Why on earth should a wire harness designer understand APIs? 

In a nutshell, they empower you to streamline the design process, reduce errors, and optimize workflows, ultimately leading to the creation of high-quality wire harnesses. The more you know, the better.

APIs – Application Programming Interfaces – are critical features in wire harness design software. They’re sets of rules and protocols that allow external programs or systems to interact with and access the functionalities and data within the wire harness design software. 

In essence, APIs enable software interoperability in engineering. They serve as bridges that enable different software applications and tools to communicate and exchange information seamlessly. In the context of wire harness design software, an API in engineering plays a critical supporting role.

API Integration in Wire Harness Design  

The use of CAD software in wire harness design is an essential component of modern engineering and product development. CAD software serves multiple functions within the wire harness design process, including visualization, space allocation, collision detection, and documentation. Engineers rely on CAD tools to visualize the integration of wire harnesses into larger product assemblies, allocate space for components, identify potential interference issues, and generate assembly documentation.

The seamless integration between wire harness manufacturing systems and CAD software is facilitated through the use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). It’s worth repeating: APIs play a pivotal role in enabling data and information exchange between different software applications. 

Automated Wire Harness Design 

APIs can automate various aspects of the design process in engineering. For example, you can manage the project and drawing metadata and pull the outputs, such as reports and drawings. 

You can use APIs in conjunction with your existing manufacturing systems to streamline processes. When a new part is created, you can automatically generate the necessary blank drawings. APIs can also manage the check-in and check-out process for drawings. Once a design is finalized, the API can lock the corresponding drawing and generate a set of drawings for downloading. This automated workflow minimizes errors and ensures that the manufacturer receives the required drawings while providing the purchasing department with the BOM and part information.

Data Transfer   

API-driven engineering data exchange plays a pivotal role in enabling the smooth transfer of wire harness design data. This isn’t limited to CAD software, but also to other management systems, such as PLMs, MRPs, and comprehensive enterprise solutions like SAP. This integration not only streamlines the process, but also ensures that critical information, spanning wire paths, connectors, splices, and various components, is accurately and efficiently integrated to manufacturable tolerances. This harmonious interaction between the design tool and a diverse range of management systems fosters enhanced collaboration, error reduction, and significantly contributes to the overall precision and efficiency of the engineering workflow.

Real-Time Updates 

Integration through APIs enables real-time updates. Any modifications made to the wire harness design within the dedicated software are automatically reflected in the CAD model. This guarantees that the CAD model remains synchronized with the latest design changes.

Enhanced Collaboration  

Integration via APIs promotes more effective collaboration between various engineering teams. This includes electrical engineers and mechanical engineers who can work cohesively, with design changes seamlessly communicated between the wire harness design and CAD tools in real-time. Exceptional APIs, such as Arcadia GraphQL, can even share project status and drawing information internally to people who don’t have or need access to Arcadia. 

Visualization 

Engineers benefit from visualizing the wire harness, which helps in the early identification of potential issues. With the ability to share drawing information with other people within the business, you can ensure that the wire harness fits correctly and is routed properly within the product assembly.

Enhancing Customization 

APIs allow engineers to enhance the wire harness design process by tailoring and extending their software tools to align with specific project requirements. While the focus is on aiding the overall design process, including specialized wire harness functionality integration, engineers can leverage APIs to develop custom scripts or applications that seamlessly interact with existing engineering software. This level of customization facilitates workflow optimization and tool adaptation for specialized tasks, fostering innovation in the wire harness design process.

Engineering Software Scalability 

API-driven engineering solutions can scale to meet the needs of complex engineering projects. As project requirements evolve, engineers can extend and adapt their API integrations to handle larger datasets, more complex simulations, or additional functionality, ensuring scalability and innovation in the long term. 

Manufacturing Integration 

APIs can be used to link wire harness design software with manufacturing systems and machines. This integration ensures that the design specifications are accurately translated into manufacturing instructions, improving the quality and efficiency of production.

Streamlined, Accurate Processes 

The enhancement of wire harness design CAD software with APIs offers: 

  • Improved accuracy
  • Time savings
  • Improved collaboration
  • Streamlined documentation processes 

These advantages contribute to a more efficient and error-free wire harness design and manufacturing cycle, ultimately resulting in higher-quality products.

What is Arcadia GraphQL – and Why Does it Matter? 

Arcadia GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for executing those queries by specifying the shape of the response data. 

More specifically, it represents a robust scripting interface founded on GraphQL technology. It empowers third-party systems and processes to engage with a wide range of data structures within the Arcadia software. This API, known for its versatility, is not confined to internal use and extends its capabilities to external applications and processes, enabling seamless data interaction and integration with Arcadia’s stored data structures.

