NX1872 - Replace Component Problem

[Kenja824]

I have a family part that brings in assemblies of components. Inside the assembly are two more family part files. If you need an explanation for why it is like this, I will put it at the end of this post.

To be clear, this is in Team Center

My problem is that one of the family parts inside the assembly has been updated to a new revision. However when I open the main family part and try to replace component and swap the family part with rev002 for rev003, it gives me an error. "Could not open XXXXXX - File already exists". Which seems weird as it would have to exist for me to swap it in. I'm not trying to create a file that already exists. I am only trying to replace component with one that already exists.

I have closed all parts and opened the Rev003 file first and then opened the assembly. It will show the rev003 in the tree then. I can save it like that. Then the next time I close and open that assembly, it has rev002 in it again.

Currently the only way I see getting around this problem is to delete the component (Family Part) out of the assembly. Then added the new rev003 from scratch. I really don't want to do this because the main assembly is also a family part and it would mess up the Spread Sheet and I would have to recreate all of that. Which is not the end of the world, but I would rather avoid that if I could.

Does anyone know why I am getting these errors?




FURTHER EXPLANATION FOR WHY I HAVE THESE ASSEMBLIES
I am always looking for ways to make things easier on the designers and detailers. Pallets and stuff like that. I created an assembly for power clamps with hand levers. They would add component and add this family part. They would have all the options they would get for choosing the clamp body, as well as the options for choosing the clamp arm.Then they would get an assembly with the clamp body, clamp arm, two different types of handles for the levers and everything would already be in position within itself. So all they have to do is add the one assembly, copy and paste the components they want and delete the assembly that is left over. In one clean execution, they add the body arm and handle and only need to position it once.

 

[cowski]

I'd suggest checking your assembly load options. TC adds a number of options for which version of a part it should open. For instance, if rev 2 is released and rev 3 is not, the option "no working" will open rev 2; the option "latest" would open rev 3.

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[Kenja824]

Thanks for responding cowski

I have Latest Release then WIP as my load option. I tried changing it to Latest Working. Didnt make a difference.

The part I am trying to swap to is a released rev003.

I tried to close all parts and open rev003 of that component first again. Then when I loaded the assembly file, it loaded but I got a message....

Then as I mentioned above, it shows the correct level 3 in the file and I can save it like that. But when I close all parts and open the assembly again, it is back to rev002. It makes no sense to me. I probably could have just deleted it and added the new one and rebuilt the spread sheet quicker, but a part of me just wants to figure out what is happening for my own knowledge. lol

 

[cowski]

Maybe someone used the "save precise" function on the assembly?

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[Kenja824]

I did some looking up the Precise setting. Dont really understand it. This is our current setting...

Will this cause the problem? If I can look at our settings for NX11, will it be in the same place to see if that is different?

This seems to do with BOMs. Would it affect my assembly?

 

[cowski]

I'm not quite sure what the setting does in your screenshot.
In TC, send your assembly to the structure manager; any item revs with a greenish background means that they have been saved precise. You can check your revision rules in the structure manager. Below is a screenshot from my setup (it was configured with the "rapid start" settings). You can see that the "latest working" first looks for components that are configured with the "precise" setting; if the component wasn't saved "as precise", it moves on to latest working, then finally any status. The load option rev rules will depend on your specific TC/NX settings.

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[Kenja824]

Ok, I will be clear here and say that we are delving into uncharted waters for me. Im pretty fair with NX but Team Center I dont know much about. So I ask you to be patient with me.

I found my Revision Rules

I figured out how to send my assembly to the Structure Manager. It seems to be showing that everything is made precise?

From what I am understanding, because it was created with the ATB62100 as Precise, it will not allow the assembly to change to a rev003 of that file? If that is true, is there a way to change the Precise setting so I can swap it out for Rev003?

 

[Kenja824]

Also....

I just had one of the designers send his assembly he was working on to Structure Manager and everything was Precise for him as well. Yet he could still swap out components for new revisions.

However, as a test, he added my Family Part template (rev002) to his assembly and saved the assembly. Then he tried to swap it for rev003 and it gave him the same error.

Could it be because we are adding the Family Part template and not just a particular component from the Family Part? Would that cause a stricter rule with Precise or something?

 

[cowski]

I have closed all parts and opened the Rev003 file first and then opened the assembly. It will show the rev003 in the tree then. I can save it like that.

Try using the "save precise" command at this point.

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[Kenja824]

Thanks cowski

That seems to have done the job. Took me a few to find the Save Precise as it was hidden, but after using that, I closed all parts and opened the main assembly and it had the Rev003 file in there. I really appreciate the help.

 

[jerry1423]

I wonder why "save precise" is hidden by default.
I did a search with the command finder and mine is hidden too.

Jerry J.
UGV5-NX1884

 

[Bleaker]

FYI, there is a bug in NX that causes this error under certain circumstances: If you replace component A in your assembly with component B, and component A was the last instance of some part, that part becomes a "zombie" - you can't do anything with it, but it still lingers in the session (the component must be not directly under assembly root to trigger this). If you then try to open that part again, you will get this "File already exists" error (which actually means "this part is already in session, but I can't switch to it because it's not alive").

 

[Kenja824]

So, I thought I had this figured out. However, even though ATB62100/003 is now loading up, when I create the family parts I have found that it is automatically creating all parts using the rev 001 versions.

For instance, ATB62100 is also a family part. One of the members it can create/call is ATB62060/002 (Even though ATB62100 is at rev003, the latest revs of its members are only at 002). When I create the members with my main assembly, when it uses the ATB62100 family part to call ATB62060, instead of using the last rev 002, it is using rev001 still.

So now I have to ask. Is there any way to stipulate in the Family Part Spreadsheet which revision to use when calling a component?

I have tried changing my load options before creating the family parts but nothing seems to work. It seems that if your family part has a second family part inside it, that it will only use rev001 of the second family parts members.

Right now I am about to scrap this one.

 

[Kenja824]

Ok, I found that if I change my load options to "Override Precise Latest Released", and then create the family parts, it fixes my problem.

I have noticed in the past that even in native, a family part member is created with a sort of "Read Only" attribute affixed to it. My guess is that Family Parts possibly are created with the Precise Save or something similar to it. So possibly in Team Center, having a Family Part call another family part causes problems with this precise setting? That is the only thing I can figure for it. You can rev up the Family Part but it still remembers the released level of the family parts that were used within it.

I am sure I am not exactly right on what happens and the way I explain it may sound confusing, but it is the way I understand it at least. lol The important thing is it seems to work.

Thanks for all your help.