Converting Prototype parts to Production Parts

[Angothoron]

Hello,

I am currently in the process of trying to convert a set of prototype models to production models, changing all their names in the process. Both of the directories which these are to be placed in are huge and Solidworks Explorer takes the better part of 20 minutes to search the directories to find all the references, for a single part or assembly.

I am hoping that there is a better way to do this besides having each model open and manually replacing the prototype number with the production number.

I do not have a PDM.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Updraft]

Try opening a top-level assembly that contains everything then use Pack and Go to rename the files with a prefix/suffix or to save the entire group of files (including drawings) to a new, temporary folder. If you use the temp folder option then close the original top-level assy and reopen it from the temp folder. It is a bit tedious, but you can then rename those files while they are open and SWX will update the assembly links to the new names.

- - -Updraft

 

[snowshoe2]

PDM would help with this, and in my opinion a great addition to working with SW. But the "pack and go" Updraft recommended will be much faster and thorough than SW Explorer. The "Select/Replace" button will also help replace portions of text in the file names and of course there is the suffix/prefix addition.

smilin
Snowshoe2

 

[drawoh]

Angothoron,

What is the difference between a prototype part and a production part? I do not see a distinction, at least, within SolidWorks.

--
JHG

 

[Angothoron]

There isn't, it is internal company methodology, because we do several iterations of parts we don't assign a part number to each one until it is finalized. Until then we use a numbering scheme on a project by project basis. Meaning at the end of a project we have to convert hundreds of parts from one scheme to the other.

Which would be fine if we had a sane/automatable numbering system...which we don't.

 

[drawoh]

Angothoron,

Is there any reason you cannot do revisions? In effect, rev[ ]D is your production part. Rev[ ]C was prototype.

By renumbering and renaming everything, you break all the links you have with your purchasing department and your vendors. In a lot of cases, you don't modify your parts, and the original, unmodified piece goes into manufacturing.

It sounds like you are doing a lot of work to make a lot of work for everyone else.

Do your parts have in-context features? In production, they should not. In context geometry will make you job way harder.

--
JHG

 

[ctopher]

I agree with drawoh. I use numerical revs for protoype/prelim, then go to alpha revs for production/released. No renaming necessary.

Chris
SolidWorks 11
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