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Considering the strong demand of automobile industry for safety and multimedia system improvement, the production of Wire Harness is becoming more and more important. It is a challenge for wiring harness manufacturers, like Kable-X, to adapt to the integration of new technologies in vehicles. At present, the production of wiring loom is still heavily dependent on human resources, and the workload distribution of work stations plays a great role in improving productivity. Components such as terminals, connectors and seals are getting smaller and smaller, making it more difficult to handle them manually. The solution to this problem may be to improve the automation degree of wire harness production. The goal of this paper is to determine the solution to optimize the wiring and assembly process by partially automating the production process. Attention to the application of automation technology in production in automotive Wiring Harness is not new, but up to now, wire harness manufacturers have focused more on automatic prefabrication of components that make up wire harness than wire harness assembly line. From the economic point of view, the automation of assembly process will improve productivity by reducing the uncertainty caused by the dependence of manufacturing time and human resources.
Because of its characteristics and functions, wiring occupies a unique position in the vehicle architecture. The manual preparation/assembly operation accounts for about 95% of the price of wire harness, and the automation of wire harness production is an area of interest to researchers and wire harness manufacturers.
In the automobile industry, wiring harness is a set of components (wires, terminals, connectors, seals, protective devices, fasteners, grommets, fuses, relays, fuses and relay boxes, etc.) used to ensure the connection between electrical and electronic components integrated into the vehicle.
The diversity of wire harnesses increases with the development of vehicles in terms of electrical and electronic functions, integration of new communication technologies, control and software applications, and becomes an available option when purchasing vehicles.
Due to the complexity and diversity of wire harnesses, wire harness manufacturers have two options:
Either divide the wiring into smaller modules (if possible), manufacture them on the dedicated assembly line of each module, and then carry out the final assembly of the wiring later (at the same production site or near the automobile manufacturer);
Or make the final wiring on a larger and more complex assembly line. But no matter what their choice, the manufacturing and final assembly of modules need the same manufacturing and assembly technology.
The production process is organized according to the implemented assembly technology, usually divided into:
· Dynamic assembly line: It is usually used to manufacture harness modules and smaller harnesses. Several types of dynamic assembly lines have been developed, but the most common ones used to manufacture less complicated wire harnesses are composed of fixed assembly plates (pallets), and the conveyor belt is located at the lower part of the line and used to carry the wire harnesses from one section to another. The production line is organized in such a way that the components used for assembly are provided on the front to ensure that the section conforms to ergonomics.
· Turntable (also called turntable) used for manufacturing large modules and final assembly of modules. The turntable consists of several plates mounted on the track, so it can rotate. This production technology is usually used to break down all work into several basic tasks. The assembly line consists of several boards, and each operator performs a limited number of operations assigned to his section before rotating/moving the turntable. These operations are always the same. The speed of setting up production lines can ensure productivity and quality standards.
Regardless of whether the manufacturer chooses to use dynamic assembly line (LAD) or rotary table assembly line to assemble the wiring, in order to provide it, sections and equipment are required to produce preassembled components as part of the final wiring.
Automated assembly process is a challenge for harness manufacturers. Automatic wiring harness assembly system must be flexible and easy to adapt to meet the diversified and dynamic requirements in various stages of the project.
Many factors must be considered in the process of wire harness design in order to integrate the wire harness into the vehicle architecture optimally. It is expected that the harness can run for about 20 years under the same parameters without changing the connection between components, so the design process must ensure the quality and reliability of products. For this reason, the design process must consider the quality of the components that make up the wiring harness and the materials that make them (prohibited substances that must not be contained in the countries where the products are sold or known and will be banned in the next few years).
The design of the wire harness begins with the realization of the electrical wiring diagram, including all electrical and electronic equipment and their electrical connections. According to their operating requirements, important technical aspects are determined through electrical research, such as:
The wire diameter required to ensure the best connection;
Diameter (rating) of fuse protecting electric wire;
Relay caliber;
It is decided to use twisted wire instead of single wire to eliminate electromagnetic interference when appropriate.
