Wire Harness Case Study

Where can a company find a source when in need of a new wire harness—especially when the harness is all beat-up and with no documentation? Re-engineering a wire harness is both a science and an art. The science is the electrical know-how of identifying the wiring and all components, so that CAD drawings and BOM’s can be created. The art is having the skill sets to produce the wire harness in a quality-focused manufacturing environment.

PROBLEM:

A customer came to us with a wire harness used in a military vehicle, which was driven in the most rugged and treacherous environments (See Figure 1). When we pulled the harness from the box, we immediately noticed how dirty and nasty it was. Upon further inspection, there were melted connectors and cracked insulation showing bare wire. The braiding was snarled and full of dirt. Literally, this harness was worn out.


SOLUTION:
This particular assembly was the main power harness, which meant there are many different connectors and electromechanical devices. It also meant that every harness produced must be of high quality—could you imagine a military vehicle stalling in Afghanistan because of a wire short? Neither could we.

Here at Electronic Technologies International (ETI), we have technical staff and highly experienced engineers that understand specifications for wire, connectors, and electromechanical devices. As a result, we were able to present a quote to our customer within a short period of time. This ultimately led to a purchase order for a 100 pc build. Last and most important, the customer was very happy with the entire process, as well as with the quality of the final product (See Figure 2).

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