"Exclude from BOM" doesn't work

[cmm]

I am running SW2004sp4.1. When I use the "exclude from BOM" command on a subassembly, the subassembly is labeled "excluded from BOM" in the design tree but still appears in the BOM. I got the same result on my coworker's computer, so I doubt it's an installation issue. Grrrrr. Does anyone at SolidWorks try to use their software before releasing it? What kind of software has commands that do nothing?!

Chris Montgomery
Mechanical Engineer

http://www.adaptivequipment.com

 

[tap90291]

I am having the same problem on SW2004 SP3. This was on the excel based BOM. I too could use some help.

 

[Standing]

I’ve never used the “Exclude from BOM” command. How we get around this issue is to put parts we do not want on the BOM at the end of the tree. Then we turn off that item in the BOM using RMC on the BOM, then properties, Contents. Now we uncheck the last item.

Bradley

 

[mncad]

cmm,

Are you using the Solidworks BOM or the Excel bom? I think the exclude command only works with the SW BOM. I use it all the time for subassemblies and it works really well with the SW BOM.

mncad

 

[Standing]

Mncad,
I know you are not asking me. However we have to use the Excel BOM, because we are using formulas to control the length of items like wire, tubing and ect.


Bradley

 

[tap90291]

We are using the excel bom, we have to exclude electrical items from the bom, we also must include a prefix to the item number to indicate if it is a purchased part, fabricated, or a standalone sub assy. You are correct the internal bom does work just not the excel. We really need the excel bom to work with this feature. We must export the excel spread sheet as a file, massage it some and then import it to access (what a pain) otherwise we must enter all the info by hand.

 

[SBaugh]

You can export the SW BOM as well. Highlight the BOM and do a File \Save as\ *.csv - Which is an Excel file.

What other reason could you not use the SW BOM?

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

If you are in the SW Forum Check out the FAQ section

To make the Best of Eng-Tips Forums FAQ731-376

 

[cmm]

We also use Excel-based BOMs, and it sounds like that's the problem. In our excel template, we shrunk the default Part Number column to zero width (deleting this column caused problems.. bad software!), and instead use our own Part Number column. Our Part Number column points to a custom property called "PN", which can be made configuration-specific when necessary. We arrived at this solution by a painful process of elimination, finding one by one that each avenue Solidworks provides for dealing with part numbers is a dead end. If the SolidWorks BOM can handle our "PN" property, and is in general as flexible as our Excel BOM, then we might try it. But our experience with new Solidworks features is that many seem at first to have potential, but the implemenation either has bugs or is not well thought out. Then the feature is improved upon slowly if at all while new, often poorly-implemented features are being dumped into the mix by the truckload. I have sent lists of problems to our Solidworks dealer. They verify the problems, submit reports to Solidworks Corp, and the problems propagate over to next version. This does not encourage people or companies to invest man-hours into new features of Solidworks. So to answer the question, no I have not spent much time experimenting with the new SolidWorks BOM yet. And I don't look forward to it.

Chris Montgomery
Mechanical Engineer

http://www.adaptivequipment.com