Harness assemblies are becoming increasingly complex, making the process of manual insertion result in higher scrap rates and additional quality control issues.
BY PATRICK BOYER
For several years, benchtop and semi-automatic crimping machines have been the tools of choice for the production of wire harnesses. Many factors inside and outside the industry, however, have combined to merit a comparison of current crimping processes to newer, fully-automated and significantly less labor-intensive harness assembly technology.
Before the fully-automated process, suggested ways for reducing downtime included grouping jobs in terms of the longest change-over times in order to maximize runtime, stage all the necessary materials for the upcoming job to decrease operator wait time, and dedicate a tooling prep area where applicators are calibrated and inspected prior to use. Other suggestions have included networking the machines to go paperless so that cut sheets are stored off-line and sent as needed to the appropriate machines and operator to quickly verify the set-up before running production, and finally, calibrating all presses to a standard shut height.
Suggested practices for increasing uptime for benchtop and semi-automatic processing machines have included improving material quality and packaging to help assure that wire is relatively straight and concentric; provide periodic calibrations and preventive maintenance (PM) on the machines and tooling to assure top performance; perform on-going operator and service training to reduce the learning curve; and install integrated QA devices directly at each machine to eliminate the time to walk over to the QA station.
But many of the above best practices are dependent on the skills and training of the operator, as well as on work conditions to obtain optimum quality and productivity.
 FIGURE 2. These wire harnesses were produced on a fully-automatic machine. |
Companies and industries are facing circumstances that make the full automation of wire harness processing more advantageous. Harness assemblies are becoming increasingly complex, making the process of manual insertion result in higher scrap rates. The increased complexity and handling of wires also causes additional quality control issues.
Toward full automation
To save cost and weight, the automotive and white goods industries have sought smaller wire sizes and components, making it more difficult to process manually. In addition, many companies that have outsourced their production to low-wage countries are now facing rising labor costs–up to a 78% increase over a 5-year period. Companies are also facing variable costs that are out of their control, such as fuel surcharges and customs duties and taxes. For many other industries, leaving the U.S. for production is not an option. Lengthy transit times from foreign production often cause work-in-progress, inventory, and engineering rework costs due to the time factors involved.
 FIGURE 3. Fully-automatic wire harness assembly systems, such as this Komax Zeta 633, are designed to maximize productivity and control costs. |
For these reasons and others, companies in both high and low-wage countries are increasingly evaluating and investing in fully-automated wire harness assembly systems, according to figures from Komax Corp.
Compared to the cut-and-crimp process, the main advantages of fully-automated wire harness production include increased repeatability and accuracy of full automation results in guaranteed quality of products, integrated quality checks can be traced and completed throughout the process, and the cost of full automation is more manageable–and profitability shifts from labor to material costs.
In addition, manual labor may be moved to less repetitive tasks, thereby eliminating inherent fatigue risks. Product lead times are reduced to 2 to 3 weeks or even to 2 to 3 days by placing fully automatic machines near or at the final assembly plants. Work-in-Progress (WIP), physical production, and inventory space requirements are also reduced, permitting the implementation of high mix, low volume with JIT and Kanban production, increasing productivity while decreasing logistical requirements.
These factors apply to fully- automated equipment installed anywhere in the world, regardless of whether it involves a high- or low-wage country. CS
PATRICK BOYER is a 14-year veteran of the wire processing industry, and currently works for Komax Corp. as harness machine product manager and automation project manager. You can contact him at: patrick.boyer@komaxgroup.com
