Cables

The electrical engineers in my department needed mechanical support for 3D cable modeling, routing, drawings, and raceways. I was selected to assist them even though I had no experience with this kind of work. I modeled almost all the cables for Lexmark's high end color laser family, which came to about 60 cables. My 3D modeling skills rapidly improved because I was trying to do something that had never been done before at Lexmark. We also set precedence with how we formatted the drawings.

After all that, the electrical engineers explained to me they wanted to contain and guide the cables somehow in a few select locations. My previous department had dealt with unconstrained cables that caused a lot of problems, so I completely understood their concern. I did some research and designed a couple of cable raceways to help them out. This was a first for our company.

Never before had so much thought and effort gone into cables. After the first prototype printer was built, my second line manager joked other teams needed to look at the cables on our prototype so they could learn a thing or two.

While my modeling skills drastically improved, I also gained an introduction into the world of electrical engineering and what they deal with. I have a new respect for cables and the mechanical needs of the electrical engineers. After 60 cable drawings, I am also positive I could build a cable from a drawing if I had to.