Bristol, 14^th March 2024 – Q5D, a manufacturer of robots for wiring automation, has opened a customer Technical Assessment Centre (TAC) at its Portishead, Bristol, UK facility. The TAC is designed to help customers with feasibility studies, design for manufacturing, and prototyping as they transition from traditional wire harnesses to full automation. It has already attracted several major automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers into that sector, some with projects running into 2025.

Q5D’s CY1000 robot cell automates the addition of electrical wiring and connectors to automotive, aerospace, industrial, and consumer products and sub-assemblies. Through this process it mitigates the need for traditional wire harnesses, saving space, reducing weight, cutting costs, and improving product reliability. It integrates bare or insulated wires up to 3 mm in diameter and their terminations directly into products. Using the CY1000 for wiring automation also simplifies supply chains, enabling work previously done manually in low-cost labour regions to be brought back onshore to the final assembly locations.

The TAC enables customers to fully evaluate the technology before committing to leases or capital expenditures. It allows them to assess the technical and commercial benefits that can be gained for their specific manufacturing processes and how the CY1000 can be used as a standalone machine or integrated into their production lines. Q5D’s design, manufacturing, and software engineers are at hand to provide technical support and other advice.

Simon Baggot, Q5D’s CMO, said, “Working with us in our technical assessment centre reduces risk and accelerates success for our customers as they transition from traditional wire harnesses to an automated process. Wiring automation is seen as the last major barrier to fully automated manufacturing in many production facilities. It’s also recognised as a critical requirement as products become more complex and the need for electrification of products grows.”

Q5D’s TAC is a 400 sq.m. (4,300 sq.ft.) facility and the company has plans to double its capacity during 2024.