Apparatus for making an electric harness

An electrical cable-making apparatus for making electrical cable assemblies of the type having a ribbon shielded electrical cable and discrete insulated electrical conductors with the exposed ends of the cable conductors and the ends of the discrete conductors terminated to electrical contacts of electrical conductors, the apparatus comprising:

• a feeding device for feeding the ribbon cable and the discrete conductors from supply members;
• a clamping device for clamping onto the cable and conductors and moving a specified distance along a path;
• cutting and stripping members positioned above and below the path;
• a plurality of clamping devices movable to a position adjacent the cutting and stripping members and clamping onto the cable and discrete conductors;
• cutting blades and stripping blades of the cutting and stripping members being movable toward each other cutting the cable and the conductors while the stripping blades cut through an outer jacket and shield of the cable and strip ends of the outer jacket and shield from the cable exposing ends of cable conductors thereby forming trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the cable conductors and the discrete conductors, the clamping devices being movable in opposite directions thereby positioning the trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the cable conductors and the discrete conductors in position with terminating sections of electrical contacts of electrical connectors;
• and
• terminating devices for terminating the trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the cable conductors and discrete conductors to the terminating sections of the electrical contacts of the electrical connectors.

A method of making an electrical cable assembly of the type having a shielded electrical cable and discrete insulated electrical conductors with the exposed ends of the cable conductors and the ends of the discrete conductors terminated to electrical contacts of electrical connectors comprising the steps of:

• feeding leading ends of the shielded electrical cable and the discrete conductors along a path to a selected position;
• moving clamping members onto the cable and conductors at spaced locations;
• operating cutting and stripping members positioned between the clamping members with the cutting members cutting the cable and conductors and the stripping members cutting through an outer jacket and shield of the cable without cutting the insulation of the insulated cable conductors and the discrete insulated conductors thereby forming trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the cable and discrete conductors;
• moving the clamping members while still in engagement with the cable and conductors in opposite directions thereby stripping the outer jacket and shield from the trailing and newly-formed ends of the cable and exposing trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the cable and positioning the trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the exposed cable conductors and discrete conductors in alignment with the electrical contacts of respective electrical connectors;
• and
• terminating the trailing and newly-formed leading ends of the exposed cable conductors and discrete conductors in the electrical contacts of the respective electrical connectors.