The Aerospace Industry Manufacturer of Choice for Aircraft Cable Assemblies.

In the business of flight, manufacturers can’t rely on subpar components. Everything on your aircraft needs to work the first time every time. That’s why Orscheln Products creates aircraft cable assemblies trusted every day by OEMs all over the world. 

Common aircraft cable assemblies we create are used in failsafe systems as well as mechanical controls. We create solutions for controls, escape slides, and even emergency Ram Air deployment. In emergencies, failure is not an option. When it matters most, tier 1 and 2 manufacturers trust Orscheln to design, certify and produce solutions that perform under pressure.

Aircraft Cable Assembly Capabilities

At Orscheln, custom doesn’t have to mean complicated. When we engineer aerospace solutions, we include your design team in every detail of the product. A great way to start the conversation is by understanding what we can do. Below you will find a table to help you understand our capabilities.

Push-Pull Aircraft Cable Assemblies

Our most popular application in the aerospace industry is our conventional push-pull cables. On the surface, these cables look like any other control cable. However, our push-pull cables are anything but regular. Each series of cable is customizable with standard ends depending on the application. Additionally, these are aerospace-specific solutions designed to meet your demands and industry safety requirements. 

Use this table to understand what series of push-pull cables might be right for your specifications.

Conventional Push-Pull Cables: Aircraft/Aerospace Applications*
3 Series 4 Series 6 Series
Size 3/32″ Nominal 1/8″ Nominal 3/16″ Nominal
Threaded End Rods 10-32 UNF 1/4-28 UNF 5/16-UNF
Stroke Travel Inch TensionPull CompressionPush TensionPull Compression Push Tension Pull Compression Push
1 90 60 185 125 260 175
2 90 45 185 90 260 150
3 90 35 185 75 260 130
4 90 30 185 65 260 115
Min Bend Radius Inches 3 4 6
Temperature Range** Standard: -55°C to +107°C
High Efficiency: -55°C to +163°C

Conventional push-pull cables for Aerospace/Aircraft are different in design, construction, materials, and manufacturing than Orscheln HP Cables for industrial use. If you don’t see your desired spec, talk to an engineer for higher temperature ranges amongst other custom options. Depending on the application, your needs may be better suited by our ball-bearing cable.

Ball Bearing Cable Assemblies

Orscheln’s ball-bearing cables essentially consist of a flexible linear ball bearing that transfers push-pull motion from one point to another. This unique design allows for the transmission of movement maximizing efficiency and minimizing lost motion. It’s easy to think of this as a strand of ball bearings in a cage instead of a collection of strands of metal. 

Ball-bearing cables are very different from conventional push-pull cables. So they can’t be treated the same way. It’s important to keep in mind that when a ball-bearing cable is bent, the three internal rails will form concentric arcs. This means that either the outer rail must increase in length, or the inside outer rail must shorten due to the difference in radii. 

Our engineers keep this in mind by implementing an internal anchoring system. This anchoring system maintains the structural integrity of the entire cable, but it means that these cables can’t be used the same way conventional cables can be. See the table below for the capabilities of our ball-bearing aircraft cable assemblies.

Maximum Recommended Input Loads Compression: Type 58 Type 78 Type 98
Stroke 1″— 4″ 50 lbs. 200 lbs. 400 lbs.
Stroke 5″— 6″ 100 lbs. 250 lbs.
Stroke 7″— 8″ 40 lbs. 100 lbs.
Tension:
Stroke 1″—8″ 100 lbs. 300 lbs. 500 lbs.
Minimum Recommended Bend Radius
Occasional Cycling 3.50 in. 4.00 in. 5.00 in.
Continuous Cycling 7.00 in. 12.00 in. 15.00 in.
Elastic Stretch Push or PUll, Per Foot by 20 lbs. of Input Load 0.0035 in. 0.0020 in. 0.0012 in.
Temperature Range with Plastic Cover* -55℃ to +105℃
Temperature Range without Plastic Cover -55℃ to +315℃
Maximum Overall Length** 30 ft. 65 ft. 65 ft.

The structure of these cables may limit their usage. But ball bearing cables are second to none due to their efficiency, durability, and the lowest linear stretch of any aircraft cable assemblies. Higher temperature covers, longer lengths, and custom bends over 180 degrees are all solutions you can discuss when considering ball-bearing cables. There are very few limitations when you design your solution with Orscheln. 

Our manufacturing process

Trusted solutions don’t just happen overnight. When building your aircraft cable assemblies with Orscheln, we take the time to produce the best product possible for various aircraft applications. We discuss timelines based on your specific needs. Here is how our engineers turn your needs into industry-leading solutions.

Design

Everything we engineer starts with a design. This is where we ask a lot of questions and start envisioning solutions. Our engineers begin by analyzing CAD models and blueprints of your aircraft. Once we have the CAD files, we can go over possible solutions and build models to test prototypes against. 

Prototyping

This is our engineers’ favorite part of the process. When we build your prototypes, we keep your usage, requirements, and environmental factors in mind. For example, during the testing stage, we may find that ball-bearing cables may be better suited for your application than push-pull cables. Your engineer will walk you through as much of this process as you want to be involved in. Some of our clients love to know about the science behind their solutions, while others just need to know their product works.

Certification

Every single aircraft cable assembly that we create goes through rigorous testing and stringent certifications before we put it into production. We meet all requirements for governing organizations such as the FAA, and can meet specific standards such as RTCA DO-160 and MIL-STD810 along with any special requirements your company may have as well. Below are our current certifications.

ISO 9001: 2015 Certified

ISO 14001: 2015 Certified

AS9100D Certified

Compliance with 14 CFR 21.303

These are the industry standards you should ask any parts manufacturer about. The FAA and PMA-approved parts are set forth to ensure product quality and reliability. As well as sustainability and corporate responsibility. For more information about compliance and certifications, contact us with any questions you may have. 

Production

The final step of our production process is to produce the finished solution. Our facilities are capable of mass-produced and small-batch solutions. We monitor production quality with the first and last examples for every hour lot to ensure quality down to the micron. Proof loads can be added to each part if required as well.  If you need to adjust your solution for any reason, we repeat the entire process for any changes to ensure quality and compliance. First Article Inspections are available as well. The flexibility and reliability of our production solutions are the reason OEMs continue to trust Orscheln with their solutions. 

Certified, Trusted, Proven

Our capabilities include meeting more than just technical standards. In addition to maintaining an FAA PMA-approved QMS. Orscheln follows the APQP product development process as part of our standard engineering/product development procedure. Orscheln Products APQP development process incorporates best practices including design and process FMEAs, design reviews, validation testing, control plans, and PPAPs. This demonstrates our commitment to 100% customer satisfaction the first time, every time.

Industry Experience for the Future of Flight

Since 1946 Orscheln has been providing reliable solutions. We bring decades of experience to every solution our engineers create. That means your solution comes from our history and some of the greatest minds in the industry learning and building together to innovate solutions for the future of transportation on land, sea, air, and even space.

Orscheln remains trusted by tier 1 and tier 2 public, private, Military, and commercial aircraft manufacturers. But as space flight emerges, our engineers are creating solutions for the final frontier. While our solutions are continually evolving within the atmosphere, our engineers are designing solutions for private, commercial, Military, and exploratory spacecraft. 

Start engineering your solution

If you’re looking for dependable solutions for your OEM, the search is over. Start building your aircraft cable assemblies by talking to an engineer, or contacting us directly!