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High-Voltage Connectors and Cable Assemblies

Caton designs and manufactures high-voltage cable assemblies from 1 kV to 250 kV — engineered as complete electrical systems, not assembled from parts. Most programs start from a standard platform. Most ship as engineered variants of one.

How we work with you

Four paths into a Caton assembly

Most high-voltage applications are not pure catalog drop-ins. The closer the platform fits, the faster we move. The further from a standard, the more engineering work happens upfront — but the path is the same: evaluate the application, design the interconnect as an electrical system, validate against the operating environment. Programs already in production with a stranded supplier follow a fourth path of their own.

Path 01
01
Catalog assemblies
Five standard high-voltage platforms covering single-conductor, multi-conductor, hybrid power-and-signal, shielded, and corona-free configurations. Pick a platform, specify length and configuration, order. The fastest path when the application fits a standard.
14 Series 16 Series 17 Series 19 Series HV Wire
View platforms →
Path 02
02
Modified catalog
Start from a standard platform, change what doesn’t fit. Length, termination style, cable construction, voltage class within platform capability, mechanical interface, environmental hardening. The platform’s electrical architecture stays intact — the variant is engineered around it.
Typical when the application is close to a standard but needs a specific termination, length, or environmental adaptation that catalog configurations don’t cover.
How we modify →
Path 03
03
Engineered custom
For applications that don’t fit any standard platform — non-standard voltage classes, exotic environments (cryogenic, ultra-high vacuum, high radiation), unusual geometries, and ground-up clean-sheet design. Caton designs the complete interconnect — connector interface, insulation system, termination, cable construction — from the operating physics, not from a catalog adaptation.

This is where exclusive HV focus since 1973, in-house overmolding, FEA in Electro V10.2, and the full in-house test capability earn their keep. From 1 kV to 250 kV.
How custom works →
Path 04
04
Legacy program support
For programs where the original supplier is gone — closed, acquired, exited the HV market, or simply stopped supporting the product. Caton evaluates the existing assembly, reverse engineers what we need to, redesigns where appropriate, and qualifies a replacement under AS9100 configuration control. The program continues. The system keeps operating.
If your program is stranded or your current sole source concerns you, the earlier we engage the more options you have.
How we keep programs running →
Why HV cable assembly is engineering work

Engineered as a complete electrical system

High-voltage cable assemblies don’t fail at the part level. They fail at the interface between disciplines — where field stress meets insulation geometry, where termination geometry meets material behavior, where corona suppression meets manufacturing repeatability. Catalog selection alone cannot resolve those interactions. Every Caton assembly is engineered across five disciplines simultaneously.

01
Electric field stress
Field distribution across the connector interface and termination region. Managed through molded geometry, tapered conical mating, and stress control materials. FEA in Electro V10.2 when geometry or voltage demands it.
02
Insulation system
Primary dielectric, semi-conductive layers, insulation thickness distribution. Selected and specified for the application’s voltage, temperature, chemical, and radiation environment — not adapted from a catalog default.
03
Termination design
The most failure-prone region of any HV assembly. Caton overmolds in-house — overmold geometry is part of the electrical design, not packaging. It controls where corona initiates and whether the assembly holds over life.
04
Corona suppression
Air gaps at connector interfaces are the primary site of corona inception. Tapered mating geometry displaces air entirely. Validated in-house with corona test equipment — not assumed from analysis alone.
05
Material & manufacturing stability
An assembly that passes qualification but drifts across production lots is a different failure mode — equally consequential. Caton controls materials, processes, and configuration tightly enough that assembly N+1000 behaves like assembly N.
What that requires in-house

Full technical ownership of the interconnect

Designing across five disciplines is only useful if the same team owns design, build, and validation. Caton has done that since 1973 — exclusively for high-voltage cable assemblies.

Design
FEA — Electro V10.2
Electric field modeling for non-standard geometries, voltage classes, and termination structures.
Manufacture
In-house overmolding
Molded termination geometry produced in-house. Overmold is part of the electrical design, not outsourced packaging.
Validate
In-house HV test
Corona, hi-pot, altitude to 70,000 ft, thermal cycling. Validation performed where the assembly is built.
Control
Configuration & quality
AS9100, ISO 9001, ITAR, CMMC, AS5553. Risk-based thinking applied to every program.
Focus
HV cable assembly only
Exclusive focus since 1973. We are not a general connector manufacturer that also does high voltage.
Catalog reference

Standard platforms at a glance

Five standard platforms. Each is a starting point — for direct catalog use, for modified catalog variants, or as the architectural reference for an engineered custom assembly.

Platform Best for Key capability  
14 Series Compact single-conductor HV interfaces for instrumentation, power supplies, and test systems where space is constrained. Up to 50 kV DC · 10 A · Push-pull mating · Single conductor View →
16 Series Multi-conductor and hybrid power-and-signal arrangements within a single connector body. The only Caton platform supporting hybrid configurations. Up to 60 kV DC · Up to 85 A · Screw & bayonet · Single, multi, hybrid View →
17 Series Mechanically robust shielded single-conductor for aerospace and industrial environments with vibration, mechanical stress, and EMI exposure. Up to 60 kV DC · Up to 26 A · Screw mating · Shielded standard View →
19 Series Highest-voltage standard platform — the only Caton series specified corona free as designed, for applications where corona inception is the primary constraint. 60 kV DC / 20 kV RMS · 20 A · Screw mating · Corona free View →
HV Wire High-voltage silicone wire with semi-conductive corona control, compatible with Caton connector platforms and most silicone encapsulation systems. 5–30 kV AC / 10–80 kV DC · 8–22 AWG · Silicone insulation View →

Start with the application, not the catalog.

Tell us what the system has to do — voltage, current, environment, mechanical interface, qualification path. Our engineering team will tell you which path fits, what the tradeoffs look like, and what an honest schedule is.
 
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