HellermannTyton
Specialised Fasteners Are Helping Electrical Engineers Save Processing Time
This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 2 2023.
As demand for new trains continues to rise around the globe, manufacturers are under pressure to raise production volume.
Expectations have risen from one train car per week to one per day. Add increasing amounts of cables per train to the equation and the task of meeting targets is challenging. Enter HellermannTyton: the company has developed a host of innovative parts that improve the efficiency of wiring harness installation.
Designing Components for Efficient Assembly
A typical high-speed train contains over 200km of wiring. The process of fabricating and installing cable sets is manual and time-consuming, but applying cable management expertise can help manufacturers achieve greater process efficiency. For example, threading ties through cable trays by hand every 20 to 30cm is necessary, but laborious. This process is repeated thousands of times for each harness, and for a train with 20 cars, it takes a huge amount of effort. To save time and money, it’s important to take fastening components back to the drawing board and design them for more efficient assembly.
Utilising Existing Holes More Effectively
HellermannTyton’s product developers have extensive experience in designing fastening parts that streamline processing. The One-Click Mount is a prime example of this know-how, drawing on cable management best practices from the automotive industry to benefit rail OEMs. With an arrowhead foot part and disc, the OneClick Mount is easy to insert and lock in place with an audible click. A version for oval holes also prevents the mount from twisting under load. It also comes with a cable tie pre-inserted, saving production workers time. Instead of bending ties all shift long, all they have to do is take the two-piece part out of the bag and push it into place. It can be pre-installed on the tray, or beforehand on the harness and simply clicked into place in one assembly step.
