Can Wire Harness Production Be Completely Automated?

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Can Wire Harness Production Be Completely
Automated? Miracle
A wire harness, also called as cable harness,
cable assembly, wire loom, or wiring assembly, is
a group of wires clubbed together into one unit
to transmit signals and provide electrical power
to various applications. These harnesses consist
of multiple components along with the many wires
they constitute of. The wires clubbed together
could be of any type ranging in hook-up wires,
multi-pair cables, multi-conductor cables, and
coaxes. There could be a combination of any of
these wires, depending upon the design of the
harness. This equipment is designed according to
the geometric and electrical requirements of the
equipment they will be installed in. Miracle
Electronics is a leading wire harness
manufacturer in India who undertakes requests
for custom design and development of wire
harnesses. This is where you can get all your
required wire harnesses that are certified for
quality to ISO 9001, AS9100C and are approved
by DGAQA and MSQAA for platform specific
applications.
Figure 1 Can Wire Harness Production Be
Completely Automated - Miracle
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Which applications require wire harnesses? Wire
harnesses are used in a wide variety of
applications, with the automobile industry being
one of the largest users. The automobiles could
be two wheelers, three wheelers, cars, buses,
trucks, planes, utility vehicles, or
commercial vehicles. Other applications
include industrial equipment, construction
machinery, white goods, data communications
related equipment, and electro-mechanical
components, to name a few. Why are wire
harnesses better than loose wires? Wires add up
to miles of length, thus multiple wires means
requirement of quite some space. On the other
hand, a cable harness reduces the space needed by
neatly combining the wires into a single unit.
Moreover, installing multiple wires needs more
installation time, which is not the case with a
cable assembly. Another major benefit that cable
harnesses provide is the reduced risk of adverse
effects caused when wires come in contact with
moisture, vibrations, and abrasion. The
protective flame retardant sleeves covering the
wires also lower the risk of electrical fires and
shorts during repairs. Therefore, wire harnesses
optimize space, reduce installation time, and
are more secure than bundles of wires. How are
wire harnesses constructed? First, the design
is planned with a full size diagram
depicted complete details about
the assembly preparation and operation. Based on
this diagram, the wires are cut to desired
lengths with the help of wire cutting machines.
The wire ends are then stripped off of
insulation, and then labeled and marked for
identification in the further stages. These wires
can then be attached to any required terminal or
connector, which is done through specialized
automated equipment. The terminated wires are
then routed, assembled and clamped together on
the assembly board. The harness is fitted with
protective sleeves, tires, lacing, or conduit.
The last step of the production process is
testing the cable harness for electrical
functionality.
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How far can wire harness production be
automated? In spite of the increasing automation
we see around in every industry, wire harnesses
are mainly manufactured by hand because of the
various processes involved like installing
varying lengths of wires, running wires through
sleeves, taping the wire harness where there are
branch-outs, conducting crimps on specified
wires, and binding various components
together. Due to these diverse processes, manual
production remains more cost-effective as
compared to automation in the case of cable
harnesses. However, certain processes can be
automated. These include cutting and stripping
off the ends of wires, crimping the terminals,
plugging wires into connector housings, and
soldering or tinning of wire ends. Also, one
important process where automation can prove to
be useful is the testing phase. Here, a test
board is designed that will have mating
connections for every terminal of the harness.
The harness is plugged into the test board to
electrically check it for any faults. For more
details visit Miracle Electronics