Rapid prototyping cables

Friday, September 8, 2000Mount Prospect, IL--The mail box here at Design News is often like a toy box with lots of goodies for engineers. Just in today is news of an online rapid prototyping system for flat flexible cables (FFCs) from Axon' Cable.
While rapid prototyping of mechanical parts is common, incorporation of cabling into a design is often an afterthought. Axon' is now offering a solution on its website (http://www.axon-cable.com) for incorporating FFCs into a design sooner.
Here's how it works. An engineer goes to the site and chooses the FFC-CAD tool on the home page. The software asks for characteristics needed and offers help in formulating answers. At the end of the questioning, a reference design is generated along with a specification the designer can print out. The engineer can also download the FFC design in an AutoCAD format.
Finally the site offers searching and ordering for applicable, in stock cables. Axon' has used the system in house and is making it available for worldwide customers.
As an incentive to use the site, the company is running a contest, until December, with a computer as the prize.