Evaluation of the Design of a Tool for the Automated Assembly of Preconfigured Wires

The assembly of control cabinets is highly affected by manual processes. For reasons such as the shortage of skilled workers, there is a considerable need to automate the production steps. The automated wiring of prefabricated wires, which is a mayor process step in the manufacturing, is not automated yet. Besides different sensor technologies, a reliable tool for assembly must be developed. This article discusses the challenges and criteria for the development of such a tool. The most important functions of the tool include the handling of wires with different lengths, cross-sections, and colors as well as the consideration of close mounting positions. Based on a morphological box, a tool concept is derived and validated via tests on a demonstrator.