Wire Harness Manufacturing: The Ultimate Customization Guide

Every cable enthusiast and the user knows the importance of wire harness assemblies. Wire harness assemblies are the best fit for simple household electronics to large-scale industrial machinery applications. The standard body in check for electronic appliances recommends the harness for wires because of its durability and versatility. Before you consider buying one for your project, you should know more to make the right choice. This article presents the ultimate guide to wire harness manufacturing.

(Wire Harness)

1. Wire Harness Manufacturing–Production Automation Buyers Need To Provide Clear Design Drawings

The design of the wire harness is usually particular to particular applications. Product automation buyers must provide design drawings to their manufacturers for custom solutions. Nevertheless, this will not only help improve the effectiveness of their cables, but it will also ensure the durability of the wires.
The aviation and automotive industries have a high demand for custom cabling solutions. Hence, they must consult reliable manufacturers before choosing one for their projects.

(Wire Harness in the Automotive Industry)

2. Wire Harness Manufacturing–Types of Wire Harness

2.1 Select the Material for the Harness

2.1.1 PVC
A branch harness enclosed material such as PVC. The PVC helps to protect the inner wire conductors and insulators from mechanical damage. Also, PVC helps to prevent electromagnetic interference(EMI) compromise.

2.1.2 Vinyl

Vinyl is another popular material used for jacketing and cable insulation. It has a unique advantage of toughness and rigidity, which makes it perfect for harsh environments.

2.1.3 Polyethylene

Polyethylene, also known as PE, is one of the most common plastic materials today for cables. Polyethylene typically has high dielectric strength. As such, it is a perfect material for cable construction.

2.1.4 Polyurethane

Polyurethane, also known as PUR, is an essential material used for cable sheathing. Like polyethylene, it also offers high dielectric strength and is durable. Also, it can withstand high thermal conditions.

2.1.5 Thermoplastic Elastomer

Thermoplastic elastomer, also known as TPE, is an essential component for cable design. However, due to its ideal properties, it usually appears in cable insulation and sheathing.

2.2 Length and Size of the Wire

Cables come in different sizes and lengths, which often determines the purchase cost of the cables. As such, users must always strike a balance between quality and cost when purchasing cable wires. PVC is cheaper than polyethylene. Hence, a longer cable made from PVC will cost less than polyethylene.

2.3 Functions of The Wire Harness

The functions include the following.

2.3.1 Lacing

One of the merits of the wire harness is that it saves time during the production and installation process. The lacing holds the wires in the available bundle wire harness. Unlike an unassembled wire harness, a custom harness removes the need to have a single lacing system.

2.3.2 Wire Ties

Wire ties provide a solid and flexible binding. As a result, this allows pulling the tape in one direction.

2.3.3 Custom Colors

Custom colors are mechanisms for fast identification. Nevertheless, one function of the wiring assembly is the fact that you can label them. Also, you can color-code them to enable speedier identification in the installation process.

2.3.4 Individual Tagging

Custom tagging is a mechanism for fast identification during production. The user or the wholesalers usually request this.

2.3.5 Heat-Shrink Coatings

Generally, every cable harness you purchase should perfectly fit the space and environmental requirements it will work. The heat-shrink coatings are not perfect for the hot environment, and however, they are an essential innovation in the medical environment because of their unique design.

2.3.6 Independent Circuit IDs

This circuit ID describes a manufacturer-specific identifier assigned to cabling solutions. Hence, they help users to identify solutions to their cabling projects quickly.

(Independent Circuit IDs)

2.3.7 Four-Color Ink Stamping

The Four-color ink stamping is custom-grade wiring. The ink stamping gets used for identification beyond the lovely colors of the standard cables. Generally, the over braids come in a wide range of colors, which serve as a means of identification.

2.3.8 Custom Labeling or Barcoding

Custom labeling defines the company brand. Also, this customization allows users to choose manufacturers that they trust easily.

2.3.9 Polypropylene, Nylon, and Paper Fillers

Another importance of the wiring harness is to ensure the quality of the products that come off the production line. You must note this when managing the use of wire assemblies in the manufacturing process. Often, Polypropylene, Nylon, and Paper fillers make the installation process very simple. However, the producers’ responsibility is to carry out the quality test before disbursing to the consumers.

2.3.10 Custom Shielding

Custom shielding is an essential process that manufacturers perform on cables to protect them from electromagnetic interference. This shielding typically involves incorporating one or more layers of unique materials into the wires. As a result, they can achieve safe data transmission quickly.

(Custom Shield Cables)

2.3.10.1 Foil Shield

Foil-shielded cables feature a thin layer of aluminum, which is attached to a polyester carrier. The polyester offers durability, while the aluminum shield protects from EMI.

2.3.10.2 Metal Braiding Shield

The metal shielding is alloy covered with insulators. These are permanent coverings. However, they are not all flexible to make a snake arrangement in the computing house.

2.3.10.3 Spiral or Servo Shield

These are the best harnesses to use in automobiles because they are flexible and easy to replace. Also, they are cost-effective and have good properties.

