Adding Mate References to Ribbon Cable Connectors

By adding mate references to ribbon cable connectors and their mating sockets, you can position the connector correctly when you insert it into an assembly.

To facilitate mating, give the mate references the same name in both parts.

To add a mate reference:

  1. Open the ribbon cable connector part.
  2. Click Mate Reference (Reference Geometry toolbar) or Insert > Reference Geometry > Mate Reference.
  3. Specify options in the PropertyManager.
  4. Click .
    The mate reference is added to the FeatureManager design tree in the MateReferences folder.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the mating socket part.
    Insert and position the sockets in the main assembly before you create the ribbon cable route. Then when you insert the connectors into the route subassembly, the mate references automatically align the connectors.

Example of Mate References in Ribbon Cable Connectors and Sockets

   
Primary Reference Entity face of trapezoidal feature face of socket
  Mate Reference Type Coincident Coincident
  Mate Reference Alignment Anti-Aligned Anti-Aligned
Secondary Reference Entity Top Plane Top Plane
  Mate Reference Type Coincident Coincident
  Mate Reference Alignment Any Any
Tertiary Reference Entity Right Plane Right Plane
  Mate Reference Type Coincident Coincident
  Mate Reference Alignment Any Any