Knowledge
Answers, technical terms and tools covering cable assembly, wiring harness manufacturing and joining technology, from the day to day work of our plant in Kitzingen.
Articles
Basics, joining technology, testing and enquiry, written from the day to day work of our plant in Kitzingen.
The work steps, the methods and the factors that determine price and delivery time.
What the terms mean, how they differ and what that means for your enquiry.
How the three most important connections are made, where their strengths lie and how they are tested.
Process monitoring, final testing, records and how to define the right scope of testing.
Documents, quantities, requirements, scope of testing: everything that belongs in a good enquiry.
How seals and cavity plugs protect connectors and what matters when they are fitted.
Corrugated tube, braid, heat shrink and tape compared: how to choose the right protection.
Current carrying capacity and voltage drop, with a formula and a worked example for the 12 V on board power system.
Twisted cores, a 120 Ω termination, linear topology and the typical sources of error.
Current, IP rating, coding, locking and availability: what matters when selecting.
Unit price against total cost: when short distances, flexibility and fast samples tip the balance.
The 18 elements, the submission levels and what evidence is typically required for wiring harnesses.
Requirements, 3D routing, assembly board drawing, bill of materials: how a design becomes ready for production.
Noise immunity, data buses, lay length: when twisting pays off and how it works in series production.
Insulation, shielding, touch protection and testing: what makes high voltage cable sets special.
Variants, components, lot sizes: where you can save and where you had better not.
What wire end ferrules are for, which types exist and what matters when crimping.
What an assembly board is, how the assembly process works on it and why it makes series reproducible.
Crimp height, pull-out force, micrograph and force monitoring: how to recognise a good crimp.
Braid, foil, drain wire: how shields work and how to terminate them correctly at the connector.
Printing, heat shrink tubing, labels, colour codes and what makes marking good.
Thread, pole counts, coding and degree of protection: the standard interfaces of automation explained.
Replacement requirements, small series or classic cars: how a sample becomes a production ready wiring harness again.
What FLRY-A and FLRY-B mean and how to choose the right cable type for the wiring harness.
Class 1 to 6: what the conductor classes mean and what that means for crimping and connection.
How an ultrasonic splice is made, what it is needed for and how its quality is assured.
Know-how, purchasing, machinery and testing: when outsourcing pays off and what to look for when you choose a supplier.
FAQ
Your question is not here? Our sales team will be glad to help: by telephone on +49 9321 3924811 or by e-mail to info@powertune.de.
Cable assembly is the custom manufacture and assembly of ready to install cables, leads, wiring harnesses and complete cable systems to customer specification. Individual cables are combined with connectors, contacts, wire end ferrules, protective sleeving, heat shrink tubing and further components to form a ready to use assembly.
Cable assembly is used in many industries such as the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, medical technology, special vehicle construction and industrial automation. Professional cable assembly reduces installation times, minimises sources of error and ensures consistently high quality.
Modern cable assembly also covers the development, design, manufacture, electrical testing and documentation of individual cable systems for demanding industrial applications.
Cable assembly is used in almost every technical and industrial field in which electrical power, signals or data have to be transmitted reliably. The main fields of application are:
Companies therefore receive connection solutions that match their technical requirements, installation situations and quality standards exactly.
Custom cable assembly adapts cables, wiring harnesses and complete cable systems precisely to the technical requirements at hand. Compared with standard solutions, users benefit from higher reliability, shorter installation times and better use of space. Because cables, connectors, cross sections, lengths and protective components are matched exactly to the application, sources of error decrease and operational safety increases.
Ready to install cable systems are fitted directly. That saves installation time, lowers the total cost and improves process reliability. The main benefits:
An assembled cable is a single cable with terminations at its ends. A cable set combines several assembled cables that are installed together. A wiring harness bundles many cables with branches, connectors and protection into a fixed structure that fits the installation space exactly. The terms are not used in the same way everywhere. What counts is what the drawing and the bill of materials say. More in the article Wiring harness, cable set, assembled cable.
In most cases yes. A specialised cable assembly supplier brings the expertise and works considerably more efficiently thanks to synergy effects: it buys cables, contacts and connectors in larger quantities and processes them on production machines that rarely pay off for a single operation. Fully automatic cable processing machines, crimp tools for every contact system and test systems cost a great deal of money.
Meanwhile your team can concentrate on your own product. More in the article Outsourcing cable assembly.
For most wiring harnesses crimping is the first choice: the connection is made without heat, it is reproducible and it can be monitored in the machine. Soldering is used where components or printed circuit boards call for it; we join the strands of several cores by ultrasonic welding. You will find the comparison in the article Crimping, soldering or ultrasonic welding?
Ideally a drawing or 3D data, a bill of materials with cable types, cross sections, lengths and connectors, the pin assignment, the required quantity and details of the environment and the scope of testing. You can upload files directly in the enquiry form. What exactly belongs in a good enquiry is shown by the enquiry checklist, also available as a fillable PDF.
Yes. A sample, a sketch or photos are enough to get started. In the enquiry form you can also sketch your wiring harness directly. On request our design office produces the drawing with EPLAN. More under Development & design.
Usually within two to three working days. Exactly how quickly depends above all on the material: standard components that we hold in stock are costed immediately; for exotic special parts we wait for our suppliers to quote.
If details are missing, for example on connectors or on the scope of testing, we clarify them with you directly instead of building the quotation on assumptions.
