A company in North Somerset has completed a £1.8m project to automate the production of a wire harnesses used in aircraft, medical appliances and cars.

Portishead-based robotics firm Q5D has said its tech could allow manufacturers to develop products with more complex wiring, and to ‘reshore’ production and be “less reliant on low-cost overseas labour” or exposed to supply chain disruption. 

The business said its ‘LiveWire’ product combined the knowledge of the world’s largest aerospace companies and the technical capabilities of UK SMEs and academic institutes, to make “lower cost, higher quality and lighter components”.

It comes after Q5D opened new state-of-the-art facilities to bring together its core operations, from design and engineering to manufacturing and testing. 

Chief marketing officer Simon Baggott said: “Wire harnesses are critical in many designs, from electric vehicles to aircraft to consumer electronics, but most of this production is manual and labour intensive.

Q5D’s robots automate those processes, enabling manufacturers to cut costs, reduce waste, and develop products with more complex wiring. For example, in the car industry, precision wiring can enable carmakers to add more features and differentiate their products.”

Q5D recently won a £15,000 grant from Innovate UK to access the resources and facilities of the government innovation agency’s Catapult Network of tech hubs. The company said it was now looking to develop new, lower-cost printed electronics materials for the aerospace industry, as it looks to transition away from silver.

The firm said: “That project will give us scope to partner with aerospace companies on pioneering new technologies. We also worked with Innovate UK EDGE’s Stephanie Fox to secure an IP Audit grant, which has helped us to strategically map out our IP goals and then secure a further IPO grant to act on the audit findings.

 It’s given us a huge amount of confidence and a clear direction of travel as we develop new technologies and re-approach our investment community.”