In essence, it acts as a conduit, facilitating communication and collaboration between Arcadia software and external systems, broadening the software’s utility and reach. It allows you to request only the data you need, which can be a more efficient way to retrieve data compared to traditional RESTful APIs. It might help you better understand the capabilities of Arcadia GraphQL API if we do a comparison. 

RESTful APIs vs. Arcadia GraphQL API

A RESTful API – or Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface – aligns with the principles and constraints of REST. This constitutes a collection of architectural guidelines for crafting networked applications. The primary objective of RESTful APIs is to offer a straightforward, scalable, and stateless approach, rendering them well-suited for diverse internet-based applications and services.

Arcadia GraphQL offers several advantages over traditional RESTful APIs, making it a compelling choice for use cases in wire-harness design.

  • Efficient Data Retrieval

With Arcadia GraphQL, you can request exactly the data you need, and no more. This prevents over-fetching (receiving more data than required) and under-fetching (not getting enough data), which is common in RESTful APIs. You have fine-grained control over the shape and depth of the response data, leading to more efficient use of network resources.

  • Reduced Number of Requests

In REST, multiple requests may be needed to fetch related data from different endpoints, leading to the “N+1 query problem.” Arcadia GraphQL allows you to fetch all related data in a single request, reducing the need for multiple round-trip requests to the server.

  • Schema and Strong Typing

Arcadia GraphQL APIs are defined by a schema that explicitly specifies the types of data that can be queried and their relationships. This strong typing provides clarity, enabling better tooling, validation, and error checking.

  • Versionless API

In RESTful APIs, versioning is often required when making changes to the API, which can lead to complex version management. GraphQL APIs in general are versionless because users request only the data they need, and schema changes don’t create disruptions. This simplifies API maintenance.

  • Reduced Overhead

In REST, response payloads may contain unnecessary data, leading to increased bandwidth and processing overhead. GraphQL minimizes this overhead by allowing users to specify exactly what data they need from the API. By doing so, you receive responses that contain only the data you requested, leading to more efficient data transmission and smaller response payloads. This efficiency is particularly beneficial for optimizing network performance and reducing bandwidth use.

  • Introspection 

GraphQL APIs provide introspection capabilities, allowing clients to discover the schema and understand available types, queries, and mutations dynamically. This makes it easier to explore and interact with the API.

  • Batching

Arcadia GraphQL APIs enable batching of multiple queries into a single request, reducing latency and improving efficiency, especially in mobile or low-bandwidth scenarios.

  • Backward Compatibility

As new fields and types are added to a GraphQL schema, existing queries remain backward compatible. You can continue using your existing queries while taking advantage of new features and data fields.

Arcadia GraphQL API: a Closer Look 

The Arcadia GraphQL Sandbox lets you run queries and mutations directly from your web-browser without the need to install any third-party software or development tools. Note, when we say “mutations,” we’re talking about modifying data on the server or performing actions that result in changes to the server’s data. While queries in Arcadia GraphQL are used for retrieving data, mutations are used for creating, updating, or deleting data.

You can use the Sandbox to test queries and get data ready to help you write your API integrations. It also lets you perform any task directly from this interface.

Retrieve Task Data

You can customize Arcadia GraphQL API’s behavior by providing different arguments. Instead of receiving all tasks by default, the query allows you to specify particular criteria, such as a “drawing task.” 

This means that when you make the query, you can choose to retrieve only the data related to the specified “drawing task” rather than getting all tasks. Users have the flexibility to select which specific fields or pieces of information they want to retrieve in their search. This gives them control over the data they receive, allowing them to request as few or as many details as needed. This customization provides a more efficient and tailored way of requesting data.

The simplified explanation

Our aim in this article isn’t to overload you with too much technical information about the features of Arcadia’s GraphQL API. The most important takeaway is this: you can connect and interact with Arcadia’s data and functionality, allowing for seamless data exchange and interaction between Arcadia and other software applications. This integration enhances the interoperability of Arcadia with various tools, streamlining workflows, and enabling more efficient and effective software-driven processes in engineering or related domains. In essence, it’s about using the power of Arcadia GraphQL API to make software integration effortless and productive.

How do you get started with Arcadia GraphQL API?

Arcadia GraphQL API is part of our scripting services, which is accessible with an integrator license from Cadonix. Please contact your system administrator, account manager, or Cadonix helpdesk to find out if this has been installed.

You can use your own development team to write your integrations or tap into our expertise and let our consultancy service help. We can advise on the best way to ensure you have a robust system that you can use and maintain yourself after the development is complete.

Ask for a free demonstration 

If you want to first see how it works, just give us a call and we’ll set up a demo. If you have any questions, we’re always happy to help. We were the first cloud-based software for wire harness design, and we continue to innovate with new offerings.