METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRICAL HARNESSES

Apparatus for manufacturing an electrical harness comprises a harness board having mounted thereon a number of jig members which is equal to the number of multi-contact connectors in the finished harness. The jig members are of a type that is adapted to hold an electrical connector housing and to locate wires in alignment with the terminals in the housings. The jig members are also adapted to have assembled thereto a wire-trimming and inserting tool which trims the wires in the jig and inserts the wires into the terminals in the connector. The harness is manufactured by lacing wires between and among the jig members in accordance with the locations of the wires as desired in the finished harness. After the wire lacing operation has been completed, the insertion tool is assembled or mounted on each of the jig members and the wires are trimmed and inserted into the terminals in the connector housings. Alternative apparatus can be used in accordance with the method aspect of the disclosure.