Complete Wire + Crimp Solution
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Does anyone have a source for custom length, crimped, wires in specific gauge and # wires bundled together? We spend a lot of time cutting, stripping, and crimping wires and want to try to decrease this labor cost. Wondering if there is a service where you pay them to create the wires you need for you. (Small team here, so time is extremely valuable).
Or does everyone just buckle down and churn through it themselves?
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@sean I don't know what scale you're looking for, but I did a quick Google, https://www.epectec.com/cable-assemblies/quote-request.html
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There are a few solutions for the problem. One is to acquire a wire cutting and crimping machine, another is hacking together a wire length dispensing/cutting machine. I've actually made these type machines in the past, they are not that difficult to make using a few hunks of metal and stepper motors.
You could look around on eBay for old production machines. As for crimping, again, there are machines that can do that. Stay away from the big box guys such as AMP, their machines are VERY pricey. But there are used machines available.
Or you could have a contractor fab them for you??
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IIRC Igus does provide custom wiring. In terms of pricing: no clue.
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What kind of scale do you have to work with. If it wasn't an exorbitant amount (less than 25 wires a day) I guess I would teach a younger family member the art of crimping, and contract them. 50-100 wires a day I would host a nightly crimping circle with snacks and adult beverages to whoever wants to lend a hand. Hundreds of wires daily, and I would just price a cheap used machine to do it.
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Misumi offers specific lengths of wire (100 mm increments) with nylon connectors already fitted both ends, or wires already stripped on one end.
E.G, with JST SM connector: https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110500045910/?Inch=0
Now, it's not the best solution, because it doesn't seem you can mix and match the nylon connector styles (edit: correction -- it seems they do offer the service, but I have not explored that yet), but it can definitely save a lot of time and labour, leaving you and your crew to add connectors to steppers, and terminate the cable as you need it (or just specify a connector with a suitable pitch to plug into duet boards, though they do not seem to have the exact appropriate connector.)
One nice thing, is that they do seem to offer the connectors needed to plug directly into stepper motors with the small nylon connector right on the body. I forget which it is, but I think I verified this previously.
