EV wire harness production: the equipment list
High-voltage EV harnesses use 25–120 mm² shielded cable at 400–800 V — which means heavier stripping, shield processing steps and 100% electrical testing that conventional harness lines don't have. Here is what a real line needs, in process order.
| Step | Equipment | Why it's needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cut & strip | Heavy-duty cut & strip machine | Measured cutting and jacket stripping of 25–120 mm² HV cable |
| 2. Shield processing | Braid brushing / folding station | Expose and fold back the shield braid for the shield connection |
| 3. Terminal crimping | Hexagonal / servo crimping machine | Crimp large HV terminals with tooling and crimp-height acceptance matched to the terminal specification |
| 4. Splicing | Ultrasonic metal welder | Solder-free copper joints for busbar and branch splices |
| 5. Sealing | Heat shrink processing machine | Adhesive-lined tubing over joints for IP sealing |
| 6. Testing | Hi-pot harness tester | 100% continuity + insulation + withstand voltage at 400–800 V systems |
Watch the machines on this line running real wire
Close-ups of the heads listed above, 10–30 seconds each, on wire like yours. If one answers your question, send 2–3 metres of your own and we run it on that head, on video, before you order.
More clips on these questions:Charging-gun and battery cable: can a machine do the end without heat? · Will the die match my terminal? · Prove the crimp: cross-section and pull
Where EV lines actually get stuck
Three steps cause most of the trouble, and none of them are the crimp. Shield processing is first: the braid has to be opened, combed back and folded over the jacket without cutting strands — a step conventional harness lines simply do not have, and the reason the WM-199 exists (2.5–150 mm², strips and folds the shield in one cycle, up to 15 s per piece). Lug force is second: HV terminals need 10–30 tons, not the 2 tons a standard bench press delivers — the WM-3234 is built for charging-gun cable at 1–70 mm² (10 T) and 6–120 mm² (30 T). Verification is third and most often underestimated: at 400–800 V, a crimp that merely holds is not evidence. Cross-section analysis at 30–312X shows compression ratio and voids that a pull test cannot.
EV harness equipment — common questions
What equipment does an EV high-voltage harness line need?
A typical HV harness cell needs: a heavy-duty cut and strip machine for 25–120 mm² cable, a shielded-cable processing station (jacket, braid, foil), a hexagonal crimping unit for HV terminals, ultrasonic welding for busbar and splice joints, heat-shrink processing with sealant tubing, and a harness tester with voltage range and test sequence matched to the applicable drawing and test requirements.
How is EV harness processing different from conventional automotive harness?
Three differences: much larger cross-sections (25–120 mm² vs 0.35–6 mm²), shield processing where specified (requires additional braid-processing steps), and 100% hi-pot electrical testing because of 400–800 V system voltage.
What budget should a startup EV harness workshop plan for equipment?
Send your harness drawings, target output and email address. Our engineering team and business specialists will contact you within 12 hours with a quotation proposal matched to the required machines, tooling and tests.
Which machine strips HV cable and folds the shield back?
The WM-199 does both in one cycle on 2.5–150 mm² high-voltage cable, at up to 15 seconds per piece. Done separately, shield folding is a manual step that varies operator to operator — which is exactly the variation a 400–800 V system cannot tolerate.
How do we prove the crimps before shipping harnesses?
Two instruments, two different kinds of evidence. A pull tester shows the crimp held — the 500 N class covers ordinary terminals, and heavy HV lugs need the 10,000 N frame. A cross-section analyzer at 30–312X shows why: compression ratio, voids between strands, burr height. For HV work, buyers increasingly ask for the section photos, not just the pull numbers.
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