The wiring structure will consider the temperature and humidity restrictions imposed by the area integrated on the vehicle, so:
The wiring must have the temperature level corresponding to its operating environment;
In vehicle areas prone to high humidity, it is necessary to use sealed connectors and seals in the crimping of metal terminals on each wire;
The selection of wire protection measures will be based on the aggressive potential of the area where the line passes through and the flexibility requirements imposed by assembly;
For the best protection, direction and line fixation, the connection will use parts (protective washers when wires pass through metal frames, plastic parts for fixing and forming paths, etc.).
A particularly important step in the design process is the 3D modeling of the wire harness, which helps to define how to integrate the wire harness into the vehicle. In the 3D model, all components are represented, which are part of the cabling running environment. This is the stage of establishing the harness path, simulating the harness debate to predict and prevent future events caused by harness attack when the harness contacts with other components. Routing must meet several conditions, such as:
Use the corresponding fixing elements and the protection applied by the existing thermal state of the area where the wiring harness passes, so as to eliminate the risk caused by approaching the elements/areas with erosion potential;
The selected path must be as direct as possible, so as not to increase unnecessary wiring length;
The route selection must take into account the need to make the assembly of the wire harness on the vehicle as easy as possible. If it is determined that it is difficult to install wiring on the vehicle, it is necessary to modify the route and/or modify the wiring harness structure (modify the length of wiring drift, eliminate or add fixing elements).
Any deviation from the above conditions will lead to changes in wiring, which will result in higher or lower costs depending on the stage of the project.
On the basis of electrical diagram and 3D modeling, a 2D diagram drawn on the wiring assembly board is made. For the rotary assembly line, the 2D drawing contains the complete layout of the harness and the necessary instructions for the assembly of the harness. Each board entering the assembly line is marked with the same drawing. For the most commonly used types of dynamic assembly lines in practice, several two-dimensional drawings are elaborated in detail, which correspond to the specific stages of the assembly process and are made on each board that constitutes the assembly line.
Besides the final assembly of the wire harness, the production process also includes many stages needed to obtain the product, and each stage has different degrees of automation. These are mainly divided into:
Store the preassembled components and other components required for the final assembly of the wire harness in a special space, usually called the picking area; Test representative samples at the beginning of each production cycle.
In order to fully understand how today's automation is applied to wire harness production, this article will introduce these stages in detail.
The fabrication of prefabricated parts is the most automatic stage of wire harness production. The production part of preassembled components is located near the wire harness assembly line but separated. It is divided into manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic sections, which will be described in detail in the following part of this article.
Semi-automatic stripping section: This section consists of operators and semi-automatic stripping machines, and is used for extremely fine coaxial cables with extremely high accuracy requirements. It performs the following operations: full stripping, half stripping, multi-step stripping, coaxial and triaxial cable processing, coaxial and triaxial cable processing.
Automatic twisted wire crimping machine: These machines work with high precision and are used to perform specific operations on wires with long length and small cross section. Most of the automatic twisting and crimping machines used by wire harness manufacturers have modular composition, which makes them more suitable for production requirements.
The automatic crimping machine is integrated into the production of preassembled components, which significantly improves the productivity and reduces the cost. These machines can handle very long wire lengths and are used for various functions, including double crimping (crimping two wires on one terminal). Even though there do exist automated machines for ultrasonic welding, wiring harnesses in practice require many types of splicing, which cannot be performed in a fully automatic process. This is the main reason why ultrasonic welding is still realized by operators using ultrasonic welding machines.
Heat-shrinkable tubing threading section: Heat-shrinkable tubing is applied to electric wires, and is usually used to protect joints and crimping areas (especially on electric wires with large cross-section). This type of workshop section is simpler than other types, and the operation to be carried out is very simple, but it must be handled carefully to avoid damaging the equipment area. Thread the operator's pipe into the wire/Connector and put it on top of the hot air blower, while rotating the assembly to evenly distribute the heat.
Before verifying the use of the components that will be part of the harness, the manufacturer will perform the necessary tests to determine whether the components meet the required quality standards. The test is carried out in the test center, which is an area specially designed for this purpose, where the endurance tests of various aggressive factors are carried out on wires, joints and crimp terminal-wire combinations.
