All these topics were answered by a mixed team at the ARENA2036 booth at the Hannover Messe 2023.

A demo crimping machine was used to present how the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) for the wire harness can already be used in a helpful and time-saving way for you. For example, if you would like to make a wire harness production for a specific terminal, the technology could help you as follows:

You only teach the crimp force monitoring, which is integrated in the crimping machine, once. I.e. you determine the terminal, the conductor and the tolerances for the finished crimp. All this information is then stored in the Asset Administration Shell in the future and can be recalled again and again.

Once you have prepared this data, you can perform the following actions with the machine:

• The machine can basically be locked for production operation.
• Via a barcode scanner you read in the production order in the first step, which specifies exactly which type of contact and which cable is to be used.
• After that, you scan the cable and then the contact.
• Only if all components match the selected production order, the machine is enabled via the software.
• The specified number of wire harnesses is then produced.
• The machine then locks itself again for production operation.
• And crimp force monitoring means that the results are also archived for you in the Asset Administration Shell beyond this point.

This means you can capture, archive and track data in real time. Production data can be retrieved directly from your MES system and compared with the individual components so that a 0 error tolerance can be achieved. You release the machine conveniently from your control station, no matter where it may be.

In the future, it is planned that the various partners worldwide will make data available in the Asset Administration Shell. The contact system and cable manufacturers will store information there on where components can currently be obtained, including delivery times. Cable assemblers present their production capacities there, so that OEMs can decide quickly and transparently on a source of supply. The production process can also be traced back years later. If one or the other error should creep in with a cable harness, the causes can be researched again here in detail.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, however, the major legal hurdle of data release must still be overcome by all participants in order to enable this area for Industry 4.0 to the maximum extent possible. It is not yet possible to predict when this will be the reality.

Do you have any questions, suggestions or requests? We are happy to be there for you.