WIRE HARNESS OVERVIEW:

A wire harness, often referred to as a cable harness or wiring assembly, is a systematic and integrated arrangement of cables within an insulated material. The purpose of the assembly is to transmit signal or electrical power. Cables are bound together with straps, cable ties, cable lacing, sleeves, electrical tape, conduit, or a combination of all. The wire harness simplifies the connection to larger components by integrating the wiring into a single ''ready to install'' or ''drop-in'' installation.

Wire harnesses and cable assemblies are most commonly used in the transportation industry, including automobiles, buses, trucks and planes. Construction machinery, industrial equipment, electronics, hvac devices (boilers and AC units) and white goods (household appliances) will also be constructed using wire harnesses and cable assemblies.

BENEFITS OF A WIRE HARNESS:

Decreased installation time: Many vehicles and devices require miles of wiring in order to operate. A wire harness greatly simplifies the manufacturing of these vehicles and devices by integrating all the wires and cables needed into a single apparatus. Installation then becomes a simple matter of “dropping in” the harness, rather than running all of the wires individually.

Security and safety: When wires and cables are bound within a single harness, the individual components are more secure against the adverse effects of vibrations, abrasions and moisture. Space is optimized and the risk of an electrical short is reduced because the wires have been constructed into a non-flexing bundle. The risk of electrical fire is also reduced when the wires are bound within a flame-retardant sleeve.

PRE-PRODUCTION/DESIGN:

A wire harness is designed based on the geometric and electrical requirements of the equipment it is to be installed in. Once the initial design is established, a schematic is used to create the manufacturing paperwork and the assembly board for the harness.  The assembly test board, which consists of a full size diagram of the harness which shows all of the components and their locations and the testing units for each and every outlet such as IDC Rast connectors, terminals, connectors etc. It also serves as the workbench for the harness.

PRODUCTION PROCESS:

Before the assembly process cables and harnesses manufactured by automated and/or semi-automated machines.

These pre-production processes include:

• Using an automated machine to cut and strip the ends of individual wires
• Crimping terminals on one or both sides of the wire
• Crimping IDC / RAST terminals on one or both sides of the cables with semi-automated IDC RAST machines with testing unit.
• Overmolding cable harnesses and cable assemblies
• Plugging wires pre-fitted with terminals into connector housings
• Soldering wire ends
• Twisting wires

ASSEMBLY PROCESS:

The wires needed for the harness are first cut to the desired length and labeled appropriately. Next, the ends of the wires are stripped to expose the uninsulated conductor and fitted with any required terminals or connector housings. The wires and components are then assembled on the test-board to the desired specification, bound together and then tested for electrical and functional measures.

POST PRODUCTION TESTING:

The final step of the assembly process is to test the harness for electrical functionality. This testing is done with the aid of a pre-programmed test board. The test board is programmed with the required electrical characteristics and the completed harness is then plugged into the board and checked for faults. All of our products will be send to customers once they are tested (100%), approved and labeled by our Quality Assurance and Control Teams.

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Hopefully, this article has answered most of your questions regarding wire harness assemblies and cable assemblies. Feel free to contact us with any further questions.