3D-Printed Wire Harness Insulation for Simpler Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production process of wire harnesses is complex and costly, involving multiple steps such as conductor drawing, stranding, annealing, and extrusion molding of insulating layers, which increases processing time and material costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving additive manufacturing to form an insulator around wire harness conductors, eliminating the need for extrusion-molding of the insulating layer, allowing for integral insulation and rapid production, suitable for large-batch and automatic production, and adaptable to various mounting environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional extrusion molding process is used for insulating layer, then insulation protection is achieved, but production process becomes complex and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method parameter from traditional extrusion molding to additive manufacturing (3D printing). This parameter change enables the insulator to be formed directly around arranged conductors in one step, eliminating the need for separate extrusion molding operations and reducing production process complexity while maintaining insulation protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by first arranging the conductors in their final positions before forming the insulator. This preliminary arrangement allows the insulator to be molded directly around the conductors in their correct positions, eliminating subsequent assembly steps and reducing production complexity.
2Reliability
If traditional extrusion molding process is used for insulating layer, then insulation protection is achieved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from extrusion molding to additive manufacturing, which reduces material waste and eliminates the need for separate insulating layer extrusion steps. This parameter change directly reduces raw material costs and processing costs while maintaining the required insulation protection.
3Reliability
If traditional wire harness production method is used, then electrical connection is achieved, but production efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple traditional production steps (conductor arrangement, insulator formation, and fixation) into a single integrated process. By combining these operations and using additive manufacturing to form the insulator around pre-arranged conductors, the production process is streamlined, eliminating sequential operations and significantly improving production efficiency while maintaining electrical connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by arranging conductors in their final positions before forming the insulator. This preliminary arrangement, combined with the one-step insulator formation, eliminates subsequent assembly and fixation steps, dramatically improving productivity while ensuring correct electrical connections.
4Productivity
If integral insulator is formed by additive manufacturing, then production time is reduced, but manufacturing complexity of insulator increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical extrusion molding equipment with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables the formation of complex integral insulator geometries in one step that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional extrusion methods, reducing production time while the build system handles the manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces production costs, improves efficiency, facilitates easy mounting and connection with external appliances, and extends the application environment of wire harnesses to complex mounting situations, while integrating the wire harness with the molding housing for rapid assembly and disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
forming an insulator by additive manufacturing, gaps being disposed between the wire harness conductors, and the insulator wrapping the wire harness conductors and being filled in the gaps
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method for producing a wire harness, and a wire harness. The method for producing a wire harness includes: Step S10: arranging a plurality of wire harness conductors; and Step S20: forming an insulator by additive manufacturing, gaps being disposed between the wire harness conductors, and the insulator wrapping the wire harness conductors and being filled in the gaps. The present disclosure alleviates the technical problems of complex production process and high processing cost of wire harnesses.