Certified Quality and Complete Traceability in EWIS Manufacturing

Aerospace

One Partner for the Full Process Chain
Modern aircraft place high demands on the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS). Komax Group supports manufacturing and testing along the entire value chain, through to MRO.
  • Traceability at Every Step
    Authorities and aircraft manufacturers require a record of every wire, every process step, and every test. Automated marking, processing, and testing capture those results as production runs and stay tied to the harness serial number.
  • Small Batches, Fast Changeover
    Aerospace harness production often means many variants, small quantities, and constant engineering changes. Automatic changeover, digital assembly guidance, and configurable test adapters keep one setup usable across a wide range of harnesses.
  • Automation at the Right Level
    Aerospace volumes rarely justify a fully automatic line. Semi-automatic machines handle stripping, shield processing, and heat shrinking at individual workstations, with repeatable results less dependent of the operator skill and an automation level that grow with your volumes.
  • Testing at Aircraft Scale
    A single front fuselage section can hold around 20,000 test points. Distributed test point units, Line Replacement Units that plug straight into the aircraft's own racks, and up to 95% fewer adapter cables make testing practical at harness, section, and final assembly level.

Data Preparation

From Design Data to the Shop Floor

Defining the logic, layout, and routing of an aircraft harness produces an enormous volume of data. That data then has to work in different systems and for different purposes: from procurement, through production or a manufacturing partner, to the test system. All these stations work from the same design in different formats, and a conversion error stays invisible until a tester finds it. That is expensive at a time of strict compliance requirements, tight delivery deadlines, and rising cost pressure.

No Two Data Landscapes Are Alike

No two manufacturers prepare their data the same way. A wiring list may be created from Excel, CSV, ANSI, or ASCII files or directly from ECAD systems such as Zuken and Siemens. Test parameters and tolerances come from the same engineering data that drives production, and the information needed to build a test program usually sits in more than one source. Komax works with what you already run and builds the path from there.

Data Digitalization

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Automated Cutting and Marking

Traceability Starts at the First Cut

A wire installed in an aircraft has to stay identifiable for the life of the platform, through production, inspection, maintenance, and repair. Regulation requires it, and the harsh environment a harness operates in makes it challenging to achieve. Not every cable can carry a laser mark either, so a single production run often mixes laser marking and sleeving. Identification is applied at the very first step, when the wire is cut to length, and everything downstream depends on it being right and unalterable.

Marking That Lasts the Aircraft Lifecycle

Komax machines automate cutting to length and marking in one controlled process. UV laser marking triggers a reaction within the wire insulation itself, producing a permanent and unalterable mark without consumables such as ink. The Optima 400 covers medium and high volumes, with automatic changeover across up to 40 wire spools. The compact MRO 200 covers low to medium volumes at aircraft completion and maintenance centers. EasyContrast then verifies the marking contrast to EN 3475-705 and SAE AS 4373, and documents the result.

Wire End Processing

Every Cable Type, One Process

Preparing wire ends in aerospace means working with materials and tolerances that punish the slightest error. Stripping, crimping, and heat shrinking each need their own method, tooling, and quality check. PTFE, Kapton, silicone, and glass fiber braid each behave differently under a blade. A nicked strand, a distorted shield, or a badly formed crimp turns a finished wire into scrap. The damage is easy to miss until a tester finds it in an assembled harness. Volumes rarely justify a fully automatic line, so the work stays at the workstation.

Change the Cable, Not the Process

Much of this work is still done with hand tools. However, semi-automatic machines produce faster and more consistently, without the investment a fully automated line requires. Controlled incision depth, precise blade positioning, and reliable wire detection prevent nicks and shield damage, and on selected machines strip dimensions are monitored and corrected during production. For the high-mix, low-volume production typical of aerospace, changeovers stay short, since most cable types need no blade change and no mechanical adjustment. Semi-automation delivers precision at production speed.

More about Our Semi-Automation Expertise
Cutting and Stripping
Aerospace insulation is unforgiving. Rotary and laser stripping handle PTFE, Kapton, and fiber braid, and shield processing exposes braided screens without distorting them.
Crimping
Every wire ends in a contact, and the crimp is where the electrical connection is actually made. Komax does not carry crimping hand tools, though local specialists will help you select them. What the crimp is worth, however, is measurable.
Crimp Quality Assurance
Crimp force, crimp height, and pull-out force are measured with dedicated tools, and a micrograph shows the cross section of the finished crimp. WinCrimp 8 links the results to the production order in a database, so the evidence stays with the part.
Infrared Shrinking
Shrink sleeves are processed with digitally controlled infrared heat, which keeps the result stable and precise and protects the operator from injury.

