses.
Branded, strain-relieved USB, audio, gaming-peripheral, and smart-home cable assemblies.
Engineering Challenges
Material-to-jacket compatibility is checked against the customer drawing and supplier data. The DFM review flags bonding risks before tooling is released and routes any proposed alternate for written customer approval.
Customer-defined wall thickness is reviewed for fill, sealing, and short-shot risk before tooling is released.
The drawing-defined transition geometry is reviewed for bend concentration and manufacturability at the cable exit.
Material shrinkage, critical dimensions, and draft are reviewed against the customer drawing before tooling approval.
Technical Capabilities
Servo-controlled injection presses, in-house CNC tooling, and SPC monitoring across a broad material and wire-gauge envelope.
Manufacturing Process
Quality & Testing
Every overmolded cable assembly receives 100% visual and electrical inspection. Pull-force, flex-life, submersion, thermal-shock, hi-pot, and chemical-resistance testing are performed per the approved test plan, using samples where testing is destructive.
Why WHP
Overmolding transforms commodity cables into sealed, strain-relieved, and branded products that outperform conventional approaches in durability, reliability, and aesthetics.
Achieve IP67/IP68 protection without separate seals or gaskets. The overmold creates a monolithic barrier against moisture, dust, and contaminants.
Drawing-defined overmold geometry can provide integrated strain relief; the transition is reviewed for manufacturability against the released drawing.
TPU and Nylon overmolds resist oils, solvents, fuels, and hydraulic fluids. Abrasion resistance exceeds 100,000 cycles in DIN abrasion testing.
Custom color, texture, and logo branding transform commodity cables into branded products, with consistent finish quality across thousands of units.
A single overmold operation can replace separate boots, shrink tubing, adhesive, and related assembly steps. Cost impact is quoted from the approved geometry, tooling, materials, and order volume.
Overmolding can improve connection protection in harsh environments when the customer-defined construction is validated to the approved test plan.
Overmolded assemblies are built to IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class III workmanship under our ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 quality systems, with UL-recognized, RoHS 3 and REACH-compliant overmold compounds.
FAQ
OEM Program Entry
Share your overmolded cable assembly requirements — connector types, cable specifications, IP-rating needs, environmental conditions, and certifications — and receive a detailed quotation with DFM feedback within 24 hours.
Related Capabilities
Cable assembly and harness services that pair with overmolded programs.
Materials
We process six families of injection-grade thermoplastics and review the customer-specified material against the drawing, supplier data, and approved test plan.
Properties: Excellent abrasion resistance, oil resistance, flexibility
Best for: Industrial, automotive, robotics cable assemblies
Properties: Cost-effective, flame retardant, chemical resistant
Best for: Consumer electronics, appliances, general purpose
Properties: Soft-touch feel, recyclable, halogen-free available
Best for: Medical devices, consumer electronics, wearables
Properties: High strength, superior chemical resistance, rigid
Best for: Automotive under-hood and heavy machinery
Properties: Extreme temperature tolerance, biocompatible, flexible
Best for: Medical and high-temperature industrial environments
Properties: UV resistant, weatherproof, excellent sealing
Best for: Outdoor equipment, marine, agricultural machinery
Capabilities
From single-shot strain relief to multi-material insert molding — nine overmolding presses and a dedicated tooling shop.
Steel and aluminum tooling inputs are reviewed against your drawing before CNC machining. Logos, part numbers, and any proposed tooling changes require written customer approval.
Two-shot and multi-material overmolding for complex assemblies requiring different durometers or colors in a single part. Rigid-to-soft material bonding.
Drawing-defined sealed overmolds can be sample-tested to the approved depth, duration, and acceptance criteria.
Drawing-defined strain relief can be molded into the approved overmold geometry, eliminating separate boot or gland components.
RAL/Pantone color matching for brand consistency. Custom color compounds with UV stabilizers for long-term color retention in outdoor applications.
Automated vision inspection for flash, short-shots, and dimensional accuracy. 100% visual inspection on all overmolded terminations before shipment.
Servo-controlled injection pressure from 5 to 85 tons ensures consistent fill without wire damage. Real-time pressure monitoring with SPC data logging.
Metal contact pins, PCB boards, and electronic components molded directly into the overmold structure for integrated connector assemblies.
Conductive overmold compounds and shielded cable integration providing EMI/RFI protection with 360° shielding continuity through the connector interface.
Manufacturing
We overmold virtually any connector type. Common families include:
Production Tiers
From prototype validation to high-volume manufacturing — choose the tier that matches your project phase and volume.
Testing
Testing follows the approved program plan, with 100% visual and electrical checks and sample testing where the method is destructive.
Sample testing when required by the approved control plan
Sample cyclic-bend testing at the overmold transition when specified
Sample seal-integrity testing at the specified depth and duration
Sample temperature cycling when specified by the customer
Electrical insulation testing at the program-defined voltage and dwell
Sample exposure to customer-defined fluids when required
DFM Review
Review checks used to flag manufacturability risks without taking ownership of the customer design.
We compare drawing-defined wall thickness with fill, sealing, and short-shot risks and flag concerns before tooling release.
We review the customer-defined transition geometry for bend concentration and toolability.
We compare the specified overmold and cable-jacket materials with supplier compatibility data and propose alternates only for written approval.
We review material shrinkage allowances against customer-owned critical dimensions and mating interfaces.
We flag tooling-release risks in perpendicular and textured surfaces before customer tooling approval.
We review the drawing-defined parting line and connector orientation for sealing-face, contact-area, and molding risks.
“Material bonding compatibility must be defined or verified before tooling release. Our DFM review flags a mismatch against the customer drawing and routes any proposed alternate for written approval.” — WHP program review team
Transparency
Transparency builds trust. Here are our current limitations so you can make an informed decision.
We specialize in thermoplastic injection overmolding. Thermoset (epoxy, polyurethane cast) potting is available but quoted separately as a different process.
Our injection presses accommodate molds up to 400mm × 400mm. Larger overmolded components may require partner facilities.
Overmolding works best with 30 AWG to 8 AWG conductors. Extremely fine or heavy-gauge cables may require special fixturing and customer-approved tooling changes.
Custom steel mold tooling is a one-time investment. We recommend minimum 50-piece initial orders to justify production mold costs.