Understanding Wiring Harnesses

At Suntex Electronics, we specialize in assembling a diverse range of wiring harnesses, and our knowledgeable experts are ready to assist you in identifying the best fit for your requirements. For those with uniquely intricate or specialized needs, we also provide custom harness solutions.

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Custom Wire Harnesses

Wiring systems have become essential components in modern homes and industrial environments, and harnesses facilitate the creation of organized, tailored wiring solutions suitable for a variety of scenarios. Depending on the application, harnesses can be designed to support systems up to 600 volts (under UL standards) or military specifications, performing effectively in a wide temperature range from -65 °C (-85 °F) to 250 °C (482 °F).

When assessing a new cable or wire harness, it is crucial to consider the specific environmental conditions it will operate in, including temperature and other factors. Take the time to review all the types of cables that may be utilized; custom wire harnesses can be fashioned with an extensive array of styles and material choices, including:

• Wire ties
• Lacing
• Various insulation materials
• Custom colors
• Heat-shrink coatings
• Personalized labeling or barcoding
• Multicolored ink stamping
• Individual tagging
• Distinct circuit IDs
• Fillers made of polypropylene, nylon, and paper
• Bespoke shielding options

We apply a strategic engineering methodology to select the most suitable shielding and connectors tailored to your application. In doing so, we prioritize adherence to relevant regulatory standards, ensuring that your final harness is safe, reliable, compliant, and effective.

Key Considerations for Harness Design

• Is the harness subject to continuous movement or flexing?

• Will the harness be installed indoors or outdoors? If outdoors, what conditions will it be exposed to?

• How many circuits and conductors are necessary, and what are their characteristics?

• What is the voltage requirement for the assembly?

• What kind of exposure might the harness face, such as harmful chemicals, corrosive fluids, adverse weather, and moisture?

• What are the maximum, minimum, and typical operating temperatures, including potential variations?

• What local safety and environmental regulations might affect the choice of components, installation, and inspection?

• Considerations related to routing, breakouts, and overall form shape.

Wire Harness Applications

Due to the capacity of wire harnesses to tackle a diverse range of connection issues, they are widely employed across numerous industries. Almost any sector that relies on structured cabling can take advantage of wire harnesses. The sectors highlighted below often depend on them to enhance efficiency while safeguarding employees from the hazards associated with disorganized wiring:

• Aerospace.

  Wire assemblies play a vital role in various aerospace products, including drones, satellites, and aircraft, ensuring effective power transmission, communication, and more.

• Automotive.

  Wire harnesses are essential for maximizing space within vehicles, particularly in dashboards and engine compartments, while also simplifying complex wiring arrangements, enabling technicians to easily identify functions.

• Medical

  . Hospitals utilize wire harnesses to systematically organize and safeguard wires within and between their equipment, including crash carts and diagnostic devices.

• Telecommunications

  . In the telecommunications sector, wire harnesses optimize space within modem, router, and repeater applications alongside various other communication and broadband technologies.

• Information Technology

  . Most computers and IT hardware contain wire harnesses for improved space management and wire organization, facilitating simpler identification and setup for technicians.

• Construction

  . Wire harnesses are prevalent in building projects, providing insulation and organization for electrical wiring.

• Manufacturing

  . CNC machinery and powered industrial equipment rely on wire harnesses for routing and managing internal and external wiring.

• Robotics and Automation

  . These harnesses are vital in automated systems and robotics, offering safe routing, grouping, and protection for critical wiring.

Benefits of Wire Harnesses

The widespread adoption of wire harnesses can be attributed to the significant advantages they offer in wiring applications. Key benefits include:

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• Reduces costs compared to using multiple standalone assemblies.

• Enhances organization, especially for systems that involve long, complex wiring.

• Shortens installation times for extensive wiring networks.

• Protects conductors from environmental factors outdoors and from damage due to chemicals and moisture indoors.

• Promotes a safer working environment by minimizing cluttered or stray wires, optimizing space, and preventing tripping hazards and damage.

• Increases safety by lowering the likelihood of shorts or electrical fires.

• Streamlines installation and maintenance, potentially reducing the number of connections and logically organizing components.

The numerous advantages of wire harnesses are grounded in straightforward design principles. Sheathing protects the wires from wear and potential hazards, minimizing workplace risks. Connectors, clips, lacing, and other organizational methods significantly diminish the required space for wiring and ensure that technicians easily locate necessary components. For equipment or vehicles navigating complex networks of wires, a wire harness offers considerable advantages.

High-Performance Materials

Besides ensuring optimal organization, high-quality wire and cable harnesses also deliver reliable insulation and protection for internal conductors. Various options for durable harness materials exist, and selecting what best fits your needs is imperative.

Common insulation materials include:

• PVC, or polyvinyl chloride
• SR-PVC, or semi-rigid polyvinyl chloride
• Cellular polyethylene
• EPDM, or ethylene propylene diene monomer
• TPE/TPR, thermoplastic elastomers
• PE, or polyethylene
• Low- and high-density polyethylene (LPDE and HDPE)
• Cellular or foam polyethylene
• PU, or polyurethane, and blends of polyurethane and nylon
• Low-smoke plenum copolymers
• Polypropylene (PP) as well as cellular (foam) polypropylene
• FEP, or fluorinated ethylene propylene
• TFE, or tetrafluoroethylene
• PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene
• ETFE Tefzel
• PVDF Kynar
• ECTFE Halar
• IRR/PVC, or irradiated polyvinyl chloride
• XLPE, or cross-linked polyethylene
• Vinyl

When selecting from these and additional options, consider the environmental factors such as operating temperature and moisture. Moisture, for example, may require a water-resistant material like polyethylene to protect the conductors from damage.

Cable & Wire Harness Solutions

For over a century, Suntex has assisted clients in developing bespoke wiring solutions. Our custom harnesses and assemblies span a wide array of applications, all supported by advanced production facilities.

Keeping in mind all relevant industry standards and specifications, such as IPC/WHMA-A-620, there are countless strategies to craft a harness tailored to the requirements of any given project. With numerous options for shielding, fillers, materials, identification, and style, finding the most efficient organizational approach is ultimately a question of strategic engineering.

Our current catalog boasts an extensive selection of robust, high-performance cable and wiring harnesses designed to streamline multi-wire systems across diverse industries. Our custom harness services cater to each client’s specific needs, leveraging decades of multidisciplinary expertise to devise the ideal strategy for their operations. Whether your cable needs are for a household appliance or an advanced aircraft, our assemblies are guaranteed to enhance organization and safety at a competitive price.

To explore more about our custom wire and cable harness solutions and discuss how we can assist with your next project, consider checking out our informative eBook, ‘Creating a Custom Cable,’ or contact our team today.