Harness Assembly and Testing

Guided Assembly, Verified on the Board

Connector insertion is where most manual errors happen today, and each one turns into rework. Harnesses with many variants in small batches make it harder, because a drawing on a wooden board falls behind every engineering change. And that board serves one harness while it occupies floor space.

Instructions Where The Work Happens

EasyWiring imports the CAD data directly, so an engineering change reaches the board electronically instead of as a new drawing. The layout is shown 1:1 with its wires, connectors, and accessories, and the operator is guided through each step with work instructions and the bill of material. Training time drops, every step stays traceable, and modular tables are reconfigured for the next harness rather than rebuilt.

Assembly and Testing in One Flow

Testing does not have to wait until the harness is finished. Cirris 8100 integration lets an operator identify a wire by touching a probe to a point and run low-voltage tests at any stage of the build—even as the harness is assembled on the EasyWiring board. For high-voltage checks at the test station, the Cirris 8250 covers up to 100,000 test points, and the Cirris 5150 adds the flexibility to build testing into automated equipment.

Section and Final Assembly Testing

Testing Where the Aircraft is Built

Once the harnesses are installed, the test object stops being a harness and becomes part of an aircraft that has to be tested thoroughly, according to EN 2283 or an equivalent standard. A front fuselage section alone can easily hold around 20,000 test points, and a rotorcraft or an eVTOL brings its own geometry. Every connector has to be adapted before anything can be tested. Parts, pre-assemblies, and complete sections arrive pre-tested, and yet the connections created when they are joined have never been tested at all. The next assembly step begins once those results are documented.

Every Testing System is Built to Order

adaptronic builds every test system to the customer's requirements. A modular design lets each system be configured from a toolbox of standard parts. That covers the tester, the distributed test point units, the adapter cables, the Line Replacement Units with test point cards that plug into the aircraft's own racks, the import of existing test programs or the automatic generation of new ones, commissioning, and training. Hundreds of interface connectors keep existing and third-party adapter cables usable, so an installed setup can be extended rather than replaced. Forty years of aerospace installations sit behind that approach.

For the largest test objects, the NT 800-1 provides up to 131,072 test points. Distributed test point units sit up to 90 meters from the tester, connected by a single cable that carries power, control, and measurement signals. EN 2283 puts the ceiling for aircraft wiring at 1,300 VDC. Electric and hybrid-electric propulsion is already moving past it, and across the portfolio, test voltages reach 6,000 VDC and 5,000 VAC. Rail vehicles are tested to the strictest regime in the industry today, and those requirements sit well below the limits of these systems. Line Replacement Units plug straight into the aircraft's own equipment racks, and Active Termination Adapters cut the number of adapter cables by up to 95%. Test runs follow EN 2283, and every result is documented.

Fewer Cables, Faster Rigging, More Room on Board

Every connector on a section normally needs its own adapter cable to reach the test system. Active Termination Adapters replace that cable. The adapter mounts on the connector, and power, control, and measurement signals run through the harness under test, so the unit needs no battery and no wireless link.

One adapter serves up to 60 test points across one or more connectors. When a wire is wrong, the measurement appears on a laptop or tablet and the adapter at the connector starts blinking at the same moment. Across a full section this removes up to 95% of the adapter cables, together with the storage, handling, and setup time that come with them.

The adapters themselves are standard units, so a test setup is built from stock rather than from cables designed and ordered for one aircraft. The equipment inside the aircraft shrinks with the cable count, the section stays accessible, and other work can continue while the test runs.

On the NT 800-2, the same adapters run at up to 1,300 VDC, so insulation and dielectric strength testing happen in the same setup.

Our Testing Expertise

Quality Done Right

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Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul

Proof That Holds Up in the Airworthiness File

After any work on the engine harness, the wiring has to be checked against the maintenance instructions issued by the engine manufacturer. Continuity, short circuit, insulation, dielectric strength, and, on some engines, the active components as well. Done by hand with a multimeter and a printed list, that takes most of two shifts, and the record is only as good as the person writing it.

Thirty Minutes, and a Record You Can Hand Over

An automated test run takes 30 to 60 minutes instead of 12 to 16 hours, and it logs every single measurement. The record cannot be altered afterward and exports as a detailed report for the airworthiness file. Whether the harness stays in the engine or is removed and tested on a bench, the same test program applies.

The same systems are available for wiring work elsewhere on the aircraft. Mobile testers travel to the aircraft in a hard-shell case, bench testers handle removed harnesses, and a probe documents open wire ends. Where a repair changes the wiring, the MRO 200 re-marks it to the same standard as the original.

