Abstract: An improved cable assembly having a plurality of conductors held in flat cable sections by a carrier film and cable sections in which the conductors are not held by the carrier film and method for forming such a cable assembly. The flat sections are identified by an indicia on the outer surface of the outer jacket. The method includes the steps of marking the location of the flat cable sections with a ferromagnetic implant, extruding an outer jacket around the conductors and implant, detecting the location of the implant, and applying indicia to the outside surface of the outer jacket to identify the location of the flat cable section.

Abstract: Apparatus for applying marking to the outside surface of an outer jacket of a cable assembly including a cable having flat cable sections and sections where the conductors are not held. The apparatus includes a supply station for providing a length of the cable, a take up station for taking up the completed cable assembly, and a driver for moving the cable toward the take up station. The apparatus also includes a flat cable section detector adjacent the supply station for marking a flat cable section with an implant, and an extruder positioned downstream of the flat cable section detector for providing the outer jacket about the cable and the implant. The apparatus further includes an implant detector disposed downstream of the extruder for detecting the passage of the implant, and a printer located between the implant detector and the take up station and which is responsive to the implant detector for marking the location of a flat cable section on the outside surface of the outer jacket.