What are the Electrical Components of a Wiring Harness?
The importance of wiring harness is remarkably high across different industries due to its usefulness in the production of varieties of equipment utilized in these industries. Some are used to manufacture medical equipment, electronic equipment and electrical appliances. Others wiring harness are applied in the production of aviation equipment, telecommunication equipment, military and also robotics. Wiring harness is also used in connecting certain parts of a system and for the transmission of energy in different vehicles as seen in the automobile industry.
A wiring harness comes in several forms based on the design and the requirements of the end user. It can have multiple number of wires joined together and/or different components with ends and branches moving in different directions. There are various ways wiring harness functions, one of its uses includes the transmission, distribution and translation of information through the electrical signals over an entire system. It is usually convenient and advised to assemble the wiring harness prior to usage or installation. Quite a large number of equipment and tools are required to produce or form the wiring harness and they include wire crimping machine, wire stripping machine, wire harness equipment, wire cutting machine, wire harness assembly equipment, etc. These machines and equipment are available on Cheers Electronics Limited website, you can visit them on www.terminal-crimping.com site to other any of these machine.
In this article, the electrical components that are used in the production of wiring harness will be discussed extensively. It is paramount to understand that the performance of any wiring harness is dependent on the quality of the electrical components used to produce it. In the manufacture of wiring harness, the best and most functional or effective materials are needed in order to meet the requirements of the assembly installation. Some of the electrical components of wiring harness includes the following;
Conductors
This is the most important electrical component of the wiring harness. Conductors are the parts that are used for the transmission of electrical currents or electronic signals which goes through the wiring harness. This component is usually designed in its use for producing wiring harness, not to exceed the expected bandwidth or voltage. As if it goes beyond the threshold, it slows or terminates the transmitted signal. The widely used conductor for manufacturing the wiring harness is Copper, due to its high conductivity. However, it is usually coated with a suitable material due to the fact that it is liable to corrosion when exposed to the ambience.
The application of the wiring harness, most times, determines the number of conductors, the type of conductor and also the coating that will be applied to the conductive materials, which will be used in the production of the wiring harness.
As professionals, the experts at Cheers Electronic Limited strongly recommend that the conductor to be used in the wiring harness should be selected based on the particular need. For example, the size of the conductor to be used for the transmission of electrical power will certainly be different from that to be used for transmitting electronic signals.
Figure 1: Example of a stranded conductor (right) and a solid conductor (left). Both of the examples above are bare copper (no additional plating).
Primary Insulations / Sheaths
Insulations and sheaths are not directly electrical components, yet they are very vital parts that determine the effectiveness of the electrical functionality of wiring harness. The type of insulation to be utilized is based on the intended use of the wiring harness. For instance, there are insulations that cannot withstand high amount of currents over a long period of time, hence, they do not serve the right purpose when used to coat the conductor of a wiring harness required to transmit the currents. Also, the choice of insulation to be applied is based on the environment the wiring harness will be exposed, the operating temperature of the wiring harness assembly, and many other factors. Various types of insulations for wiring harness includes; Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Teflon, Epoxy / fiberglass, foil and Delrin. Materials are available to meet a broad range of applications and environments.
Figure 2: Example above illustrates a combination of a foil and a
braid shield
Terminal / Connectors
Another important electrical component of a wiring harness is the terminal. This is the portion of the wire harness where the wire or cable ends. It can also be referred as the point of the wire harness that is connected to another component or a different wire harness. Connectors are used to join two or more wires together. There are various examples of terminals which are; Ring Terminal, Spade terminal, Hook terminal, Quick disconnected terminals, Butt terminals, Bullet terminals, and others.
Other components of a wiring harness that are not entirely electrical include Grommets, Strain Reliefs, Shielding, etc.
Selecting the suitable and cost effective electrical component for your wiring harness is of utmost importance. Without the use of the right components, you may not obtain required design standards, achieve the expected results and the wiring harness is liable to not perform effectively and reliably. The distance to be covered by the wiring harness, the required electrical current or power capacity and the type of insulation are important considerations to be considered when selecting the electrical components of your wiring harness. The environment, likewise, also plays a crucial role in choosing the components. Some wiring harness are used indoors, others are outdoors. Some of them are also exposed to moisture, chemicals and moisture, thus, using the wrong or less fit electrical component could cause malfunctioning.
Conclusively, any ideal, perfect or effective wiring harness is only as good as its electrical components and the assemblage of these components. There are criteria that are needed to be considered when selecting the design of a wiring harness or cable assembly and also the electrical components; this also includes the application of the wiring harness. It is important for every manufacturer to understand the requirement of the wiring harness as it will assist in deciding the best electrical component that will suitable to meet the need.
