Legacy Product Support
Legacy program support is not a workaround. It is a disciplined engineering process that starts with understanding what the original assembly was required to do — electrically, mechanically, and environmentally — and ends with a qualified replacement that meets those requirements under our AS9100-controlled quality system.
What we do
Legacy program support is a disciplined engineering process
01
Evaluation of the existing assembly
Physical inspection, dimensional measurement, material identification, and electrical performance testing to establish a complete performance baseline. We characterize what the assembly actually does — not just what the documentation says it should do.
02
Reverse engineering where needed
If original drawings are incomplete or unavailable, we reconstruct the design documentation from the physical assembly and our engineering analysis of its electrical requirements. We use Electro V10.2 for electric field modeling to understand and replicate the original design intent.
03
Redesign where appropriate
In many cases the original assembly can be improved. If the original design had performance limitations, used materials that are no longer available, or relied on processes that are no longer viable, we address those issues in the replacement design rather than recreating them.
04
Qualification
The replacement assembly is qualified to the original program requirements, with full First Article Inspection documentation per AS9102 and complete traceability from material through test. Corona, hi-pot, altitude, and thermal testing as required by the program.
05
Long-term production
Once qualified, the replacement assembly enters our AS9100-controlled production system with locked configuration, full traceability, and the same manufacturing discipline as any other Caton program. The program continues — indefinitely.
How this happens
Why programs end up stranded
Supplier went out of business
The original supplier closed and the program has no approved source for a critical assembly. The drawings may be partial, the tooling gone, and the engineering knowledge with it.
Acquisition and discontinuation
The original supplier was acquired and the acquiring company discontinued the product line or exited the high-voltage market entirely.
Product declared obsolete
The original supplier is still in business but no longer supports the product — declared obsolete or simply no longer available with no drop-in replacement.
Knowledge walked out the door
The original design was custom to a specific program and never commercially cataloged. When the engineer who created it moved on, the knowledge went with them.
Why Caton
What makes Caton the right partner for this work
01
We engineer from first principles
We don't need the original design package to understand what the assembly needs to do. Our engineering team evaluates the electrical requirements — voltage, current, environment, corona performance, altitude — and designs to those requirements. If the original design was flawed, we fix it.
02
We manufacture the complete interconnect
We build both the connector interface and the cable assembly in-house, including overmolding and insert molding. We don't subcontract the critical parts of the assembly. When we qualify a replacement, we control every element of it.
03
We test everything
The replacement assembly is not assumed to perform correctly because the design looks right. It is tested — corona, hi-pot, altitude if required, thermal cycling if required — before qualification and before every production assembly ships.
Don't wait
When to call us
Programs that have operated reliably for decades deserve to keep operating.
We have the engineering capability, the manufacturing breadth, and the commitment to make that happen. We can typically assess feasibility in a single engineering discussion — bring us what you have and we will tell you what is possible.