Once designed and in place, a wiring harness looks like a fairly uncomplicated component of any type of system. In very simple devices, a wiring harness may be very uncomplicated and may not have an extensive design process or requirement.
In other systems, particularly when the wiring is more complex, the wire harness assembly can be extremely important in the overall functioning of not the electrical components, but of the entire system. Examples of these types of complex wiring harnesses can be found in military and defense applications, automotive, aviation, medical devices, heavy equipment, agricultural or mining equipment as well as in radar and video and surveillance equipment.
In these highly complex systems, the wire harness assembly will play a key role. Engineers specializing in this type of design will be necessary to provide the features, functionality and the design options to meet the needs of the system or device. In addition, this all has to be done at a cost that works for the OEM.
Bundling Wires
In the more complex wiring systems, multiple types of cables and wires may need to be bundled together. This poses a challenge in the design of the wiring harness as it has to not only hold various wires in place, but it has to do so in a way that eliminates radio frequency and electromagnetic interference between the wires as well as other components in the system.
Bending and Flexing
The specific path the wire harness assembly will need to take through the device or the system is another important consideration. Some types of wiring will have a different bend radius than others, which means the configuration has to always take into account the specifics of each type of wire.
Finally, the entire system has to meet all industry standards and regulations. In some products and systems, there may be multiple standards that have to be met, further creating a challenge in designing these essential components.
