Interpower^® Made-to-Order (MTO) Department—Customized, Value-added Products

An Interpower MTO assembly is a product created per customer specifications, whereas a stock item is manufactured from predetermined specifications and placed in inventory.

MTO specializes in customized requests and value-added services. From various cord colors and lengths to rewirable connectors, to internal components such as ferrites and ferrules, cable terminations and heat-shrink tubing. MTO also assembles accessory power strips (APS), and power distribution units (PDUs), as both are vital components as accessory power system products.

Ferrules

A ferrule is an internal component used for better electrical contact in applications where bare strands may spread and cause issues. Ferrules come in two styles—insulated and uninsulated. The insulated version helps eliminate arcing in the assembly and is added to the “top” of the ferrule. Ferrites are beads that reduce or prevent electromagnetic inference (EMI) from a device or to a device.

Heat Shrink Tubing

A shrinkable plastic tube is used to insulate wires while providing abrasion resistance and environmental protection for strained and solid wire conductors, connections, and terminals.

Cable Terminations

Cable terminations come in a variety of configurations: three bare wires; two bare wires with one ring terminal; two bare wires with one spade terminal; three ultrasonic welds; two ultrasonic welds with one ring terminal; three wires fitted with crimped ferrules; and three bare wires fitted with straight-style quick disconnects.

Cord Clips

While cord clips aren’t considered accessory power components, they do complement accessory power since multiple cords may often run from the wall several feet before entering an APS or PDU. Cord clips help prevent injuries such as tripping over excess cord. They also extend cord life by keeping cords away from machinery and tools, and preserve the jacketing by allowing less drag. They also minimize the chance of excess cord catching on objects and surfaces, which may cause disconnections or bent plug blades.

Despite the universe of resin compounds listed on UL’s website, sometimes finding the perfect resin with the right additives is challenging, especially when mixing resin compounds with nonresinous material. Interpower’s cord clip can be molded onto 3 x 16 and 3 x 18 AWG cords as well as the 3 x 18 VCT-F Japanese cords, and is constructed of a glass-reinforced Polypropylene resin compound to ensure molding consistency and optimal retention.

The clip is set at a convenient 4.75 inches behind the plug as an optimal distance after much experimentation and testing. The clips come in gray and black and are made in the U.S.A.

Accessory Power

Once they have the powder coated metal housing for the APS and PDUs, MTO provides the wiring, the customer-specified number of inlets and outlets, circuit breakers, fuses and fuse holders. MTO provides customized labels on any product including 1-D and 2-D barcodes, QR codes, lot codes, part numbers, serial numbers, a company’s logo or multiple logos and other information customers may need for warehousing.

MTO Customized Labels & Barcodes

A 1-D barcode is a machine-readable code printed on a label in the form of numbers or alphanumeric designations and a pattern of parallel lines of varying widths. These identifiers may include location, category, price, and other key details. Typically, barcodes are scanned and automatically entered into a software system. That software data connects to global distribution systems allowing companies to manage inventories and logistics and see what is trending, what items need to be stocked over others, and what items should be discounted to free up more space for products with higher demand.

A 2-D, QR, or micro QR code can direct multi-industry consumers to company websites, products, and other information via the flash of a scan. The 2-D codes are comprised of boxes or similar shapes with solid lines at the borders while QR codes contain solid boxes at the corners. These small blocky box codes can contain hundreds of characters for the scanner to read whereas 1-D barcodes contain far less information.

Also, MTO is responsible for an array of services including specialized labeling for any power cord and cord set including wrapped, flagged, barcoded, and grounding reliability labels as well as Unique Device Identification. MTO packaging includes cords and cord sets that are coiled, bundled, hanked, and tied before they are individually boxed. There are special packaging options offering various products in the same box, such as an APS and country-specific cord sets with customized labeling per customer specifications.

It’s on the Label

The quality and accuracy (how MTO arranges the code on the label) is yet another quality control at Interpower—it must be accurate, centered and in dark enough font. Interpower uses both wax and paper labels depending on their destination and use. If one vertical bar is too close to the edge, it may not read properly. Centering the label also demonstrates quality workmanship—the customized barcode label must “delight” the customer.

Medical

The FDA requires that all institutions dispensing medicines place barcodes on those medicines. What the agency does not require is what the label materials should be or their positioning, i.e., their “quality.” If scanning an extremely small vial label that is not centered, wrinkled, or too curved, the label may not scan. This led to the use of smaller 2-D barcodes that are easier to scan. These barcodes have life-saving consequences, as getting the right patient the right dose of the right medicine is vital. The 2-D barcodes on medicine containers is a small sample of barcoding used by the medical industry.

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