Wire harnesses are bundles of wires that are bundled together to form a single unit. The complexity of wire harnesses varies from a few to hundreds of individual wires, multi-conductor cables, and welded wires, all forming a complex wire harness used to transmit power and data.

As they are typically tailored to specific applications, wire harness designs are highly customizable. It may be necessary to conceal them behind walls, to fit them inside electrical boxes, or to conform to other space constraints. During the design process, precise measurements of the environment, power demand, and lengths are needed to prevent costly mistakes and ensure the proper safety and functionality of the final product.

In order for a harness to function properly in its physical environment, it should follow a number of best practices:

Identify potential problems that may arise from the physical environment, such as electrical interference, heat, moisture, and radiation. Harnesses need to resist environmental damage over time.

Wires interact optimally when they are routed correctly. Numerous routes may be available, but environmental exposure, cost and length, the difficulty of routing, and stress must be taken into account.

When cutting wires for the connector and calculating the bend radius, precise measurements must be taken. Due to bend radius, wires on the outer part of the bundle can be longer than those on the inner side. Making connections will be short if this is not accounted for.

The harness must fit neatly into its intended location. In vehicles, for example, harnesses are very compact to fit inside the small electrical boxes. An outer protective casing must be considered.

There are a variety of wire harness construction components including mechanical fasteners, over-molded connectors, grommets, strain reliefs, and ultrasonic welding. During design, determining what type of terminals and how they fit the wire radius is critical.

If you are interested to learn more about wire harness engineering, then there are several articles and blogs available online.