Wire loom is a tool for cable management and widely used in all type of industries as well as household needs as they are good cable organizers and used as both wire covers and protectors. This is a corrugated tube which is flexible and commonly used to bundle wires and cable very neatly and works as wire cover as well as protector. It is in shape of tube with a ridged outer surface for providing it extra strength as well as making easier for bending, if required. It can be taken as flexible conduit pipe also, when additional protection is required.
General wire looms are available with a slit through which cables to be managed, are inserted from one side and taken through the other side. They are available in different sizes or can be cut to fit any desired size. For inserting cables, through the slits and cutting these looms, specific tools are also available. Inserting cables through slits can be done easily with hands also but it is recommended to use tool for inserting it efficiently. Removal of cables and wires from wire loom is also very easy that’s why it is preferred in situations where frequent changes in wiring are anticipated. Though slit types are commonly used but there are non slit wire looms also available which can be used just as a conduit pipe for safety of cables.
Wire looms have unlimited applications everywhere whether at home protecting cables from kids and pets and up to that complicated wirings in automotive machines like bike and cars. Available in different colors and different material used for fabrication they are able to be used in almost every environment. At our home, as an example of the most common application, we can cover the wire coming out from any low height power socket where the cable has to run through ground creating a chance of being damaged by pets around.
These are the wires which can not be concealed permanently and wiring pattern may need to be changed for some reasons so we cannot think of any other way of covering as well as protecting them except wire looms. Colorful wire looms are available for such use where these cable covers will not disturb the natural beauty of the area used rather they may add some beauty to it. In our bathrooms also we can find it as a common accessories where galvanized type of looms are used to protect the water carrying flexible pipes adding beauty as well as perfect protection also. This can be seen commonly used with our shower used in bath tubs or wall mount showers.
One more complex type of wire application we can see used in cable harness or cable assembly in our car engine or in motorbikes. In car engines the wires are bundled in such a way that they are bound together through cable ties, electrical tapes and wire looms. These wires have to be protected from heat produced by engine, moisture, abrasion and vibrations. Space optimization is an equally important issue in such management and it should be easy to add, replace or remove any wire in case of troubleshooting or repairing.
If we can find the wire management of our car so complicated then just imagine what will be the cable management required for a passenger aircraft. If we can take one such wire assembly and open it, the length may be hundreds of meters. Preparing such assemblies with all the features of safety, protection and troubleshooting / repairing friendly are very tough as well as time taking and wire looms are very useful tool for achieving such complicated wiring assembly even. All such wire harnesses are first created as a complete assembly then it is fitted at its original place with all the fire protection covers to minimize the risks from short circuit type of accidents. All the wires are first cut to desired lengths, stripped on the terminating end for making connection then they are routed through sleeves according to wiring diagram and finally different sleeves to be bundled together and routed through sleeves or wire looms for giving the final shape to such assembly.
Wire looms, also known as convoluted tubing, are used in variety of applications as cable protector and cable organizer at the same time and they can be used anywhere like home used computers and other equipments, Industrial cabling and automotive wiring assemblies. There are different types of wire looms available which suits to specific requirements. Colored wire looms can be used for adding beauty to existing open wires and at large scale it can be used for color coding. Nylon wire looms, especially manufactured to withstand temperature are used in automotive applications.
Galvanized steel looms are manufactured with its special features like crush proof and corrosion resistance property and are used in bathroom fitting and fro covering home used gas pipes besides all the industrial application where mechanical protection to cables is required. Flame retardant wire looms are used where the cables have the face danger of fire and flames and they can work safely up to a good temperature range.
Aluminized slit wire looms with chrome finish, automotive fluid resistant, are used where thermal protection of cables are required, they can afford a temperature up to 1000 degree F.