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A wiring harness lifecycle consists of a number of stages. A manufacturer, such as Harness Master NSW, who has a good understanding of these stages and properly handles the production of your wire harness can help ensure your product has a longer lifespan. Starting at the very initial design stages and finishing at the disposal of the harness once it reaches the end of its service life, having a harness with a long lifecycle will help keep your machinery, equipment and vehicles running as efficiently and reliably as possible.
Idea/Design Conception
Whether the manufacturer is creating a new universal wire harness or building a custom solution for a client’s specific needs, it all begins at the design phase. This is the first important step in ensuring a long lifecycle. Not only deciding on the configuration or layout of the harness, this is the phase where decisions are made around materials and components to be used, including wires, connectors and terminals. Correctly designing the harness to suit the space it needs to fit within the machine or vehicle, as well as the conditions it will be exposed to and need to endure is vital to giving your wiring harness a longer lifecycle.
Prototyping
This step mainly applies to new harness configurations that a manufacturer hasn’t designed before or for designs created for brand new vehicles or machinery. Creating a prototype of the initial design before launching into full scale production is crucial to ensuring the idea actually works. Especially in instances where a wire harness is being drafted for a brand new piece of equipment, testing during the prototyping phase allows the manufacturer to easily tweak and change the initial idea to ensure they’ve put together an optimal design before producing the final product.
Manufacturing
With all the design elements confirmed, it’s time to start building. Along with using all the predetermined materials and components, the attention to detail given during the manufacturing process can have a direct impact on a wiring harness lifecycle. Ensuring all sections are properly connected and insulated using the corrected methods, whether that’s crimping, soldering or gluing, is important at this stage. The use of higher quality materials during manufacturing is also vital to give the wire harness better longevity. Another element to be considered during this step is organisation. The tidier the layout and the better labeled every wire and component is, the easier it becomes to carry out services, repairs and any other required maintenance later on, which also goes a long way to improving the wire harness lifecycle.
Quality Testing
With everything now assembled, it’s important the wire harness is properly tested and checked before being put into action. Even if the manufacturer has made the same harness many times before, it’s always important to check it’s properly working and that no human error is affecting its performance. If one component or wire hasn’t been properly connected or a wire hasn’t been placed in the correct way, even though the harness may still function, it may not reach its optimal performance ability and may not last for as long once put under continual stress and use. Checking everything before it is installed in your machine or vehicle can save you the hassle and costs that come with the downtime from continual servicing, replacements or removal due to poor installation, design or mistake in assembly.
Service Lifespan
With your new wire harness manufactured and tested it’s ready to be put to use. This part of the wire harness lifecycle covers the period in which the product is used for the vehicle or machinery, including any repairs or services carried out over this time. All the steps of the lifecycle leading up to its use play a contributing factor to how long the wire harness actually lasts during this phase. While environmental elements will have an impact on longevity, this factor should have been minimised as much as possible during the design and testing phases. Most wiring harnesses will last for at least a few years, though this can vary depending on how often your vehicle or equipment is used and the conditions it is used under.
Disposal/Replacement
We’ve reached the end of the wire harness lifecycle. After serving you well for many years, it’s time to dispose of your harness and replace it with a new one. No matter how well made, all wiring harnesses eventually need to be replaced after constant use. You may begin to notice signs that your vehicle or equipment is due for a replacement wire harness if electrical components begin failing or the wire harness itself needs repairing and serving more than usual. Most manufacturers will give you an estimate on when you should begin to consider purchasing a replacement in order to avoid constant or unexpected breakdowns.
Build better quality with Harness Master NSW
If you’re in the market for a new wiring harness for your vehicle, machine or other specialty equipment, or you have a new design challenge that you can’t find anyone else to tackle, the experienced team at Harness Master NSW can help bring your high quality, innovative and custom builds to life. Contact us today to find out more.
