Being a wiring harness engineer may not seem all that glamorous until you start to think about the truly groundbreaking modern electronics that these professionals help power. Cutting-edge medical equipment, state-of-the-art military hardware, telecommunications satellites, and more all rely on some truly gifted engineering in order to fit within the parameters of their environments.
Meridian’s engineers and production staff are some of the very best in custom wire harness fabrication. Read on as we cover what all it takes to be the creative geniuses that are wire harness engineers.
Wondering what a wire harness engineer actually does?
Wiring harness fabrication involves some incredibly complex design steps in order to produce a product that’s perfectly suited for its intended use. Starting with sophisticated design software, a wire harness engineer takes countless measurements and computations in order to build a virtual model for the wire harness.
The wiring harness engineer focuses on designing a harness that will allow the safe and dependable distribution of power, data, or signal throughout a system. These outputs, in turn, provide the means to power an industrial control system, medical device, radio, etc. With a keen understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering requirements, our engineers interpret the environmental, structural, data, power, and/or signal needs of the project, specify the necessary requirements, and then assimilate all of the data into the final design of the wiring harness.
The Marks of a Good Wire Harness Engineer
Wiring harness engineers almost always have a strong background as an electrical or mechanical engineer. To become an engineer in the U.S., you’ll need to complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited school. Licensing requirements vary from state-to-state, but most states require professional licensure in order to practice as a professional.
Either during school and/or after you complete your bachelors, engineers-in-training (EIT), will need to complete a certain amount of time under a professional engineer (PE) before they are able to sit for a licensing exam. Once passed and as a practicing PE, engineers are able to sign and seal a set of plans, which means they’ve been reviewed and deemed satisfactory for safety, integrity, and functionality in design.
Certifications in Wiring Harness Fabrication
Like we just read, individual certifications are really important for wire harness engineers. An engineer with the experience and aptitude to pass rigorous certification standards has proven they know the best practices, techniques, and applications in modern wiring harness design. However, a wire harness engineer might be hampered in their effectiveness if their company isn’t additionally certified with industry-recognized credentials like those issued by the ISO and UL.
ISO 9001
The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, is an international organization facilitating standardization across industry. The ISO 9001:2015 standard details what it takes to be recognized as having an effective quality management system in place. This standard requires two specifics – the ability to consistently provide a product that meets customers’ standards and any regulatory/statutory requirements, as well as a focus on customer satisfaction, which in part requires continual process improvement. The professional manner of the wire harness engineers working at Meridian helps make it possible for us to continue to maintain the rigorous requirements for certification in ISO 9001:2015.
- Fun Fact: Yes, International Organization for Standardization’s acronym is IOS, but the original founders noticed that the acronym changes for other languages, as well. In keeping with their mission towards standardization, they decided to go with ISO from the Greek ‘isos’ – meaning equal.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Certification
Another really important designation that really reflects the quality of the men and women behind the custom wire harness fabrication process is the globally-recognized “UL” stamp on a product. Meridian is both a UL-approved wire and cable extruder and a manufacturing facility. This means we’ve met the tough standards set forth for quality and safety set forth by UL and are able to put the coveted UL stamp on different products we manufacture.
We also use UL-certified products in our designs so our wire harness engineers are working with the highest-quality components from the get-go. Additionally, we’re able to help our clients get their own products certified as meeting UL quality requirements.
Industries Wire Harness Engineers Design Products For
Wire harness engineers have some of the greatest diversity of experience among electrical engineers anywhere. That’s because unlike an electrical engineer at a given company that’s usually only working within a single industry, wire harness engineers get to design products that are employed in an incredibly diverse mix of industries.
Just some of the industries that Meridian’s engineers get to flex their wire harness design muscles in include:
- Industrial Control: industrial control systems are crucial as the brains behind automated manufacturing such as with bottling facilities. They can also apply to automated systems controls such as with a municipal water facility. These applications require incredibly complex electrical systems in order to operate efficiently and dependably. Wire harness engineers provide the infrastructure needed to facilitate the transmission of power, data, and/or signal within these essential systems.
- Medical: wire harness engineers working on medical equipment projects will have to think beyond traditional wire harness manufacturing as they incorporate special considerations like bio-sensitive connectors and safety jacks. These unique applications help make modern advancements in life-saving equipment possible.
- Telecommunications: telecommunications infrastructure today is needed at a record-breaking pace as our world becomes more interconnected and dependent on communications systems to keep the global conversation going. Wire harness engineers help to design the systems to fit within new and existing telecommunications systems, requiring a keen understanding of the needs expressed by the client and the ability to adapt.
- Military: military wire harness projects often need to conform to tough MILSPEC requirements in order to be depended on when our men and women in uniform are engaged on the modern battlefield. Custom wire harness fabrication for military projects causes our wire harness engineers to be even more hyper-focused than usual in order to produce a product that is safe, durable, and reliable.
- Other examples include: automotive, aerospace, aircraft, and energy-related projects are all part of a Meridian wire harness engineer’s wheelhouse. Bottom line, we have the tools and expertise to produce the perfect solution for even the most customized requirements.
This diversity of experience is what makes our custom wire harness design process so unique. We’re able to apply the best practices we’ve honed from decades of providing solutions to our client’s most complex issues and produce truly one-of-a-kind products at-scale.
A Day in the Life of a Wire Harness Engineer
At Meridian, we take pride in our work and it shows in everything we do. We recognize the incredible wealth of talent that each of us individually brings to the table and do our best to foster creativity and inclusion at every level within our organization. As wire harness engineers are designing products that meet our clients’ needs, you might find them at one of several steps in the wiring harness fabrication process.
Design Stage
During this stage, you’ll find our wire harness engineers hard at work using a myriad of software tools. With thousands of different computations needed, sophisticated software programs help to make sure a wire harness will be able to perform it’s crucial job of supporting the cables and wires comprising the electrical system under a given set of parameters.
Prototyping Stage
It’s quite rare for a product to go from design to volume manufacturing without a lot of little steps in between. One crucial stop is for prototyping. This allows our wire harness engineers the chance to compare how a few different sets of components come together to solve the issue at hand. Wire harness engineers will evaluate the efficiency, as well as the efficacy of the different options and select the most applicable solution.
Production Stage
During production runs, wire harness engineers are making sure their designs are coming together uniformly in a smooth and efficient manner. Working towards efficiency in manufacturing requires process improvement techniques such as kanban and just-in-time (JIT) ordering.
Testing Stage
Before a product is ever shipped to the customer, a wire harness engineer will need to make sure the product has been tested and retested for three key elements – functionality, safety, and integrity.
No matter where you are in the process, having experienced professionals managing all the intricate tasks that go into a production run is what helps us ensure projects are completed on-time and on-budget. We’ve found this level of commitment is what truly sets apart a custom wiring harness manufacturer’s products from off-the-shelf options.
Talking Over Project Specs with a Wire Harness Engineer
When your system requires a perfect solution to fit inside even the tightest of parameters, our gifted wire harness engineers can deliver. Contact our team to set-up a time to discuss your project’s specifications in more detail. We’ll help you understand our process, timeline, and what to expect throughout your wiring harness fabrication project.