Wire Harness Manufacturing

Wire Harness Guide for Buyers 2022

Do you plan to buy a custom wire harness shortly? Or are you looking to purchase high-quality and low-cost wire harnesses for DIY projects for home electronic appliances, solar panels, telecommunications, CCTV cameras, automotive, and lightning? Or, are you looking for accurate knowledge about wire and cable harnesses?

If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, this is the right place! Our 2022 Wire Harness Buyer’s Guide shows you many choices for cable harness tasks, with options for custom wire harnesses so you can get exactly what your project needs. Furthermore, our dedicated and highly experienced staff are always available to assist you through your wire harness assembly experience.

This article will offer you the following information:

What is the wire harness called?

What are the types of wiring harnesses?

How does a custom wire harness?

How important is UL certification for wire harnesses?

What is a wire harness used for?

Are there any benefits of wire harnesses?

What are the wire harness testing procedures?

Is wire harness manufacturing a complex process?

What is the wire harness called?

Most professionals consider wire harnesses and cable assemblies interchangeably. Using these multi-cable (or multi-wire) assemblies helps us with various applications and special projects and situations.

So, what exactly is a wire harness? A wire harness is an exterior casing that contains conductors inside it. Some inner conductors have separate insulation and protection sheaths, but sometimes, they need to provide fire protection to the inner conductors. It is also essential for critical cable organization, but it is much cheaper and time-saving.

What are the types of wiring harnesses?

Compared to many harnessing methods, wiring harnesses have a low cost because of their simple and effective designs. We can enhance all the interconnection supplies of the components using a standard cable harness.

There are many types of harnesses that you can use for various purposes, and we’ll assist you in selecting the best choice for your project needs. Also, if your requirements are unique or complex, we offer custom wire & cable tailored to your preferences.

Wire harnesses can be divided into two groups according to connectors and terminals.

• Connector type: The connector’s primary purpose is to carry an electrical signal to connect the wire harnesses to an energy source. A connector contains a plug and an outlet that can be connected to have electronic signals or energy. The structure of the connector depends on its function and work rate. The stability, resources used, insulation between pins, simplicity of linking, etc., – everything is determined by the way the connector works.

Because connectors are required to perform various functions under different conditions, their design varies for each application, from connecting consumer products to medical devices, aerospace equipment, defense hardware, and automotive components. The design and scope of the connectors depend on the functionality of the device or appliance.

• Terminal type: Terminals are one of the most critical parts of wiring. These devices break the driver in a specific position by making an electromagnetic link. Metals or alloys are used to produce wire harnesses most of the time. They are also made up of materials such as silicon or carbon. These are available in a variety of designs, sizes, and shapes. They provide electrical conductivity to protect and secure connections.

As buyers, the types of boundaries are different. Depending on the type of contact and the wire, the ends are available in different shapes, such as hooks, shovels, rings, quick release, barrels, balls, and flags. Each harness is unique and designed for a specific task with limitations and signal groups. Selecting the precise connection and terminal device for operation is critical for an utterly wireless function.

How does a custom wire harness?

Almost all the home appliances we use have wires and cables for connectivity. Using harnesses, we can arrange those wire systems in an organized way according to each unique situation.

Wire harnesses can accommodate a wide range of applications up to 600 V (UL) or 3000 V (Military) and show excellent performance between -65 °C (-85 °F) and 250 °C (482 °F) temperature ranges.

A cable harness is a complete system designed explicitly for attaching multiple cables or wires rather than going out by hand and tying all the individual fibers together.

Wires are cut to length, folded, connected to a lever, or tied together. This tight, organized configuration allows in-line installation to reduce downtime and human error.

It enables technologists to install complicated cables in small or remote locations ordinarily challenging to access.

The customizing of cabling consists of dozens of overlapping cables running in multiple directions and at intersections. Because of this complexity in design, low-quality wires, particularly at end joints, can have several problems. These arrangements do not require any power. A hallmark of high-quality wire harnesses is their consistent and well-thought design and manufacture.

There are many choices of cable types for you to consider. With custom wire harnesses, we precisely manufacture the wire harness you need. Before selecting a wire harness, it is crucial to consider your project’s environment and physical conditions. Some of your wire harnesses options are shown below.

• Wire ties
• Custom colors
• Lacing
• Heat-absorb coatings
• Custom labeling
• Various types of insulation materials
• Independent circuit IDs
• Individual tagging
• Custom shielding
• Four-color ink stamping
• Polypropylene, nylon, and paper fillers

We take great pride in partnering with our clients. Our experts are available to help you to select your custom harnesses options. We recommend the best options for your specific applications through a well-oriented engineering process. The choice is yours, but we are here to ensure your selection is safe, durable, effective, and reliable.

How important is UL certification for wire harnesses?

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the US government’s authorized agency that performs safety, compliance, and functionality tests for products and processes. All our wire and cable harness products have UL certification, which guarantees our products’ higher quality. Our engineers can self-assuredly design your harness selection using these certified wires and cables.

Using products manufactured outside the plant or by third parties can be an issue, specifically as it can be hazardous to introduce an inappropriate product into your supply chain. Our wiring traceability platform assists you in reducing this risk by providing you with the information you need to receive only wire harnesses that have been tested and certified by one of the most reliable foundations in the industry.

