The contribution from TUM / iwb investigates the conditions under which wiring harness assembly can be automated economically and robustly. Within the framework of the Robotics Challenge 2026, it was demonstrated that a fully automated process chain is achievable through a consistently robust process design.

Real-world production conditions are specifically taken into account. Process fluctuations, product variety, and industrial constraints are not considered exceptional cases, but rather integral components of process development. Robustness is therefore not an additional quality aspect, but the foundation for reliable industrial automation.

This paper focuses not only on technical feasibility, but also on its economical and reliable implementation under real-world production conditions. TUM/iwb thus provides an important building block for the industrial introduction of automated wiring harness manufacturing.

The Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb) at the Technical University of Munich is one of Germany's leading production engineering research institutions. Its main areas of focus are manufacturing technology, robotics, production management, and sustainable production.

Further information about the iwb at TU Munich can be found at: www.iwb.tum.de