2.3.10.4 Tape Shield

The tape shield fitted harness is a flat compressible harness, and it compresses all the wires to create enough space for other cables to run.

2.3.10.5 Combined Shield

The combined shielding cable is a harness assembly that has all the qualities of other shielding types. Therefore, this is for extreme use (in harsh environmental conditions).

3. Wire Harness Manufacturing–Voltage and Current Capacity (Within Safe Limits)

Every cable assembly technically needs to transmit an electrical signal at a specified operating condition. Therefore, this will mean having higher quality conducting parts, insulation, and shielding materials. The voltage and current capacity of any wire harness will significantly depend on the manufacturing materials’ quality. All this is to achieve maximum signal reliability. As a rule of thumb, you should seek help from experts when choosing a material for harness wiring.

4. Wire Harness Manufacturing–Sheathing, Conducting, and Insulators

The wiring harness requires strong shielding, conducting, and insulating materials for their optimum performance. However, cables having these three capabilities are often quite expensive, and they can perform under harsh environmental conditions because of their unique design. As such, you will find their use in military applications or other rare industrial applications.

4.1 Sheathing

These are the shielding capacity of the harness cables. They include:

4.1.1 Flame Retardancy

The sheaths are not affected by heat and flame. Hence, these are the best cables for use in a hot environment. You will typically find them in walls of hot machines with little to no consequences.

4.1.2 To Withstand A Specific Temperature

The sheaths can withstand both hot and cold environments. Hence, they typically have temperature specifications.

4.1.3 The Material Is Strong And Ribbed, or It May Be Thin and Elastic

The wire harness is reliable because of its unique construction material. The materials used in construction define the uses of the wire. Moreover, they avoid breakage and impart rigidity. Finally, they created twisted-pair systems for computer rooms and offices.

4.1.4 The Sheath That Protects The Cable Core From The Elements Is More Suitable For Outdoor Use

Cables for outdoor use depend on the environmental condition, and the materials to be used for the construction are usually carefully selected. The outdoor wire harness must protect the inner conducting wires from heat, cold, and moisture.

4.2 Wire Harness Conductor

The wire harness conductor is an essential part of the whole conducting system. No conductor, no signal.

4.2.1 Copper Conductor for Use in Combination With Other Alloys or Chemicals

To avoid having an empty insulator case, you must utilize the best conducting material (copper). It is the best of quality as it reduces the loss of currents in all possible ways. Technically, alloys tend to be stronger than the single metal of the conducting stream.

4.2.2 A Copper Conductor Used in Combination With Steel or Other Alloys, Such As Zirconium

The steel combination is a remarkable technological advancement in engineering material. This material offers durability to the harness cables and provides the best transmission.

4.3 Insulators

These are shielding that covers the inner part of a wire. It has two primary functions. Firstly, it serves as a protection for the internal components, and Secondly, it prevents the loss of signals and current in every way possible.

4.3.1 Working In The Extreme Temperature Range

Their design allows them to meet the operational standard of the working environment. And it includes working under hot conditions.

4.3.2 Working In The Non-High Temperature Range

The waterproof wire harness and the closed bundle wire harness are a great fit in a low-temperature environment.

5. Wire Harness Manufacturing–Environmental Endurance

All wiring harnesses for the automotive industries feature a design that allows them to function under harsh conditions. They also feature components that will enable them to transmit an uninterrupted service and hence sustain heavy loads. Apart from the standard cable harness, there are unique varieties like bus and truck harnesses. They also range with wiring harnesses for four and two-wheelers.

5.1 Indoor or Outdoor

For indoor use, the flexible cables or the available bundle wiring harness will come in handy. However, you should install the lacing of the available bundle appropriately to ascertain proper space management.

In contrast, the outdoor recommended cables are the waterproof wire harness and the closed bundle harness.

5.2 Moisture or Heat Resistance

The best cables for moisture resistance are the waterproof and the closed bundle harness. In a heat resistance condition, you should avoid using the heat-shrink wires as they would damage.

5.3 Chemical Resistance

Generally, in clinics, the use of electrically-run chemical equipment is on the rise. The need to use chemical-resistant cables like the industrial closed bundle system is essential.

Security Certification (For All Applicable Security and Industry-Specific Regulations)

The Certifications might have no real meaning to other industries out there. Here in the technological world, these mean a lot more than the certificates. Consumers see these certifications as a reliable indicator of competency and professionalism.

Some certifications denote strict adherence to international standards.

Some of the certifications include:

• The UL Registration.
• RoHS compliance.
• The CSA International membership.

As a rule of thumb, take a look at the certifications of any potential company. These certifications can tell you a lot about the company’s priorities.

Conclusion

A wiring harness is a crucial tool when considering harsh environmental conditions, space maximization, and many more. Nevertheless, it is still essential to choose trusted manufacturers for your cabling projects. This article has covered everything you need to know about the wire harness.
Cloom Tech can help you handle your cabling projects. Contact us to make an order for your customized products.