Because very different services can lie behind the same drawing. Always compare quotations on the same scope:
More on the cost drivers in the article Process and price.
That depends above all on the number of cables and terminations, the connectors and contacts, the protection such as corrugated tube, braid or tape, the scope of testing and the quantity. One-off costs for tooling, the assembly board and test adapters may be added. There is therefore no flat rate price. The cost drivers are explained in the articles Process and price and Reducing wiring harness costs.
No. We do not apply a copper surcharge. The price from our quotation applies.
No. We make samples and single pieces just as we make small series and series production. How the unit price develops with the quantity is shown in the quotation. For recurring demand we agree framework contracts with call-offs.
In six steps: enquiry, clarification and quotation, design, sample and release, series production, then delivery and support. What happens in each step is shown on the page How a project runs.
Yes. Since 2023 we have been developing cable systems in our own CAD design office with EPLAN, from the cable routing in the 3D model through the manufacturing drawing to the bill of materials and the sample. You can commission the design only, the manufacturing only, or both.
Yes. Alongside series production, Powertune makes prototypes, single pieces, pre-series and small series. New products, machines, plants or vehicles can therefore be fitted with individually assembled cables and wiring harnesses while still in the development phase. Changes are implemented, tested and optimised quickly before series production starts.
Powertune supports you with, among other things:
That depends on the scope, the complexity and the availability of the components. We make samples at short notice. Our stock of special cables and semi-automatic machines with short set-up times help here. Series orders are scheduled by our MES according to priority and date. We state the specific delivery date in the quotation.
From 0.013 mm² to 70 mm², and up to 95 mm² where required: from the finest strands to battery and power cables. Large cross sections and cable lugs are processed by hand with the appropriate tooling. You can compare AWG and mm² in our AWG table.
Yes. We supply high voltage cable sets with an insulation concept, shielding and safe separation of high and low voltage. We define the scope of testing, including the high voltage test, for each project. More in the article High voltage cable sets.
Yes. For electronic assemblies and sensitive components we have an ESD protected room. ESD standards have applied here since 2011, and soldering and tinning work is carried out at ESD protected workstations.
Yes. You can supply us with cables, connectors or special components that you source yourself. For assemblies, customers often also supply the devices into which we install the wiring harnesses. We take on the complete module assembly.
Yes. We implement changes flexibly and seamlessly in series production. You can introduce changes up to shortly before your order. Every change status is documented in the drawing, the bill of materials and the work instruction, so that sample, drawing and series match.
To your specification: with labels, for example with the part number and a DataMatrix code, by inkjet printing on the cables, or packed in resealable bags. The methods are compared in the article Cable marking.
Through standardised manufacturing processes, qualified staff and comprehensive test and inspection procedures. All work steps are documented during production and carried out to defined quality standards: with visual inspections, dimensional checks, crimp force monitoring, electrical continuity and short circuit tests as well as function and load tests.
On request we also produce test records, measurement reports and customer specific documentation. More under Quality management.
During production, crimp force monitoring records the force curve of every crimp and detects missing strands, for example. The crimp height is measured before production starts; pull-out force and micrograph are further customary records. More in the article Testing crimp quality.
Yes. Every wiring harness goes through a final electrical test for pin assignment, continuity and short circuits, on two test systems from Engberts (iCAT) or on test boards. High voltage, function and load tests are added depending on the requirements; you receive test records with every delivery on request. More under Testing & documentation.
Yes. We supply bills of materials, test records on request and, for series projects, documentation to PPAP. We define which documents you need at the start of the project. More in the article PPAP for wiring harnesses.
The basis is our quality management to ISO 9001. Customer specific standards, drawing requirements and acceptance criteria are agreed for each project and implemented in a documented way. More under Quality management.
Since 2019, batches and processes have been fully traceable, and since 2021/2022 an MES has scheduled the production orders. Every delivery can therefore be traced down to the individual cable, from the material used to the finished wiring harness.
In a structured way with an 8D report, based on the requirements of IATF 16949: we narrow down the fault, take immediate action, determine the cause and eliminate it permanently with effective measures. Thanks to batch and process traceability, it is quick to establish which deliveries are affected.
Yes, we would be glad to arrange one. Simply make an appointment, by telephone on +49 9321 3924811 or by e-mail to info@powertune.de. We will send you our ISO 9001 certificate on request.
Yes, we deliver wiring harnesses worldwide. Deliveries currently go to the USA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Spain, among others; we have also delivered to Singapore.
Yes. Framework contracts with call-offs are readily possible, as is supplying your assembly line through kanban racks. Our MES schedules production by date and priority.
Our plant runs on electricity from our own photovoltaic system with an output of 100 kW. Since May 2026 a 32.4 kWh battery has supplemented the system; this allows us to supply 100 percent of our own needs all year round, even during a power cut. More in the post Our own solar power.
Glossary
The key terms from cable assembly, wiring harness manufacturing, testing and purchasing, with links to our articles.
Technical guides
Practical knowledge for design and purchasing, from the checklist to the sizing.
Checklist
Table & calculator
The common AWG sizes with their metric cross sections, and why the current carrying capacity also depends on the installation method, the temperature and the insulation.
To the AWG tableTesting
We test continuity and short circuits on every wiring harness. High voltage, function and load tests are added depending on the requirements.
To quality assuranceAdvice
We support you as early as the development phase in selecting suitable cables, connectors, protection systems and fixing techniques.
