What is a Wire Harness?

Wire harness assembly process is one of the few remaining manufacturing processes that is more efficiently done by hand, rather than automation. This is due to the variety of processes that are involved in the assembly. These manual processes include: Installing terminated wires in various lengths Routing wires and cables through sleeves and conduits Taping breakouts Conducting multiple crimps Binding the components with tape, clamps or cable ties Because of the difficulty involved in automating these processes, manual production continues

Decreased installation time: Many vehicles require miles of wiring in order to operate. A wire harness assembly process greatly simplifies the manufacturing of these vehicles by integrating all the wires and cables needed into a single apparatus. The 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,

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 pin-board to the desired specification and then bound together.

Wire harnesses are often confused with cable assemblies however, the two are quite different. The main difference is that a cable assembly normally has only two ends, whereas a wire harness contains multiple breakouts (ends) that run in many different directions with multiple terminations on each breakout. Wire assemblies are most commonly used in the transportation industry, including automobiles, buses, trucks, and planes. Construction machinery, industrial equipment, electronics and white goods (household appliances) will also be constructed using wire harnesses.