FAQ

Still Got Questions?

Got questions about data preparation optimization, wire processing, or EWIS testing in aerospace? Here you'll find answers to the questions we hear most often from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and MRO centers.

What tests are required for an aircraft wire harness?

Four checks form the core: continuity, short circuit, insulation resistance, and dielectric strength. Depending on the aircraft test specification, component tests on switches, resistors, and diodes are added, along with function tests on active components.

EN 2283 defines the values, and the aircraft manufacturer's test specification defines which circuits they apply to.

What is the difference between testing a harness before and after installation?

EN 2283 separates the two. Part I applies after manufacture, before the harness goes into the aircraft. Part II applies to assembled bundles once they are installed. The test types are the same, and the required insulation resistance is lower in the installed state because the harness is by then connected to the aircraft structure.

How many test points does a test system need for an aircraft section?

This depends on the section. A horizontal stabilizer runs around 1,000 test points, a wing around 4,000, and a front fuselage section to around 20,000. At that scale the test point units are placed close to the harness, up to 90 meters from the tester, so the cabling stays manageable.

Systems for this work range from a few hundred points on a mobile maintenance tester up to 131,072 on a distributed system such as NT 800-1.

Is automation worth it at aerospace volumes?

Yes, but often not in full. Aerospace harnesses are high mix and low volume, and the wires, contacts, and connectors were not designed for automated handling the way automotive components are. The usual path is to start with semi-automatic machines at individual workstations and raise the automation level as a program moves from prototype toward sustained production.

Which process steps should be automated first?

Multi-spool de-reeling and laser marking are already standard, so they are the starting point rather than the decision. Wire stripping is the next logical step, with laser stripping for the more complicated constructions. Contact crimping follows and has to be qualified. Connector insertion causes most of the manual errors today and can be automated, although the components themselves were never designed for it.

Why is UV laser marking used for aircraft wiring?

Regulation requires permanent, legible identification, and UV laser marking delivers it. The laser triggers a reaction within the insulation itself, which produces a mark that cannot be altered or worn away, and it needs no ink or other consumable. The marking stays readable through production, inspection, maintenance, and repair, which is what aerospace traceability depends on.

When is laser stripping the better choice than mechanical stripping?

Laser stripping is the better choice for sensitive, complex, or non-round cables where precision matters most. It removes insulation without touching the conductor or shield, which suits coaxial, multilayer, and shielded aerospace constructions.

Mechanical stripping remains the right answer for simpler cables and where the investment has to stay lower.

How does a digital assembly board replace a wooden formboard?

A wooden board carries one drawing for one harness, and every engineering change means a new drawing. A digital board such as EasyWiring imports the CAD data directly, displays the layout at full size, and guides the operator step by step with work instructions and the bill of materials. Modular tables are reconfigured for the next harness instead of being rebuilt.

How is an engine harness tested after maintenance?

The engine manufacturer's maintenance instructions define the test scope, usually continuity, short circuit, insulation, and dielectric strength. Measured by hand with a multimeter against a printed list, that takes 12 to 16 hours. An automated test run with a mobile tester such as KT 236 takes 30 to 60 minutes, logs every individual measurement, and produces a record that cannot be altered afterward.

What changes for wiring in electric and hybrid-electric aircraft?

The voltages. Electric aircraft engines operate at around 800 V, which pushes the required test voltage above 3,000 V, while EN 2283 caps testing at 1,300 V DC. For eVTOL high-voltage cables there is currently no applicable standard at all. Test systems reaching 6,000 V DC and 5,000 V AC already exist, developed for high-voltage work in other industries.

Can aerospace test systems be connected to MES?

Yes. adaptronic systems provide an OPC UA interface for exactly this, and the Cirris 8250 connects through an API and OPC UA. Test results can be written to a database, so protocols are managed and evaluated centrally rather than workstation by workstation.

How does engineering data reach the machines and the test system?

Rarely by one route. A wiring list may arrive as an Excel, CSV, ANSI, or ASCII file or directly from an ECAD system, and the information needed to build a test program usually sits in more than one source. Conversion tools handle the standard cases, and the rest is integration work built around the systems already in use.

What is an Active Termination Adapter?

An Active Termination Adapter is a test adapter that mounts directly on a harness connector and communicates with the test system through the harness itself. Because power and signals travel over the wires under test, the adapter needs no battery and no wireless connection. One adapter covers up to 60 test points, and a wiring fault is indicated at the connector. Across an aircraft section this removes up to 95% of the adapter cables.