AMWire

Wiring is the unglamorous part of a product that connects everything together and makes it work, and it is one of the last parts of the manufacturing process that is still largely done by hand. It is a labour-intensive and costly process that is prone to error. Harnesses are laid up and terminated on pin-boards, by skilled workers, often in low-wage economies. They are then packaged and shipped to the OEM where they are assembled into the product, again by hand.

If these two processes could be automated, it would double productivity and reduce the cost of manufacture, making it possible to onshore, reducing the complexity of the supply chain and improving resilience.

Q5D has created a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) of the robotic tool, it consists of a 2.5 tonne manufacturing cell, which is able to utilities three technologies, via interchangeable end-effectors:

\* Additive manufacture via polymer deposition

\* The deposition and termination of wire

\* The deposition of conductive ink and the laser sintering and shaping of this ink

All three processes can be performed on the complex shaped surfaces. By carefully positioning the terminations (plugs) so that they connect when the components are assembled, the whole manufacturing process can be automated. It is additive manufacture for electrical function but, unlike conventional additive manufacture, it is competing with a manual process making it cost competitive even at scale.

The hardware is innovative and powerful, but its full function is currently only possible when used in conjunction with sophisticated software. There are 3 linked layers of software required: Machine control, User Interface (UI) and CAD/CAM. The machine control and UI are developed in-house by Q5D. Post processors to the Siemens NX CAD/CAM software have been written by OnePLM to create a digital twin of the hardware and create the machine code needed to control it from CAD designs. The software is functional and highly experienced CAD/CAM engineers can use it. However, it is still low TRL and the workflow from design to manufacture requires simplification and the interfaces need to be made more accessible before it can be released to non-expert customers.

This project focuses on the further development of the software to the point where it can be successfully deployed at the Manufacturing Technology Centre and work on project supplied by end-user companies.