Routing Flexible Bundles and Tubes

This task shows you how to create flexible bundles and route tubes through them.
Flexibles can be routed in space, from another part (tube, conduit or waveguide) and from or through an item or path reservation. They cannot be routed from, or connect to, a run.

1. To create the bundle, click the Flexible Bundle Routing button . The Flexible Bundle Routing dialog box opens.

2. Click where you want to begin your bundle and click two more points to create a simple bundle. Click Apply.  Your bundle should look similar to this.

3. Use the Build Mode panel of the Flexible Bundle Routing dialog box to increase or decrease the Slack(%).  To adjust the slack of a segment in a 'flexible' see the section on Managing Local Slack. Change the values in Length and Bend to achieve the desired effect. When you are finished making changes, click Apply. The bundle adjusts to reflect the additional slack, length or bend radius changes.  Note that the selected points remain in position. 
4. To route tubes through the bundle click the Flexible Tube Routing button . The Flexible Tube Routing dialog box opens. 

5. Click to start your tube outside the bundle.  Now click the point at the entry point of the bundle, then on the exit point of the bundle, and finally where the route will terminate.

Click Apply. The route will be updated as shown below.

6. To resolve the misalignment of the two splines, double click the spline on the segment you wish to correct. In this case we will correct the first segment. Part Design will open. Double click the spline again. The Spline Definition dialog box opens displaying the points of the spline.

The Spline Definition dialog box will list the points of the route. The points are numbered in the order they were placed. The last point will be highlighted when the dialog box opens though it may not be the point you want to edit.

The first point (Point 1) contains the data that determines the flexible's shape. Do not delete this point.

7. Select the Point in the Spline Definition dialog box. In this case, Point 2 is the point we will edit.
8. Zoom in as necessary to select the face of the bundle you want to align with and click when the Face/Rib.1/Bundle cue appears. The Tangents Direction value for Point 2 will display Surface.1,the tangent will become normal to the face of the bundle and the splines will be aligned.

 

9. If the tangent selects the opposite (internal) face (as shown below) click the red arrow, or click the Reverse Tangent button in the Spline Definition dialog box, and the direction will be reversed.

Click OK to close the Spline Definition dialog box after correcting each spline. Double click Product in the specifications tree to return to Tubing Design. 

10. You can add more tubes to the bundle. Click OK after completing each tube and the Flexible Tube Routing button  to begin a new one.