High-Performance Materials

Wire harnesses can be used as insulation and protection coatings for the inner components for organizing purposes. The followings are some of the widely used materials for wire harnesses. It is essential to select the right material for your application:

• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Semi-rigid polyvinyl chloride (SR-PVC)
• Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)
• Polyethylene (PE)
• Cellular polyethylene
• Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE/TPR)
• Low-density and high-density polyethylene (LPDE and HDPE)
• Polyurethane (PU)
• Polypropylene (PP) and cellular (foam) polypropylene
• Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)
• Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE)
• polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
• ETFE Tefzel
• PVDF Kynar
• ECTFE Halar
• Irradiated polyvinyl chloride (IRR/PVC)
• Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE)

When selecting the right material, it is important to consider voltage, operating temperature, and moisture parameters. Otherwise, some conditions may affect the performance of these materials.

The following factors also can affect the performance of wire harnesses designs:

• Carrying voltage
• Number of circuits and components assembled
• Physical conditions of the project environment
• Potential exposures to harmful substances
• Maximum, minimum, and average operating temperatures
• Environmental regulations and safety factors

What is a wire harness used for?

Wire & cable harnesses are the ideal options for any interconnection requirements in many industries.

Wire harnesses are used in almost any household appliance, commercial or industrial equipment, tools, gear, machinery, hardware, and household products that transmit or transfer electronic or electrical information.

A practical harness is an essential, if not indispensable, component of this device. Tube nets are manufactured in various sizes and settings with regard to unit applications and environmental needs.

These procedures can be used anywhere, from temperature-controlled buildings or homes to severe external climates with extreme temperatures or even in sea-level marine environments.

Following industries use wire harnesses, especially to increase efficiency and secure workplace safety:

• Medical: Hospitals and clinics use several electronic appliances, so it is important to have proper wire & cable harnesses to ensure the safety of the patients and staff.
• Automobile: Using proper wire & cable harnesses, we can save space within a vehicle. It can be seen inside the dashboard, under the hood, and even for lightning systems in a car.
• Construction: Wire & cable harnesses can be used for insulation purposes of buildings.
• Information technology: Every modern computer consists of wire & cable harnesses to optimize space, minimize physical footprint, and ease of identification.
• Telecommunication: We can see wire & cable harnesses in many telecommunication devices, including routers, repeaters, modems, etc.
• Automation: All automated devices and robotics require proper wire & cable harnesses for safety, compliance, and standardization purposes.
• Manufacturing: Many manufacturing machines, such as CNC machines, contain complex wire and cable systems. Therefore, it is important to have efficient and safe wire & cable harnesses for this equipment’s internal and external wiring.

Are there any benefits of wire harnesses?

Wire harnesses are widely used in many fields and industries because of the benefits of their use. Some of these benefits include:

• Very low cost compared to multiple individual assemblies.
• Ability to enhance the organization of wires and cables.
• Reduce the time required to install extensive wiring or cable support.
• Provide safety for the conductors in both indoor and outdoor conditions.
• Reduce the risk of hazards involving wires and cables.
• Minimize the number of connections and organize components in a logical configuration.

Simple and effective designs can enhance the benefits of wire harnesses. Sheaths protect wires and cables against hazardous substances and reduce fire hazards. Connectors, lacing, clips, and other organizing methods can increase a workspace’s efficiency by reducing the amount of space required from unorganized wiring. It is ideal for machines and equipment with intricate and advanced wiring systems to use wire harnesses because of many of the above benefits.

What are the wire harness testing procedures?

One of the major issues of wire harness testing is sustaining control over the testing process. The cable testing procedure is generally not completely automated. Technicians connect and disconnect the wiring from the test device manually. Once it has been checked, it has to be classified as faulty or safe, and the technician must separate the faulty from the safe wiring harness.

The technician may not accurately separate faulty wiring harnesses, initiating serious difficulties with the subsequent flow. Another possible issue occurs when the technician does not let the test be concluded and releases partially verified cable harnesses from the test element. Choosing the incorrect test platform is also a potential issue.

We can use a test board to check the electrical functionality of a wire harness. We can pre-program the required electrical parameters into a test board. Then we can connect the harness to the test board and check the functionality separately or in compound amounts.

The fixture clip is a mechanism that clamps the connector in position when the cable harness is checked. Every fixture clip method uses an automated bolting feature that works when the connector is attached to a bracket.

Once all tests have been completed, an electrical solenoid is linked to disconnect after the test. It is effective to apply fixture clips bolted and affixed in place by automated latches and open when the electrical solenoid is turned on. This ensures that the clip stays locked even in a power failure.

Is wire harness manufacturing a complex process?

Our designs vary from basic and simple tasks, such as a basic terminal attached two-wire bound, to highly complex and advanced designs containing various connectors, conductors, sheathing, terminations, grommets, over-molds, and strain relief. This can be a highly complex task most of the time, but do not worry! Our well-trained engineers are able to design your wire harness requirements at a lower cost and higher efficiency.

Contact us and kickoff you’re your project right now!