How to manage different lengths of a bulk part? 1

[MDGroup]

We come across this same issue on every project we do, and still haven't come across a good way to manage it.

How does everyone else manage cut lengths of bulk material (tubing, cables, edge trim, foam tape, ...).
We use the same plastic tubing multiple times in a booth. Each instance will be a different length and different shape.

Do you take out a separate PN for each different place the tubing is used?
If it is a separate PN, do you create it as an assembly with the bulk material as one of the parts to see what it is made from and get that info into the BOM?
Or do you use the part number of the bulk material and set up a different configuration for each instance?
Then, is there any way to get the correct length of tubing you use to populate into the BOM, other than manually over-riding the cell?

Anyone have a good way that works for them.
We are running EPDM, so that will help manage the files, but we still need everything to be as clean and organized as possible.

Thanks.

 

[Jboggs]

Just thinking out loud here - I know SW gives you an option on how to specify a quantity of an item. It can be eaches, or length, or weight, etc. I have never used that option so I am not familiar with its function, but wouldn't that solve your problem?

Also are you using the routing function?

 

[DanBo1221]

It depends on how the parts will be used, how many will be made, and your company drawing standards. Are you manufacturing multiple booths, how are the booths being fabricated, who is fabricating, etc.

Generally speaking, if the bulk product is to be cut or fabricated to unknown lengths or unreliable dimensions due to fab method, or is difficult or impossible to part mark, our company dictates to assign one find number, a company part number, and in parenthesis say (MAKE FROM PN#xxx). Then in an assembly print, list reference dimensions for each part and assign a flag note for the fabricators. In the model, if you are still in design phase, name the part something logical and descriptive, like "UPPER LEFT TUBE, ELBOW, .50" OD v03.sldprt" and avoid assigning a company part number until ready to manufacture. If an outside company is fabricating these parts, then assign company part numbers to each part for traceability and understanding, once the design is finalized and approved. It's the easiest way to avoid cross-company communication mistakes.

I'd ask your supervisor first for his/her desired part naming conventions. They're going to be the ones approving it anyway.

Avoid unnecessary configurations! It will take as much time to assign configurations for parts for assemblies as it will to just create new parts, if you have a large number of those parts. Configurations can be tricky and can mess with mates if not fixed in space. I use configurations more for cutaways and to communicate assembly functionality (i.e. cut extrudes, views, etc). It makes checking out parts difficult too, because if you have one part checked out with all of the tubing configurations, and someone needs to edit and save one of those tubes, he/she can't because you've already checked out the parent part.

As for the tubing lengths, you can assign property values to describe tube lengths per part. BOM/part/document templates with assigned properties is the easiest way to accomplish this, but if you are not knowledgeable on how to use these, then a design table another method. However, this can be very risky and sets up multiple configurations that need to be saved out into separate parts if you want the BOM to populate properly. If someone messes with the design table and if that table drives critical dimensions, you can get some whacked out parts that are difficult to recover. Again, it's a question of time, scale, and supervisor preference.

 

[CayleyFTW]

We utilize different part number for each length of the raw material, and have configurations of different lengths in the CAD model, each configuration is named the correct part number for that length. The part number field of our BOM is linked to the Configuration Name property and it auto populates.

Having everything in one file with different configurations helps to eliminate the possibility of duplicating a part length as well.

 

[Gupta65]

You can have the base part kept in the library. Every time you need a different length, you can insert that part into a new assembly and do a cut extrude (you can keep the base part longer depending on the length requirements)

The other option would be to make a configurable part. Check one example here

https://forum.solidworks.com/message/320753#320753

Every time you add a new length to the assembly, a configuration is added automatically to the part.

Deepak Gupta
CSWE, CSWP, CSDA
SW 2012 SP4.0 & 2013 PR1
Boxer's SolidWorks™ Blog
SolidWorks™ Rendering Contest

 

[MDGroup]

Thanks for the comments.

The biggest problem I have is that I want the pieces to follow the contours of the parts they attach to; so they look correct in the assembly model and assembly drawings.
If they were all just straight pieces, we could easily use configs for each of the different lengths, without worrying too much about someone messing them up.

I would like to do it the way Gupta suggested and have the longest section as the bulk part and then cut it down to length. That would structure the BOM properly and match how it is actually built. But again I want the part model to match the geometry of the parts it is going on, so that wont work unless the bulk part included every geometry comination together.

The answer is probably Routing. We have one seat of that, but haven't dug into it at all. It seems like there is a lot of work on the front end to get it set up properly, but then it would be easy to use.

 

[ctopher]

I usually use dash numbers for lengths.
You can also add the length into the dash number, 12345-1-12 (12 for inches), for example. Whatever works.

Chris
SolidWorks 11
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