Considering the strong demand of automobile industry for safety and multimedia system improvement, the production of wire harness is becoming more and more important. It is a challenge for wiring harness manufacturers, like Kable-X, to adapt to the integration of new technologies in vehicles. At present, the production of wiring loom is still heavily dependent on human resources, and the workload distribution of work stations plays a great role in improving productivity. Components such as terminals, connectors and seals are getting smaller and smaller, making it more difficult to handle them manually. The solution to this problem may be to improve the automation degree of wire harness production. The goal of this paper is to determine the solution to optimize the wiring and assembly process by partially automating the production process. Attention to the application of automation technology in production in automotive wiring harness is not new, but up to now, wire harness manufacturers have focused more on automatic prefabrication of components that make up wire harness than wire harness assembly line. From the economic point of view, the automation of assembly process will improve productivity by reducing the uncertainty caused by the dependence of manufacturing time and human resources.
Because of its characteristics and functions, wiring occupies a unique position in the vehicle architecture. The manual preparation/assembly operation accounts for about 95% of the price of wire harness, and the automation of wire harness production is an area of interest to researchers and wire harness manufacturers.
In the automobile industry, wiring harness is a set of components (wires, terminals, connectors, seals, protective devices, fasteners, grommets, fuses, relays, fuses and relay boxes, etc.) used to ensure the connection between electrical and electronic components integrated into the vehicle.
The diversity of wire harnesses increases with the development of vehicles in terms of electrical and electronic functions, integration of new communication technologies, control and software applications, and becomes an available option when purchasing vehicles.
Due to the complexity and diversity of wire harnesses, wire harness manufacturers have two options:
Either divide the wiring into smaller modules (if possible), manufacture them on the dedicated assembly line of each module, and then carry out the final assembly of the wiring later (at the same production site or near the automobile manufacturer);
Or make the final wiring on a larger and more complex assembly line. But no matter what their choice, the manufacturing and final assembly of modules need the same manufacturing and assembly technology.
The production process is organized according to the implemented assembly technology, usually divided into:
· Dynamic assembly line: It is usually used to manufacture harness modules and smaller harnesses. Several types of dynamic assembly lines have been developed, but the most common ones used to manufacture less complicated wire harnesses are composed of fixed assembly plates (pallets), and the conveyor belt is located at the lower part of the line and used to carry the wire harnesses from one section to another. The production line is organized in such a way that the components used for assembly are provided on the front to ensure that the section conforms to ergonomics.
· Turntable (also called turntable) used for manufacturing large modules and final assembly of modules. The turntable consists of several plates mounted on the track, so it can rotate. This production technology is usually used to break down all work into several basic tasks. The assembly line consists of several boards, and each operator performs a limited number of operations assigned to his section before rotating/moving the turntable. These operations are always the same. The speed of setting up production lines can ensure productivity and quality standards.
Regardless of whether the manufacturer chooses to use dynamic assembly line (LAD) or rotary table assembly line to assemble the wiring, in order to provide it, sections and equipment are required to produce preassembled components as part of the final wiring.
Automated assembly process is a challenge for harness manufacturers. Automatic wiring harness assembly system must be flexible and easy to adapt to meet the diversified and dynamic requirements in various stages of the project.
Many factors must be considered in the process of wire harness design in order to integrate the wire harness into the vehicle architecture optimally. It is expected that the harness can run for about 20 years under the same parameters without changing the connection between components, so the design process must ensure the quality and reliability of products. For this reason, the design process must consider the quality of the components that make up the wiring harness and the materials that make them (prohibited substances that must not be contained in the countries where the products are sold or known and will be banned in the next few years).
The design of the wire harness begins with the realization of the electrical wiring diagram, including all electrical and electronic equipment and their electrical connections. According to their operating requirements, important technical aspects are determined through electrical research, such as:
The wire diameter required to ensure the best connection;
Diameter (rating) of fuse protecting electric wire;
Relay caliber;
It is decided to use twisted wire instead of single wire to eliminate electromagnetic interference when appropriate.
