Mass terminable flat cable and cable assembly incorporating the cable

摘要

A flat cable for use with a mass termination connector having a plurality of regularly spaced terminal elements. The flat cable includes a laminated carrier film and a plurality of discrete conductors held in regularly spaced parallel relationship by the carrier film to match the terminal element spacing of the connector. Each conductor has an insulating jacket made of a thermoplastic material. The carrier film includes an attachment layer of thermoplastic insulatioln having a melting temperature similar to that of the jacket material, and a dimensional stabilization layer made of an insulative material having a melting temperature higher than those of the attachment layer and the jacket material and displaying dimensional stability at the melting temperatures of the attachment layer and jacket material. The jackets of the conductor are fused to the attachment layer, and the attachment layer is held by the stabilization layer. The carrier film can be longitudinally discontinuous to form first cable sections where the conductors are held parallel for ease of termination, and second cable sections where the conductors are not held to increase flexibility and reduce weight. The cable can also be formed into a round configuration to provide advantages during routing, and locating indicia can be applied to the outside surface.