Robot for automating wire harness manufacturing cuts costs and boosts productivity

Wiring harnesses are often the last barrier to full automation in manufacturing products like cars and hand tools.

Traditionally made by hand, they are complex, heavy, space-hungry, and prone to wear and damage, making them expensive to produce and maintain.

Labour-intensive harness production is typically outsourced to countries with low labour costs, while final assembly occurs thousands of miles away, adding cost and risk to the supply chain. By contrast, Q5D’s patented ‘Electrical Function Integration’ process offers hybrid additive manufacturing and automation techniques.

Utilizing a precision 5-axis robot with interchangeable tools, the self-contained CY1000 robotic manufacturing cell adds 3D polymeric features to various surfaces to integrate bare or insulated wires, conductive tracks, and electrical connectors.

This process eliminates the need for expensive, manually assembled, fault-prone wiring harnesses, minimizes design constraints, improves reliability, and cuts manufacturing costs by 30%-50%.

The wiring, anchored to a substrate, is less susceptible to environmental and mechanical damage, and the final products are suitable for robotic assembly.

Reducing labour makes manufacturing cost-effective in more locations, potentially co-locating electrical integration with final assembly, minimising supply chain risks.

Electrical Function Integration has been evaluated and significantly benefits automotive, aerospace, and power tool applications.