The wiring structure will consider the temperature and humidity restrictions imposed by the area integrated on the vehicle, so:
The wiring must have the temperature level corresponding to its operating environment;
In vehicle areas prone to high humidity, it is necessary to use sealed connectors and seals in the crimping of metal terminals on each wire;
The selection of wire protection measures will be based on the aggressive potential of the area where the line passes through and the flexibility requirements imposed by assembly;
For the best protection, direction and line fixation, the connection will use parts (protective washers when wires pass through metal frames, plastic parts for fixing and forming paths, etc.).
A particularly important step in the design process is the 3D modeling of the wire harness, which helps to define how to integrate the wire harness into the vehicle. In the 3D model, all components are represented, which are part of the cabling running environment. This is the stage of establishing the harness path, simulating the harness debate to predict and prevent future events caused by harness attack when the harness contacts with other components. Routing must meet several conditions, such as:
Use the corresponding fixing elements and the protection applied by the existing thermal state of the area where the wiring harness passes, so as to eliminate the risk caused by approaching the elements/areas with erosion potential;
The selected path must be as direct as possible, so as not to increase unnecessary wiring length;
The route selection must take into account the need to make the assembly of the wire harness on the vehicle as easy as possible. If it is determined that it is difficult to install wiring on the vehicle, it is necessary to modify the route and/or modify the wiring harness structure (modify the length of wiring drift, eliminate or add fixing elements).
Any deviation from the above conditions will lead to changes in wiring, which will result in higher or lower costs depending on the stage of the project.
On the basis of electrical diagram and 3D modeling, a 2D diagram drawn on the wiring assembly board is made. For the rotary assembly line, the 2D drawing contains the complete layout of the harness and the necessary instructions for the assembly of the harness. Each board entering the assembly line is marked with the same drawing. For the most commonly used types of dynamic assembly lines in practice, several two-dimensional drawings are elaborated in detail, which correspond to the specific stages of the assembly process and are made on each board that constitutes the assembly line.
Besides the final assembly of the wire harness, the production process also includes many stages needed to obtain the product, and each stage has different degrees of automation. These are mainly divided into:
Store the preassembled components and other components required for the final assembly of the wire harness in a special space, usually called the picking area; Test representative samples at the beginning of each production cycle.
In order to fully understand how today's automation is applied to wire harness production, this article will introduce these stages in detail.
The fabrication of prefabricated parts is the most automatic stage of wire harness production. The production part of preassembled components is located near the wire harness assembly line but separated. It is divided into manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic sections, which will be described in detail in the following part of this article.
Semi-automatic stripping section: This section consists of operators and semi-automatic stripping machines, and is used for extremely fine coaxial cables with extremely high accuracy requirements. It performs the following operations: full stripping, half stripping, multi-step stripping, coaxial and triaxial cable processing, coaxial and triaxial cable processing.
Automatic twisted wire crimping machine: These machines work with high precision and are used to perform specific operations on wires with long length and small cross section. Most of the automatic twisting and crimping machines used by wire harness manufacturers have modular composition, which makes them more suitable for production requirements.
The automatic crimping machine is integrated into the production of preassembled components, which significantly improves the productivity and reduces the cost. These machines can handle very long wire lengths and are used for various functions, including double crimping (crimping two wires on one terminal). Even though there do exist automated machines for ultrasonic welding, wiring harnesses in practice require many types of splicing, which cannot be performed in a fully automatic process. This is the main reason why ultrasonic welding is still realized by operators using ultrasonic welding machines.
Heat-shrinkable tubing threading section: Heat-shrinkable tubing is applied to electric wires, and is usually used to protect joints and crimping areas (especially on electric wires with large cross-section). This type of workshop section is simpler than other types, and the operation to be carried out is very simple, but it must be handled carefully to avoid damaging the equipment area. Thread the operator's pipe into the wire/connector and put it on top of the hot air blower, while rotating the assembly to evenly distribute the heat.
Before verifying the use of the components that will be part of the harness, the manufacturer will perform the necessary tests to determine whether the components meet the required quality standards. The test is carried out in the test center, which is an area specially designed for this purpose, where the endurance tests of various aggressive factors are carried out on wires, joints and crimp terminal-wire combinations.
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Privacy statement: Your privacy is very important to Us. Our company promises not to disclose your personal information to any external company with out your explicit permission.