Automatic Loom Test Equipment For Laboratory And Production Environments

Abstract

Cables (two or more wires within a single covering) and looms (an assembly of discrete wires) require testing after fabrication to ensure continuity between desired points, the absence of short circuits, adequate insulation, resistance, and undamage-2 insulation. Today's users require systems which have higher test speeds, expandability, easier programming and lower cost. A market investigation of the automatic loom testers available today, shows that there is no inexpensive solution. With the rapidly growing demand for loom testing facilities, the need for a new, fully functional, low-coot automatic loom tester has arisen. Due to the many forms that such testers take (i.e. varied packaging, node capacity etc.) the design presented here concentrates on an open-ended approach, the aim of which is to develop and prove technologies which satisfy the various loom testing philosophies of Interest. Three expandable modules have been developed, namely the GO/NO-GO, QUALITY, and CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT cards. On this basis, m customer can configure an automatic loom tester to satisfy the needs of his particular environment.