Using Technology to Increase Throughput and Reduce Errors in Wire Harness Production

This technical webinar will address using technologies available to the wiring harness industry to help assemblers be more effective in producing error-free harnesses quicker and more efficiently.

Discussion topics will include:

• Guided insertion of seal plugs & pinned wires
• Eliminating errors during first-end wire harness assembly
• Partial harness testing during assembly
• Rapid continuity testing
• Troubleshooting & error correction
• Full verification testing
• Test results and reporting

The most common type of wiring errors found at final electrical test are swapped wires, typically called mis-wires. Humans build harnesses by hand, and humans make mistakes. Although robotic assembly is now available for high-volume harness manufacturing, a substantial majority of harness types are still produced in volumes that make manual assembly the only practical solution. Unfortunately, manual assembly is prone to mis-wires often due to difficulty identifying pin locations in connectors.

Part of the presentation will focus on a new technology that is being introduced to the industry at the show, PinMate, which is an optically guided insertion tool. PinMate guides operators through the process of inserting seal plugs and wires into electrical connectors using a super-bright projector to illuminate individual target cavities. Additionally, the presentation will cover partial harness testing, the idea of testing complex harnesses in steps during the assembly process rather than just at final test. Also troubleshooting and error correction with an emphasis on test results and reports. Real-life usage data of the guided insertion tool will be presented as derived from an actual wire shop of a major aircraft manufacturer.

Anyone with an interest in improving quality and increasing productivity in their wire harness operations will benefit from attending the presentation.