Creo Parametric Tip: A Design Consideration When Creating a Flat Pattern for a Complex Harness

This question was originally asked by a former student who attend the Creo Parametric Cable and Harness Design course and was answered by the class instructor. 

Student's Question:

What is the best method of creating a flat pattern for a complex harness? Even when I try manual, there is still a branch that won’t let me select it for a start point.

Instructor's Answer:

A possible solution to creating your flat harness linked to a complex assembly is to use a sub-harness.

In your harness part, you can create a sub-harness or sub-harnesses. A sub-harness is a portion of a harness (and not a separate part file); It is visible in the model tree in the harness Footer area. Using this you can possibly break up the wire features in “groups” that can be managed a little easier in the flattened harness model.

You can use all of the entities available for harnesses when working with sub-harnesses, but Creo allows you to also work with sub-harnesses separately in Harness Manufacturing mode.

(SIDENOTE: Harness-MFG module is used to create flattened harnesses from 3D harness parts).

To set the default sub-harness, use the MODIFY HARNESS icon located in the Harness group in Cabling mode. Then select the harness that includes the sub-harness you wish to set as the default. You can then click on Set Default and select the desired sub-harness.

More information about this topic can be found in our Creo Parametric Cable and Harness Design course.

About the Author

Technical Training Engineer<br><br>Natasha joined the company in 2000 and has extensive experience sharing her CAD expertise through delivering webcasts, contributing to blog posts, and leading training classes. She trains end-users with all skill levels on Creo Parametric and CATIA, and she collaborates closely with the company’s technical writers on courseware development. Before joining Rand Worldwide, Natasha served as a mechanic in the U.S. Army National Guard and worked as a mechanical designer for a multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and she holds certification from Dassault Systèmes as a CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer and Certified Surface Design Associate.

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