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Christina Rutherford is a technical lead and expert in materials engineering at Honeywell, where her specialty is the design, specification, and manufacture of cables and wire harnesses. Rutherford also sits on the committee for IPC/WHMA-A-620. In this conversation, we explore the changing dynamics in wire harnesses and how they relate to box build. Christina’s standards work allows her to draw insightful parallels between wire harness and box build.
Nolan Johnson: Christina, we're here to talk about wiring harnesses and how they play into assembly and box build at the end of the supply chain. First, tell me about your speaking engagement at the upcoming wire show in Milwaukee.
Christina Rutherford: I will be giving the keynote address at EWPTE on May 15. My topic is process controls and their impact throughout the supply chain. I’ll be focusing on some of the core process controls suppliers need, different opportunities for process validation, and correlating some of those to recent aerospace-related news.
Johnson: Assemblers often say, “Basically, it's a hunk of plywood with some nails; you manually lay out the wires, zip-tie them, and when you’re done, you have your harness.” Is that still true today?
Rutherford: It’s the general perception, especially with new suppliers starting to get into high reliability application products, that you have wires, you add stuff on the ends of the wires, and you have a functioning harness. People can be unaware of the level of controls that go into what's between point A and point B to make it work.
Johnson: When it comes time, you put all the electronics, circuit boards, buttons, and panels together into an enclosure and connect them with the wiring harness. What do assemblers need to know when the wiring harnesses come into their facility?
Rutherford: You have a lot of layers of process control and inspection. Maybe you're not used to requirements in such detail, but suddenly, you have more parts with pre-existing manufacturing standards, and they must be revalidated. It matters a lot more. My background is in aerospace and defense, and we are required to check things more often.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
