A new white paper from W.L. Gore and Associates compares the impact that different cable-manufacturing materials have on those cables' performance. The paper focuses on cable assemblies used in microwave/RF wireless transmission environments. Paul Pino, who is a lead design engineer with Gore, authored the paper. In it he explains that microwave cable assemblies are used in environments that inflict upon them such conditions as temperature extremes, chemical exposure, abrasion and flexing.
Pino goes into detail on five material types: silicone, polyurethane, polyethylene, fluoropolymers and engineered fluoropolymers. For the first four he lists in table format the material's advantages and disadvantages in terms of electrical, mechanical, environmental and application-specific performance. He also lists the enhanced properties of engineered fluoropolymers with respect to their electrical, mechanical, environmental and application-specific performance.
The paper also describes the measures that cable manufacturers should take to ensure their products do in fact satisfy the intended performance specifications.
You can download the paper, entitled Impact of Materials on Microwave Cable Performance, here.
