Conductor cover applicators may define a mouth, or may incorporate movable jaws that open and close a mouth, for receiving a cable. The applicators may have a separator for spreading open a conductor cover, so that the cover can be fed through the applicator onto the cable. Methods of use and other variations are disclosed.

A wire harness manufacturing system includes an assembly line that manufactures a wire harness and one or a plurality of supply devices that prepares to supply component magazines in which components of the wire harness are loaded in a holder to the assembly line. Each of the supply devices is capable of preparing a plurality of the component magazines which are different according to types of the components. The component magazines are capable of delivering from the supply devices to at least a part of the series of assembly steps in a state of being independent of both the assembly line and the supply device.

An apparatus that melts and monitors sleeves for installation onto shielded cables. The apparatus includes a heat source for melting the sleeve, cable supports for supporting the cable during the melting process, a sensor system that is configured to measure a dimension of the sleeve during melting, and a computer that is connected to receive sensor data from the sensor system and send heater control signals to the heat source. The computer is configured to receive dimensional data from the sensor system, monitor that dimensional data by performing a dimensional analysis, and then deactivate or remove the heat source in response to dimensional analysis results indicating that the sleeve is fully melted (in the case of a solder sleeve) or only fully shrunken (in the case of a dead end sleeve) onto the cable.

A method utilizes a funnel system and robotic end effector grippers to feed an unjacketed portion of a shielded cable through a sleeve. The funnel is designed with one or more thin extensions (hereinafter prongs) on which a sleeve is placed prior to a cable entering the funnel. Preferably two or more prongs are employed, although a single prong may be used if properly configured to both guide a cable and fit between the sleeve and cable. The prongs close off the uneven surface internal to a sleeve and provide a smooth surface for the cable to slide along and through the sleeve, preventing any damage to the exposed shielding. The sleeve is picked up and held on the prongs using a robotic end effector. If the sleeve is a solder sleeve, the robotic end effector has grippers designed to make contact with the portions of the solder sleeve that are between the insulating rings and the central solder ring.

A shield trim is performed by tearing bunched shield strands circumferentially along a circular edge. The apparatus includes a pair of aligned metal plates that have been drilled through multiple times such that holes of varying diameters pass may be passed through both plates. A cable gripper on the entry side of the device clamps the cable in place. A shield gripper on the rear side of the device closes over the exposed shielding of the cable, and the two plates are pushed together. The shield gripper travels with the rear plate, pushing the shield over the wires and causing the shield to bunch between the two plates. With the two plates pushed together, both grippers open and the cable is pulled free from the device. This pull forces a stress concentration on the shield strands as they are pulled and subsequently torn across the sharp edge of the hole, producing a uniformly trimmed shield.

The method for fitting a sheath on a cable harness includes a series of steps including determining the length of sheath to be used, mounting the sheath on a mounting tool of tubular shape, inserting the cable harness into the mounting tool, removing the mounting tool and arranging the sheath around the cable harness, fitting a sheath stop at one of the ends of the sheath, the sheath stop fastening the end of the sheath to the cable harness stretching the sheath over the cable harness so as to extend it and tension it, and fitting a sheath stop at the other one of the ends of the sheath.

A water-proof structure for electric wire includes an electric wire, a primary molded body, and a secondary molded body. The electric wire includes a core wire exposed part in which a core wire is exposed by peeling off an insulation sheath. The primary molded body is molded with resin and includes a groove portion for receiving therein an end portion of the electric wire including the core wire exposed part. The secondary molded body is molded with resin and covers the primary molded body in a state where the end portion of the electric wire is received in the groove portion.

A method for manufacturing a terminal-equipped electric wire includes a step of crimping a first terminal to one end of an electric wire, a step of crimping a second terminal to the other end of the electric wire with a tubular seal member, a first waterproofing step of providing, at the one end of the electric wire, an anticorrosion member that covers an element wire bundle of the electric wire, and a second waterproofing step of providing, at the other end of the electric wire, a sealing member so as to fill gaps between conductive element wires of the element wire bundle in a tubular insulating sheath. The second waterproofing step is performed after the first waterproofing step is performed.

Disclosed are a joining structure of different kinds of conductors, a joining method of different kinds of conductors, and a joint of power cables capable of improving joining reliability of a junction of the different kinds of conductors.

An arrangement includes an insulator sleeve, a mounting sheath, an end piece of the insulator sleeve is received in a receptacle opening of the mounting sheath, and a holding pin penetrating the insulator sleeve and fixing the mounting sheath on the insulator sleeve in a non-displaceable manner in a length direction of the insulator sleeve.