Wiring Harness Design: Best Practices
Wire Harness Design Guidelines and Insights
Well designed wiring harnesses are fundamental for the smooth operation of electrical systems. Potential consequences of ignoring wiring harness best practices can lead to frequent electrical faults, subpar system performance, reduced harness lifespan, and increased maintenance costs.
These issues result in higher operational downtime, financial losses, and decreased customer trust. And don’t forget, non-compliance with standards can have serious legal and regulatory consequences. The bottom line: ensuring robust wire harness design is crucial for dependable and safe systems.
Just think of the advantages that effective and efficient wire harness design delivers:
Enhanced Reliability
Proper routing, securing, and termination of wires and connectors minimize the risk of electrical faults like shorts and open circuits, leading to a more dependable system.
Optimized Performance
Tailoring the harness design to specific performance needs of a system ensures selection and routing of wires and connectors that minimize electrical losses and maximize signal integrity, leading to better overall performance.
Durability
Secure and protected wires and connectors from external factors like vibration and abrasion translate to a more durable harness, extending its lifespan.
Cost-Effectiveness
Reduced maintenance and repairs due to minimized wiring issues translate to cost savings through less downtime and increased productivity. Your customers will thank you for it.
Compliance with Wiring Harness Standards
Designing harnesses to meet industry standards like IPC/WHMA-A-620 helps ensure the system is safe, reliable, and adheres to regulatory requirements.
Wiring Harness Best Practices
Your wire harness needs to function flawlessly within its intended environment. To achieve that, follow these wire-design-design tips:
Understanding Environmental Threats
The first step involves a thorough analysis of potential environmental challenges, especially for custom wire harnesses, which may be deployed in unique environments.This includes factors like:
Electrical Interference (EMI)
Identify potential sources of EM and route wires to minimize signal degradation. You may need to consider shielding to provide overall protection for the wires. You should also consider:
- Extreme Temperature: Extreme heat or cold can damage wires and connectors. Choose materials with appropriate temperature ratings and avoid placing harnesses near direct heat sources.
Also determine exposure to:
- Moisture: Moisture ingress can lead to corrosion and short circuits. Use water-resistant materials and seal connections with waterproof boots or potting compounds.
- Radiation: In environments with radiation hazards, select radiation-resistant insulation materials for your wires.
- Chemicals: Chemical compatibility is crucial. Choose wire insulation and jacket materials that can withstand potential exposure to chemicals present in the environment.
Strategic Wire Routing
While you might have multiple routing options, give careful consideration to these factors to ensure an efficient wire-harness design:
- Environmental impact: Prioritize routes that minimize exposure to the identified environmental threats mentioned above.
- Balancing length and cost: Find an optimal balance between wire length (minimizing excess) and overall cost.
- Routing difficulty: Choose routes that are accessible for assembly and future maintenance while avoiding sharp bends or areas with limited space.
- Minimizing stress: Plan the routing to prevent excessive pulling, twisting, or vibration on the wires, which can lead to fatigue and failure.
Tip: Use cloud-based Arcadia Schematic’s simulation and analysis features to evaluate different routing options and identify potential issues.
Precise Measurements for Optimal Performance
Accuracy is key. To achieve an efficient wire-harness design, pay particular attention to:
- Wire length calculation: Bend radius plays a crucial role. Wires on the outside of the bundle travel a longer distance due to bending. Failing to account for this can lead to wires being too short for proper connection.
- Connector compatibility: This includes accurately measuring wire lengths to ensure proper terminal alignment. It’s essential to verify that connectors are compatible with the wire size and type to guarantee secure, reliable connections under operational conditions.
Tip: Leverage Arcadia Harness’ design rule checks and automatic wire calculation features. This ensures accurate measurements and verifies that your harness design is engineered for manufacturing.
Space Optimization
A crammed harness can restrict airflow, leading to overheating of components and potential malfunctions. Efficient wire-harness design includes a seamless fit within the designated space.
- Compact design: In space-constrained environments like car electrical boxes, design the harness layout to be as compact as possible while maintaining proper cable management practices. This minimizes wasted space and ensures the harness integrates smoothly without putting undue pressure on surrounding components.
Tip: Use Arcadia MCAD Gateway with Arcadia Harness. This can help you evaluate potential space constraints during the design process. For example, import 3D geometry from your MCAD software into Arcadia Harness to focus on detailed wiring layout in 2D, while still checking for space constraints and conflicts in the 3D model. This ensures the design fits perfectly in your physical assembly.
Intricate Construction Techniques
Depending on the application, wiring harnesses might need specific construction methods to enhance durability and functionality.
- Mechanical Fastening: Strategically placed cable ties, clamps, or brackets secure the harness in place and prevent movement or strain on the wires.
- Over-molded connectors: These connectors are ideal for harsh environments, providing a robust and waterproof seal between the cable and the connector body.
- Grommets: These rubber or plastic inserts protect wires as they pass through bulkheads or other openings, preventing chafing and strain.
- Strain reliefs: These mechanisms absorb pulling forces on the cable near the connector, preventing damage to the solder joints or wire terminations.
- Ultrasonic welds: This technique creates a strong and reliable connection between the wire jacket and connector body, enhancing weatherproofing and strain resistance.
- Terminal selection and compatibility: Choosing the right type of terminal for the wire size and connector is crucial. The terminal needs to fit securely onto the wire to ensure a reliable electrical connection and prevent potential issues like loose connections or wire pull-out.
Tip: The Arcadia Component Database, with its built-in relationships, seamlessly automates the selection process by identifying the most compatible terminals for your chosen wires and connectors. Its intelligent relationship mapping ensures precise compatibility and optimal performance with minimal effort.
By following these best practices, you can design wiring harnesses that are not only functional but also resilient, ensuring reliable performance throughout their lifespan.
Making Wiring-Harness Design Easier
Arcadia’s suite of cloud-based software is designed for engineers by engineers to make wiring-harness design faster, easier, and more accurate. With Arcadia’s best-in-class software, you can significantly enhance efficiency, mitigate errors, and achieve seamless integration into manufacturing processes.
Ask us for a free demo
We’re happy to give you a free demonstration of our innovative solutions, so you can see the results for yourself. If you have any questions about any of the steps in our harness-design guidelines, we’re always happy to help.
