TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -Employees at Tobyhanna now have the capability to fabricate better quality, custom cable harnesses.
Six months ago employees in the Tactical Communications Facilities Branch began receiving various pieces of equipment which, individually, will allow mechanics to repair cables, but together will help mechanics to fabricate an entire harness. The branch is part of the Systems Integration and Support Directorate.
The new equipment gives Tobyhanna the capability to accommodate future workload, such as Bradley Fighting Vehicle and automotive harnesses, as well as any type of custom cable request, explains Vic Narsavage, branch chief.
The equipment includes a swaging, taping and two braiding machines, and an ultrasonic welder.
To fabricate a cable harness, mechanics begin by bundling the inner wires together and use a taping machine to tape around the bundle. The tape is used to protect the inner wires from the cable's next layer, which is the braiding. Prior to getting the taping machine, employees in the branch manually taped the bundle.
After taping, mechanics will use the braiding machine to braid wire around the taped bundle.
The braiding is either tinned copper wire, used for electromagnetic interference protection, or any type of textile braid, which includes cloth, polyester and polyvinyl chloride yarn.
"Without the machine branch personnel would have to purchase premade braided wire," Narsavage says, noting that the machine braids tightly around the bundle so it's more form-fitting, which increases the quality of the harness.
"There are some things that we can't do without this stuff," Jason Evans, electronics engineer, explains. "We can only buy [braiding that provides] 90 percent coverage, so if a customer requested 95 percent coverage, we couldn't provide it. Now we have the capability to give the customer exactly what they want." Evans works in the Production Engineering Directorate.
Branch personnel are also using a new process to put the rubber tubing, or the "jacket," on the cable, which consists of using air to expand the tubing twice the size.
"It's hard to pull eight wires through a piece of [rubber tubing] that's 20 feet-long," Narsavage explains.
The swaging machine, which accommodates workload such as Single Channel Ground-To-Air Radio and Vehicles
Intercommunications systems, will be used to crimp rings around the part of the cable where it adapts to the connector.
Evans says the crimp is a critical part of the cable because if it's loose and starts to spin, water can get in the cable.
In the past, mechanics used an "H" press, which uses two steel dies with half circles machined into them for the required crimp size, which presses the dies together to make a crimp.
"Mechanics had one shot; if it wasn't enough then they'd have to throw it (the metal piece) out and start over," Narsavage notes.
The swaging machine create an even, appealing look, and increases the quality of the cable tenfold, Evans adds.
Paul Dmuchoski, electronics mechanic in the branch, says that the swaging machine has made his job easier.
"We're more comfortable with the product we're producing because we know it's better quality for the warfighter," he explains.
The machine can also be used for other workload, such as hydraulic hoses and airlines.
The ultrasonic welder, which is usually used for automotive harnesses, applies fast vibrations to help weld copper wires together, thus creating a splice. Previously, mechanics created splices by twisting wires and soldering them together.
Evans explains that the ultrasonic welder creates an appealing, clean look, which is almost as good as having a solid wire.
Narsavage and Evans agree that the new equipment will increase the branch's capability to fabricate custom, as well as high-quality cable harnesses.
The branch will also receive a rubber molding machine next year, which will allow mechanics to make rubber molded connector back shells.
"Tobyhanna has capability but the new machines will provide an upgrade to what we currently have, and will increase the depot's capacity (to fabricate cables)," Evans notes.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is the Defense DepartmentAca,!a,,cs largest center for the repair, overhaul and fabrication of a wide variety of electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network. TobyhannaAca,!a,,cs missions support all branches of the Armed Forces.
About 5,600 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., the commandAca,!a,,cs mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.
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