Bring Excel File into Tool Library 1

[Buckshott00]

Hello All,

I have an excel file full of Machine tool attributes (cutting tools i.e. end mills)

I'm running in NX7.5

What would be the quickest way to get them into the tool library? I want to be able to select them just like the generic tools.

Do I need to convert to .dat file type?

Thanks,
--Buckshott00

 

[markrief]

I recommend you use excel to rearrange the data in to the formats found in tool_database.dat and export as comma delimited. Then use a text editor to replace the comma delimiters with pipes, and manually clean it up to match our file. Then paste the lines in to tool database.dat.

I would not add any new classes - stick with ours.

If you follow our libref naming convention, start your numbers at 1001 or something high, so that when we add tools in the next release, they won't conflict with your numbers.

Mark Rief
Product Manager
Siemens PLM

 

[Buckshott00]

Thanks,

With the part families and CAD generation from Excel, I thought there might be a way to go directly from Excel.

Think that will be in the next release?

Thanks,
--Buckshott00

 

[markrief]

I don't really understand the question. I thought you wanted to import from an excel file in to the ascii tool library.

This is not related to NX - this is just text editing.

If you want to read an excel file directly for your tool library, that is only possible through customization. NX/Library allows you to write your own connection to any database.

Mark Rief
Product Manager
Siemens PLM

 

[Buckshott00]

Yes. I have an excel file full of part names, numbers, and attributes. The first part of my question was how to best get those values into the tool library without manually entering everyone. This way my UG tool library matches supplier naming and data. and when I enter the manufacturing application I can select the tools, and the cutter profile is automatically generated to dimensions given by the supplier.

The second part was, I was comparing the library to the parts family tool. Where in the Part family, you can specify the attributes and generate many members, and control it in excel.
I thought it would be useful to easily manage and generate a tool library from excel.

 

[JohnRBaker]

The parameters and attributes of Part Families, despite how it might appear to the user, is NOT being controlled by an Excel spreadsheet.

NX uses Excel as a 'User Interface' to provide a familiar scheme in which to define a matrix or 'chart' of values assigned to specific part files. The Excel spreadsheet is only a 'run-time' tool and when you return control to the NX session the data from the spreadsheet is transferred to an internal database record and Excel is halted and nothing is saved external to NX in any sort of MS database. One second after closing the Part Family Edit operation, Excel has no knowledge that NX even exists let alone what NX has stored inside it's OWN data records.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Buckshott00]

John,

I get that. I was trying to elaborate on how it would be useful if the tool library was more easily editable in the same manner as a Part family. Be that with an excel layout or a NX native Database. I am just looking for a quick easy way to add tooling.

Specifically when I said, "you can specify the attributes and generate many members, and control it in excel.
I thought it would be useful to easily manage and generate a tool library from excel." I meant control the tool features and 3D model generation.

I'd like the ability to do that in any matrix format, it just seems like the quickest way. Right now, I am doing like mark said and pasting things into a .txt version of the database file.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Just wanted to make sure that everyone understood what was and what was not happening when NX performs one of the current 'Excel-enabled' operations, that's all.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[jelmerra]

not sure if it helps I wrote a small tcl program to convert csv files into tool_database.dat format.

You can find it on

http://www.rouwe-analysis.info/

then fun then downloads then tool database converter.

 

[Buckshott00]

Thanks for the link!!

 

[Buckshott00]

Me again, Sorry to bring this topic back to life, but do you know where I could find the table that is referenced when assigning tool materials?

I have the supplier's descriptions and the tool material description, but Carbide and HSS are pretty generic, I want to make sure I reference the right table and value.

Thanks,
--