Although many of our examples just show AutoAssemble placing connectors into a CAD model, it can actually be used for much more than that! One special example and use case is to add a Backshell to the end of a connector. 

There are a few requirements, so let's walk through them quickly!

The Input File

The following link is to an example file which can be used to assemble connectors with backshells. 

Download Example CSV File

For the most part, this example is exactly the same as the other example input files... however  you'll notice a few things:

• We have a connector (that will be assembled) with the designation "BOX101P16"
• We want to to assemble a backshell to that connector, so we add a new line in the file with the backshell's desired part number (and designation, if desired... in this case, let's assume we want it to be called "BOX101P16_BACKSHELL").
• The "MATING_BLOCK_NAME" parameter has a value of "BOX101P6", because that is the designation of the connector we want to assemble to
• The "MATING_BLOCK_CONNECTORNAME" value is "BACKSHELL"  - (in reality, that parameter value is used as a backup relative to the component interfaces as shown above.)
• We then add a new parameter "COMPONENT_TYPE", and set the value for the desired backshells/rows with a value of "BACKSHELL".  
• Past that - everything else works the same! As with out other examples, you're still free to add as many other parameters to the component as desired.

NOTE: The "order" in the list  doesn't matter - the application will first loop through all connectors, and will THEN assemble all backshells, regardless of it's location in the file.

The Backshell Model

The model for the backshell has similar requirements to any normal connector. Since it gets assembled to the connector, we define a "CONNECTOR_MATE" component interface (or as defined per your organization's settings).

The Connector Model

If a connector is able to receive a backshell, simply define a "BACKSHELL_MATE" component interface (or as defined per your organization's settings).

The Result

From here... AutoAssemble will assemble the backshell (using the "CONNECTOR_MATE" on the backshell model) to the connector (using the "BACKSHELL_MATE" on the connector model).