Cable requirements change. A cable specified for an indoor installation gets moved outdoors, a system picks up new equipment that introduces electrical interference, or a design that worked fine in testing starts failing once it is installed somewhere wet, hot or in constant motion.
Replacing the cable entirely is one answer. Enhancing the cable you already have is often the better one, and usually the faster and cheaper route to a working solution.
At Custom Designed Cables, our cable enhancement service adapts existing cable to meet new requirements. This guide explains what cable enhancements are and covers the five most commonly requested types.
What are cable enhancements or cable conversions?
A cable enhancement, sometimes called a cable conversion, is a process applied to an existing cable to change or improve its properties without designing and manufacturing a new cable from scratch.
The starting point is a cable that already works electrically. What has changed is the environment it has to work in, the interference it has to tolerate, the load it has to bear or the way it needs to look. An enhancement addresses that specific gap.
The practical advantages are straightforward. You avoid the lead time and tooling costs of a new cable design, you keep the electrical characteristics you have already validated, and you can often enhance stock you are already holding rather than writing it off.
5 types of cable enhancements
1. Cosmetic cable conversions
Cosmetic conversions change how a cable looks rather than how it performs. That covers re-jacketing in a different colour, applying custom cable printing for branding or circuit identification, and changing surface finish or texture.
This matters more than it might sound. On a complex installation, clear identification cuts commissioning and fault-finding time considerably. For equipment manufacturers, a cable finished in house colours with the company name printed along it is part of how the product presents.
2. Cable shielding
Adding cable shielding is one of the most frequently requested enhancements, usually because something has changed in the electrical environment. A new variable speed drive, a nearby motor or a denser equipment layout can all introduce electromagnetic interference that was not there when the cable was originally specified.
Shielding can be applied as foil, braid, or a combination of both. Foil gives complete coverage and works well against high-frequency interference. Braid offers better mechanical strength and performs well at lower frequencies. A combination screen covers both, at the cost of some flexibility and diameter.
This enhancement is particularly common on control cables and data cables, where interference corrupts signals rather than simply reducing efficiency.
3. Cable extrusion
Cable extrusion applies an additional jacket over an existing cable, and it is the enhancement that most often converts a cable for an entirely new environment.
An indoor cable can be given a UV-stable jacket for outdoor use. A standard cable can receive a PUR outer layer for oil and abrasion resistance in an industrial setting. A conventional jacket can be over-extruded with an LSZH compound where fire safety requirements have changed.
Extrusion also allows several individual cables to be combined into a single sheathed cable, which reduces installation complexity and cable management on site.
4. Strength members
Strength members are added where a cable will be subject to mechanical load that its conductors were never designed to carry. Suspended installations, cables under tension, and applications involving repeated pulling all fall into this category.
Materials include aramid yarn, which offers a very high strength-to-weight ratio without adding significant diameter, steel wire for higher tensile requirements, and fibreglass where a non-conductive option is needed.
The purpose is to take mechanical stress off the conductors. Without a strength member, tensile load transfers straight to the copper, which stretches, work-hardens and eventually fractures, often intermittently before it fails completely.
5. Water blocking
Water blocking prevents moisture travelling along the inside of a cable. This is a bigger problem than it first appears, because water that enters at a damaged point or an unsealed termination can migrate a considerable distance along the cable interior, corroding conductors and degrading insulation far from the original ingress point.
Water blocking is applied using swelling tapes, yarns or compounds that expand on contact with moisture, sealing the path and containing the ingress at the point it occurred.
It is commonly specified for buried and direct-burial installations, marine and offshore applications, outdoor equipment exposed to weather, and water management infrastructure.
Which cable enhancement do you need?
The right enhancement follows from what has actually changed. If interference has appeared, shielding is the answer. If the environment has changed, extrusion. If the cable is now bearing load, a strength member. If moisture is a risk, water blocking. If the requirement is identification or presentation, a cosmetic conversion.
In practice, requirements often combine. A cable moving from an indoor panel to a buried outdoor run might need both an over-extruded jacket and water blocking. Our team can assess your existing cable and recommend the most efficient route to the specification you need.
Why choose Custom Designed Cables?
At Custom Designed Cables, we combine technical expertise with fast, reliable manufacturing to enhance and convert cable to your requirements.
We offer:
- ISO 9001:2015 quality management
- UL & CSA approved options available on selected product ranges
- Fast turnaround times
- Bespoke cable design and manufacturing
- Access to a comprehensive materials library
- Free technical consultation and support
Frequently asked questions
What is a cable conversion?
A cable conversion, or cable enhancement, is a process applied to an existing cable to change or improve its properties without manufacturing a new cable from scratch. Common conversions include adding shielding, applying an additional jacket, or introducing strength members.
Is enhancing a cable cheaper than a new cable design?
Usually, yes. Enhancement avoids the lead time and tooling associated with a new design, retains electrical characteristics you have already validated, and can be applied to stock you already hold rather than writing it off.
Can an indoor cable be converted for outdoor use?
Yes. Applying an additional UV-stable outer jacket through cable extrusion is one of the most common conversions we carry out, and water blocking can be added where the cable will be buried or exposed to standing moisture.
What is a strength member in a cable?
A strength member is an added element, typically aramid yarn, steel wire or fibreglass, that carries mechanical load so tensile stress is not transferred to the conductors. It is used in suspended installations and anywhere a cable is pulled or held under tension.
Can shielding be added to an existing cable?
Yes. Foil, braid or combination screening can be applied to an existing cable where electromagnetic interference has become a problem, which is frequently the case after new equipment is installed nearby.
Need advice on enhancing or converting an existing cable? Contact Custom Designed Cables today to discuss your requirements, or explore more expert insights on our blog.