SLE Electronic USA
There are many industries that demand quality in the products and services they receive from suppliers, but some have stricter standards than others. The automotive, medical and aerospace markets, for example, have such high standards that suppliers must have special certifications for manufacturing components for customers in those fields, and suppliers must submit to ongoing audits to ensure their processes and systems are structured to eliminate as many errors as possible.
SLE Electronic USA understands these standards well, and has been supplying customers in the automotive, medical, aerospace and appliance markets since its inception in 1992. SLE is a global leader in the provision of state-of-the-art technology to wire harness manufacturers, and maintains this market position by specializing in supplying devices for quality control inspection and providing “unique solutions” for quality control during cable processing.
“Product, service and innovation are what we are all about,” the company says. “Our unique technology is implemented and supported by our dedicated team of service professionals. Our systems have been applied and accepted throughout the world in all of the major manufacturing industries.”
SLE Electronic is based in Germany to serve the European wire harness industry, but also has offices in Singapore and China to serve the Asian markets. The company’s U.S. operations were established in 1997 in El Paso, Texas, as SLE Electronic USA. The Texas operations serve North and South America and all of the SLE offices “guarantee comprehensive worldwide customer support,” it says.
Connecting with Customers
Understanding that plug-in crimp connections provide important quality features in cable harnesses and conduction sets, SLE USA offers numerous components and innovative solutions to help customers reach their quality goals. The company notes its systems can be applied during the retrofitting of existing systems as well as when customers want to upgrade to “new, innovative products developed by renowned product engineers.”
SLE USA explains it has developed and produced a number of quality control systems with proven success:
>SLE micrograph laboratory – Describing these systems as “precise, fast and reliable,” SLE says its micrographs are engineered to achieve a 2- to 5-minute processing time; to be easy to use and operator friendly; for all processing stations to have an ergonomic design; be equipped with a high-resolution color camera for visualizing and measuring the micrographs; and provide varied ways of the analysis of crimp contacts, plug housings and assemblies.
“Continuous quality assurance in every phase of production is a competitive factor of ever-increasing importance,” SLE says. “In the production of cable harnesses, reliability and high speed are of equal concern. A fast and reliable micrograph analysis saves costs and reduces rejects. The SLE micrograph laboratory family analyzes and documents the quality of crimp connections by means of brilliant color photographs. Micrographs are indispensable for the release of new crimp contacts and crimping tools.”
>Crimp-force monitors – The company says its line of monitoring systems are retrofittable to “every crimp press and fully automatic crimp machine, and feature high-resolution, Piezo-Quartz sensor technology, absolute force measurement and graded access authentication.” Its SLE Net System, for example, has up to 16 channels for PC-controlled production lines and automatic crimp machines.
“SLE crimp-force monitoring systems measure and monitor crimping processes during production of cable harnesses,” the company explains. “A varied selection of systems provides the perfect solution for clients’ applications. From a manual working station up to complex fully automated cable-processing applications, from the retrofitting of existing systems up to the integration to new developments from round conductors to flat conductors, SLE offers the suitable quality monitoring system.”
>Testing tables – SLE’s new concept of testing allows for “unlimited testing solutions,” the company says. Its testing tables include tables with computer and ITET software and tables with custom analyzers. It also offers testing modules and mechanical fixtures.
“The advancement of automobile technology has made driving safer and more pleasurable,” the company says. “This is only possible with the use of more sophisticated electronic monitoring and controlling systems. Within a car harness lays the foundation of the rapidly growing communication needs throughout all individual electronic control units. At times, a conventional cable tester is unable to perform the special testing criteria required due to the complexity of such electronic systems.
“The ITET-Intelligent Electrical Tester works with a totally new concept – Testing Via Communication – which promises unlimited testing solution. Node testing, presence testing and electronic sub-system functional testing are realized via micro controller unit communications with the PC. This allows complex parameterization testing rather than conventional ‘go or no-go’ testing.”
SLE also manufactures a range of other products in cooperation with its many partners, which include Mechtrix, KabaTec, Bruderer, Judco Manufacturing, Start International and Komax. Working with these selected partners, SLE produces automatic and manual taping machines and accessories, automatic shrink-tubing machines, wire pre-feeders and cutting and stripping blades.