OES Inc. has applied their recently launched patent pending PBT Sensor technology into ram component configurations to help harness manufacturers meet the challenges of small gauge wire processing applications through the introduction of their new PBT Sensor™ Ram Adapter models.

Wire harness manufacturers traditionally face the unrelenting challenge of ensuring zero defect quality levels while producing at ‘parts per second speed’ for ‘pennies per part prices’.  The introduction of small gauge wire with thin wall insulation further adds to this challenge.   Crimp force monitoring systems currently deployed on most wire processing systems have inherent performance limitations when used for small gauge/low force crimping applications.  A further concern in the industry is that visual inspection is very limited for these small gauge crimp applications, so effective objective monitoring systems are critical for quality assurance.

OES Inc. recently introduced their PBT Sensor technology designed specifically for electrical wire processing with the Base Plate model.  Now that same high sensitivity sensor technology comes in the new Ram Adapter model.  These sensor systems make installation simple; replace the existing base plate or ram component with the PBT Sensor.  Offering sensitivity 20 times higher than conventional quartz or ceramic piezo electric strain sensors, this new patent pending technology radically enhances the crimp defect detection capability of any crimp monitoring system; especially useful in small gauge wire processing applications.

“The challenge of processing small gauge conductors looms before the entire industry, as vehicle manufacturers increase the number of electrical features within the automobile while pursuing automobile weight reduction strategies,” says Michael Reeve, Vice-President of OES Inc.  “We are excited to bring this new technology to the market.  It is truly a ‘plug-and-play’ sensing solution to a key challenge driving today’s wire processing industry.”    

Reeve further indicated that the addition of the PBT Sensor technology strongly enhances the existing OES line of wire processing systems; the LPA-56B WireScan™ for strip and seal inspection and the new generation of crimp monitors like the CFM4100™. “These are complimenting technologies” he said, “highly sensitive and advanced process variation monitoring for crimping, combined with in-process strip and seal inspection to ensure effective and reliable detection of wire processing defects for conventional and small gauge wire processing applications.”