subject: Usefulness Of The Ubiquitous Cable Assemblies [print this page] A cable assembly is everywhere: A cable assembly is everywhere:
Cable assemblies are all around us, right from automobiles to computers to home appliances to industrial machines. Theres much more to a cable assembly than being a bundle of wires. There are various types of assemblies that have a unique role to play in different types of applications. For the uninitiated, a cable assembly is an assembly of wires or cables that are used for transmitting electricity or other types of signals. There are several components that go into binding these wires together. Some of these components include electrical tapes, sleeves, zip ties or cable ties, straps etc.
The usefulness of a wire harness:
This particular component is also often referred to as a wire harness. A cable assembly is useful where ever loose wires or cables threaten to obstruct or endanger the regular course of action. There are several other applications where the presence of loose wires also consumes a lot of space. In such a case, organizing all the available wires and cables with the help of a cable assembly helps to save space and bring order. Interestingly, in several applications such as robotics and automobile manufacturing, there are hundreds of meters of wires that are used. Imagine the chaos it would lead to it these wires werent bound together in bundles!
Basics of wire harness technology:
With our increasing dependence on automation and electronic devices, there is a proportional rise in the demand for cable assemblies. These very useful components can be manufactured by wire harness manufacturers. Many firms that produce wire harnesses are contract manufacturing units. This means that they manufacture specific components on behalf of the OEM. Most OEMs outsource the manufacturing of individual components to specialist firms and finally use their proprietary techniques to assemble these components.
Another very important component that is used inside electronics is the printed circuit board or PCB assembly. A PCB assembly is akin to the brain of an electronic gadget or device as it carries all the chips and circuits that are essential for the device to function.
A versatile electronic component:
When ordering a wire harness, there are several permutations and combinations that are possible. For instance, if you are likely to use it for a high temperature application, you could opt for fire resistant housing. The housing can be manufactured using automated methods, but the actual process of integrating the cables in the housing and then adding other components to the assembly is carried out manually. This process can be mechanized, but the multiple processes that go into assembling the wires and cables would require wire harness manufacturers to make very heavy investments.
Thus, it is evident that cable assemblies can be integrated with just about any type of equipment that requires large volumes of wiring.
