A wiring harness assembly cell includes an automation zone housing a robot for performing automated assembly operations on a series of wiring harness assembly boards. A plurality of wiring harness assembly stations is located about the automation zone, each including one or more wiring harness assembly boards holding the wiring harnesses. Manual operator zones are located outside the automation zone that are associated with the wiring harness assembly stations. The wiring harness assembly stations are reconfigurable between a first configuration in which a first wiring harness assembly board faces the manual operator zone such that it is accessible to a manual operator, and a second configuration in which it faces the automation zone such that it is accessible to the robot. The robot is moved within the automation zone between a plurality of assembly locations where it accesses and operates on the respectively the plurality of wiring harness assembly stations.

A method for manufacturing a branched wire harness 1 includes a connection step of bundling and connecting core wires 11 of a plurality of electric wires 10 including the core wires 11; a waterproof material attachment step of attaching, to the plurality of electric wires 10, a spring-shaped waterproof material 20 constituted by a material that is softened or melted through heating; a covering step of covering, with a waterproof covering 14, the plurality of electric wires 10 to which the spring-shaped waterproof material 20 is attached; and a heating step of softening or melting the spring-shaped waterproof material 20 through heating, and filling in a gap between the waterproof covering 14 and the electric wires 10, or a gap between the adjacent electric wires 10.

A taping head for taping a wire harness includes a base plate with a first aperture for receiving a wire harness. A tape dispenser with a second aperture is configured to rotate a roll of tape around the center of the first and second apertures. The taping head further includes a clamping unit configured to clamp a free end of the tape.

The present invention relates to an adhesive tape and to a method for jacketing an elongated item, more particularly cable sets. The adhesive tape must cure within the operational dictates for further processing, e.g. within 6 min, and after curing must exhibit the required dimensional stability properties. However, the adhesive compositions must not cure during storage itself, since otherwise they can no longer be used. Nor may the curing temperatures be too high, since otherwise the lead insulation, which is often made of PVC, may suffer damage. The invention proposes a method for jacketing an elongated item such as more particularly leads or cable sets, where a tape which comprises a moisture-curing binder on a carrier is first impregnated with water and immediately thereafter is guided in a helical line around the elongated item or the elongated item is wrapped in an axial direction by the adhesive tape, the elongated item together with the adhesive tape wrapping is brought into the desired disposition, more particularly into the cable set plan, the elongated item is held in this disposition, while the curable adhesive cures. Alternatively proposed is a method for jacketing an elongated item such as more particularly leads or cable sets, where a tape which comprises a moisture-curing binder on a carrier is guided in a helical line around the elongated item or the elongated item is wrapped in an axial direction by the adhesive tape, the elongated item together with the adhesive tape wrapping is brought into the desired disposition, more particularly into the cable set plan, the elongated item is held in this disposition, and the curable adhesive is brought to cure by the supply of moisture.

An exterior member attaching method includes four steps. In an exterior member loading step, an exterior member is loaded onto a base plate in a state where the electric wire regulation pins provided on the base plate pass through exterior member holes. In an electric wire loading step, the electric wire is placed on the exterior member along the electric wire regulation pins. In an exterior member temporary bonding step, the electric wire is nipped by temporarily bonding a second half of the exterior member on the movable temporary bonding portion to a first half of the exterior member on the base plate while pushing the electric wire regulation pins to the base plate side. In an exterior member actual bonding step, a bonding end edge is bonded by moving a bonding roller.

A tape dispensing tool includes holder assembly and an applicator member. The holder assembly has a base portion and a retainer head that are spaced apart by a recess. A leader tape segment extends across the recess from a tape roll held by the base portion to the retainer head. The applicator member is moveably coupled to the holder assembly rearward of the leader tape segment. The applicator member includes a receiving surface and a pressing surface angled relative to one another. The cable bundle forces a proximal portion of the leader tape segment against the receiving surface as the cable bundle is received in the recess, which moves the applicator member. The movement of the applicator member causes the pressing surface to force a distal portion of the leader tape segment against the cable bundle to adhere the leader tape segment to the cable bundle.

A tape dispensing tool includes a hub, a fixed holder arm, and an adjustable holder arm. The hub extends through a core of a roll of tape. The fixed holder arm extends from the hub along a first side of the roll of tape and has a fixed orientation relative to the hub. The fixed holder arm includes a first cradle configured to receive a cable bundle therein. The adjustable holder arm extends from the hub along an opposite, second side of the roll of tape. The adjustable holder arm includes a second cradle configured to receive the cable bundle therein. The adjustable holder arm has an adjustable position relative to the hub and the fixed holder arm to select an angular position of the second cradle relative to the first cradle for setting an overlap amount as the tape is applied to the cable bundle.

The invention relates to a method for jacketing strandlike elements (10), comprising the method steps of: a) producing or providing a strandlike element (10), b) wrapping the strandlike element (10) with an adhesive tape (12) to give a wrapped strand (14), the adhesive tape (12) comprising as curable adhesive a radiation-curing and/or thermally curing adhesive, c) arranging the wrapped strand (14) in one or more holding elements (16) of a holding arrangement (18) to establish a predetermined shape and to give a shaped strand (20), and d) curing the curable adhesive in the shaped strand (20) by irradiating the adhesive tape (12) with electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength λ, to give a jacketed strand (22), wherein the one or the two or more holding elements (16) at least in sections are at least partly transmissive for electromagnetic radiation of wavelength λ, wherein the irradiation of the adhesive tape (12) with the electromagnetic radiation of wavelength λ takes place at least partly through the one or the two or more holding elements (16).

A cable wrapper has a carriage coupled to a main frame with a plurality of twine compartments coupled to the carriage, each twine compartment comprising a roll of twine. The twine of each twine compartment is fed into the carriage. A plurality of cables are pulled through the carriage and the twine of each twine compartment is secured to the cables. As the cable is then pulled through the carriage, the twine is pulled and, via one or more pulley systems, causes the carriage to rotate. As the carriage rotates, the twine from each twine compartment wraps the cables, ensuring they are secured together their entire length.

In a winding device for wrapping an elongated bundled item and method for wrapping a bundled item with an adhesive tape in a winding device for wrapping an elongated bundled item with an adhesive tape, a roll for a predetermined length of adhesive tape is held in the winding head. The predetermined length is dimensioned for one portion of the item to be wrapped. A cutting of the adhesive tape on the bundled item can be avoided hereby.