A wire harness assembly consists of electrical wires or cables that fix together using different components. You will set it up to supply energy or information to a specific system or device. Labeling a wiring harness may involve identifying a single wire, several wires, or the entire assembly. However, having electrical wires with labels can be quite beneficial, even if you know the type. Let us dig into more about the wiring harness labels.
Wire Harness Assembly Label Understanding
A wire harness assembly label can tell you:
- Barcodes: Anyone working with or managing a bundle of wires can benefit from the readable information provided by one of several barcode formats.
- Text: You can print the labels with information such as a product ID, date code, or other data and then attach them to the correct cable or wires.
- Certification Code: A UL or CSA label can be affixed to a wire bundle if it is going to be used in a UL-approved product.
Why is wire marking important?
Labeling the cables and wires used in the building’s control panels, telecom systems, and wire looms essential in the construction process. You can use the wire and cable markings to identify what connects to which component to make your job easier.
Color Coding of Wires is not enough.
Using wires of varying colors to create a wire harness assembly can be adequate in some circumstances. However, if a cable bundle from one company has to work with a product made by a different company, the incompatibility in color schemes could be problematic.
Makes Sure Safety
Wires come in a wide variety of forms, each of which contributes to the smooth operation of a building. As there are many electrical cables, carelessness with them is extremely risky. Workers could easily sever or disconnect live circuits by mistake if wires aren’t properly labeled, posing a severe safety risk.
Because of their versatility, cables can be hazardous in several ways. If a person cuts through a wire that they mistakenly believe is not live because of poor tracing, that person can have an electric shock. Hence, it’s dangerous to disconnect a ground line. However, a properly labeled system can reduce these risks.
Improves Reliability
Wires provide power, data, and other essentials to all rooms and areas. Unplugging various cables is a common task whenever you change a system. However, if the wrong one is disconnected, there will be a power failure, reducing efficiency. Correctly labeled wires make it easy to avoid this kind of trouble, boosting the dependability of all the equipment in the building.
Simplifies Troubleshooting
Wiring problems are a common cause of system failure and require careful investigation. Technicians spend hours following every wire to determine if it is the source of the problem. The technicians can quickly identify the problematic wire and decide whether to fix it or replace it if it is clearly labeled.
Caption: Black wire closing with blue covering
Top 6 Types Of Wire And Cable Labels
There are many options for conveying information in a cable harness assembly.
Heat Shrink Labels
A good time to apply heat-shrink wiring labels is during assembly. They offer a durable, long-lasting option for wire labeling that can withstand extreme conditions. Moreover, you can use it without terminating the wire with crimps as they can slip over the cable.
Magnetic Self-Adhesive Laminating tags
The cables with terminations use self-laminating tags. There’s a white label on the front and a clear tail on the back. You can write them by hand or mark them up with a printer. Also, the transparent area serves as the “self-laminating” component of the label.
Cable Tags
Using tags is an alternative to permanently identifying wires or tubes, which has pros and cons. While tags have cables of any diameter, they are most commonly found on more big wires or tubing. While labels are long-lasting and straightforward to replace, they disadvantage slipping on the wire.
Wrap-around labels
Wrap-around tags work with printing the symbols on a variety of sizes of wrap-around labels using a heat flow or laser printer. You can get these labels pre-printed if you choose.
Cable flag labels
Flag-shaped cable labels, or “cable flags,” are another adhesive label. These labels tend to wear out faster than others because the material used to encase the wire is so thin at its base. Labels for cable flags may accommodate multiple lines of text, making them ideal for use with barcodes.
Hook-and-loop labels
These labels stick to hook-and-loop material without adhesives. The fibers and claws make it possible to reapply it multiple times without leaving any adhesive residue.
Caption: Labeled Cable Plug into a panel
Why do you need Label Printers?
Marking systems have a wire labeling machine to apply adhesive labels on cables, wires, hoses, and other items. With label printers inside, they reduce the need for human labor and boost output.
A variety of high-quality printers, both desktop, and portable, create labels for wires and cables. Many businesses use a hybrid approach, employing desktop printers for bulk printing at the job site for unexpected revisions.
Wiring Harness Labels: Choosing the Right Label
Labeling during construction, manufacturing aerospace and aviation equipment, and creating a corporate network help point out any danger. Electricians, technicians, and installers can rest easy knowing that any future workers on the site will have all the information they need to perform maintenance or updates. Moreover, you can check for the system’s safety and effectiveness by labeling all wires and cables.
Many wire labels like cable tags, self-laminating options, heat-shrink, etc., are available. So, answering these four questions, you should find out the type of label or marker that would work best.
- Is there a required standard for this market or customer set you must meet?
- How do the labels perform when exposed to various substances and environments?
- Will you mark the wires before and after terminating the ends?
- And, what’s the size of the wire you’re marking?
Caption: Labeled Network Ports
Wiring Harness Labels: Choosing the Right Label Maker or Printer
Finding the right label printer is also important. Consider these factors before making a final decision on a label maker for cables and wires:
- Do you plan on making the labels at home or on the go?
- What are your daily label printing requirements?
- How big do the brands need to be to suit your purposes?
- Which labeling supplies do you intend to use?
Wiring Harness Labels: Wire Identification Options at Cloom
To ensure that you receive a wire harness or cable assembly that meets your exact specifications, we offer options such as adding
- serial numbers, letters,
- unique ID numbers,
- a part or reference number,
- as well as the wire’s point of origin and significance of destination,
- bar code,
- color code,
- and even your company’s logo.
Conclusion
Cable and wire labeling is crucial to identifying and assembling the electrical control boards, wire harnesses, and telecom systems. It’s an up-front investment that pays dividends in the long run by making it easier and cheaper to make adjustments or repairs to your plans. Heat-shrink sleeves, self-laminating tags, wrap-around wire labels, flags, and stiff tags are just some of the wire markers and cable labels available after you’ve followed the proper wire color regulations.
At Cloom, we are well-equipped with everything for proper and secure labeling of all the wires and cables. Not only do we own several industrial label printers for a variety of applications, but we also supply a variety of cable and wire markers in every size, color, and material type.
