Time-consuming manual wiring harness design
In an increasingly complex product landscape, conventional engineering processes are reaching their limits. This is particularly evident in the design of wiring harnesses. Data is scattered across various tools and departments, processes are incoherent and inefficient, engineering knowledge is documented manually, and models are created by hand in a time-consuming process. This leads to long development times, error-prone processes, and high costs. Manually creating 3D wiring harness models typically requires many hours or even days, which is often not feasible in architecture trades and variant comparisons.
Engineering knowledge as executable code
The solution lies in the systematic and complete automation of the design process using graph-based design languages. This methodology allows engineering design knowledge to be translated into a computer-readable and machine-executable form. The object-oriented and rule-based approach formalizes design elements, their properties, and assembly knowledge in an executable model. A design compiler automatically translates this knowledge into a holistic design graph, which serves as the central product model for a product configuration. From this, consistent, domain-specific engineering models such as CAD, FEM, or bills of materials can be automatically derived.
Design Cockpit 43® as an engineering platform
Design Cockpit 43® (DC43®) is the powerful software platform for implementing this technology. The integrated engineering platform is based on the Eclipse framework and offers specialized modules for various automation tasks. The DC43® Harness module automates the design of 3D harness models using proven algorithmic technologies. Pathfinding algorithms enable the computer-aided search for optimal paths between components, while multibody simulations calculate realistic physical segment profiles. These technologies have been further developed specifically for complex industrial environments and integrated into a seamless, automated process.
Successful applications in aerospace
The presentation demonstrates the complete automation process, from defining the installation space and algorithmic route generation to physical simulation. The technology's potential is illustrated using industrial application examples from the aerospace industry. Automation enables the generation and evaluation of different topology variants and alternative installation space configurations within minutes. The technology has already been successfully deployed in various industries and integrated into existing development processes. The resulting time savings, from many hours or days to just a few minutes, allows for rapid evaluation of wiring harnesses in architecture trades and the efficient generation of multiple variants to optimize weight, length, and cost.
The lecture was given as part of the Trend outlook on November 4, 2025 presented by Dr.-Ing. Roland Weil, IILS Ingenieurgesellschaft für Intelligente Lösungen und Systeme mbH and Priv.-Doz. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Rudolph, Institute for Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart.
Further information about IILS Ingenieurgesellschaft für Intelligente Lösungen und Systeme mbH can be found at: www.iils.de
