  Cabling tasks (pulling, clipping, and plug insertion) are today mostly manual
work, limiting the cost-effectiveness of electrification. Feasibility for the
robotic grasping and insertion of plugs, as well as the manipulation of cables,
have been shown in research settings. However, in many industrial tasks the
complete process from picking, insertion, routing, and validation must be
solved with one system. This often means the cable must be directly manipulated
for routing, and the plug must be manipulated for insertion, often in cluttered
environments with tight space constraints.
  Here we introduce an analysis of the complete industrial cabling tasks and
demonstrate a solution from grasp, plug insertion, clipping, and final plug
insertion. Industrial requirements are summarized, considering the space
limitations, tolerances, and possible ways that the cabling process can be
integrated into the production process.
  This paper proposes gripper designs and general robotic assembly methods for
the widely used FASTON and a cubical industrial connector. The proposed methods
cover the cable gripping, handling, routing, and inserting processes of the
connector. Customized grippers are designed to ensure the reliable gripping of
the plugs and the pulling and manipulation of the cable segments. A passive
component to correct the cable orientation is proposed, allowing the robot to
re-grip the plug before insertion. In general, the proposed method can perform
cable assembly with mere position control, foregoing complex control
approaches.
  This solution is demonstrated with an industrial product with realistic space
requirements and tolerances, identifying difficult aspects of current cabling
scenarios and potential to improve the automation-friendliness in the product
design.
