This section provides overview, applications, and principles of shielded cables. Also, please take a look at the list of 51 shielded cable manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
Shielded cables are cables in which the metal conductors that transmit signals and power are covered with a grounded metal layer.
The grounding metal layer is made of a thin film or other material that is braided into a structure.
Covering the conductor section with a metal layer blocks electromagnetic waves from the outside and simultaneously prevents electromagnetic waves' leakage to the outside. This structure contributes to high-speed communication in the communication and instrumentation fields and is important for ensuring safety in the high power field. Multi-core cables also play a role in canceling out inter-wire noise.
Shielded cables are widely used in LAN cables for OA equipment and speakers for audio equipment. The purpose of these applications is to protect equipment from electromagnetic waves emitted from outside.
In contrast, shielded cables are also used in high-voltage power distribution applications. The purpose of these applications is to prevent the generation of electromagnetic waves.
The main components of a shielded cable are the conductor, shielding layer, insulation layer, and sheath.
In ordinary metal cables, the outside of the conductor is covered by an insulating layer. In contrast, shielded cables are covered with a shielding layer, such as a thin metal film, on top of the insulation layer covering the conductor.
The outside of the shielding layer is covered with an insulating film called a sheath to protect the wire from the outside environment.
By grounding the shielding layer, signal cables can be protected from noise. The use of shielded cables for power cables can also cancel out the electromagnetic waves generated.
Canceling electromagnetic waves from power cables also contributes to safety by preventing electric shock accidents due to induction.
There are two types of shielded cables: electrostatic shielded cables, which prevent external noise, and electromagnetic shielded cables, which prevent magnetic flux caused by electric current from affecting external equipment. Since the grounding method of the shielding layer differs depending on the type, it is necessary to ground the cable using a method appropriate for the type.
Electrostatic shielded cables cover the core wire with metallic tape such as copper or aluminum, or mesh braided wire. This absorbs external noise and channels it to ground, preventing noise from entering the core wire. The cables used are mainly for signal and communication cables.
Electromagnetic shielded cables cover the core wire with iron and copper to prevent magnetic flux caused by electric current from escaping. The disadvantage of this cable is that it is vulnerable to bending and folding due to the iron coating. It is mainly used for power cables and cables with large current flow such as motors.
The basic method is grounding at one end. This is to prevent return current from flowing into the shield.
If both ends are connected to ground, the possibility of current flowing through the shield increases, and there is a risk of noise being generated from the shield due to current flow.
If the shield is not connected to ground, not only will the shield not be effective, but noise will be generated in the signal if the electric charge accumulated in the shield is released by any chance. When using shielded cables, be sure to ground them.
Select either double-ended grounding or single-ended grounding depending on the distance. For long-distance transmission, use grounding at both ends. For short-distance transmission, use grounding at one end. In both cases, the shielding effect can be increased by making the grounding wiring as low as possible in terms of electrical resistance.
Generally, copper plates or copper piles are embedded several meters underground to reduce grounding resistance. This underground conductor is the grounding pole. Wires rising to the ground surface from the grounding pole are connected to a copper bar called a ground bar or bus bar.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
Sort by Area
Ranking as of January 2023 in United States
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Victor Wire & Cable | 100% |
Ranking as of January 2023 Globally
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Victor Wire & Cable | 100% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the shielded cable page as of January 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country, please select the appropriate version of Metoree for your country in the drop-down menu.