Assembly Component Find Number Question

[pwilliams-3]

We use a lot of family tabled objects here at Steelcase but we don't have a drawing for every instance configuration. We have 1 drawing where all of the geometry of the components are displayed in a view (you could say it's an overloaded view). Therefore all of the components have a drawing balloon with a find number. This find number could be generated by Pro/ENGINEER or manually.

When the instances of the assembly and it's components are checked in to Windchill a BOM of WTParts is created for each instance. Now the Find Numbers need to be assigned for each component of each assembly instance to match the balloons on the drawing. This helps users looking at a drawing identify parts on the BOM. This task can be quite cumbersome as you can imagine.

Does anyone else have this use case?

What are the ways in which you are dealing with Find Numbers for assembly instances to alleviate the cumbersome and error prone entering of this data?

Patrick Williams | Engineering Systems | c: 616.947.2110
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[SteveVinyard]

I'm also interested in how people are tackling this. Always a difficult topic for anyone that has their BOM on the drawing.

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Steve Vinyard
Application Engineer

[pwilliams-3]

I found the "Edit Part Usage" mass change operation in the Change Notice. Apparently you can change the Find Number in mass for a specific child component but I am unable to get it to work.


1. I create a change notice for the generic and 5 instances of the assembly.

2. I put the 6 objects into the resulting items table .

3. I select them all and click mass change.

4. I pick "Edit Part Usage" and find the component whose Find Number I want to change.

5. I set the Find Number, click Ok...

Windchill proceeds to tell me that the objects are ineligible for the mass change execution??? I can do this just fine if I want to link a document to multiple objects but this isn't working?

Patrick Williams | Engineering Systems | c: 616.947.2110
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[pwilliams-3]

I have found the reason why I am unable to use the mass change operation to change Find Numbers. My WTParts were driven by Cad Documents through an owner link. Therefore the mass change tool filters those WTParts out as ineligible!?!?!?! HUH????

This is ridiculous! So let me get this straight...


1. The mass change tool "Edit Part Usage" operation can modify a Quantity and Find Number on WTParts that are non-CAD Document driven.

2. The Advanced Assembly Editor can modify a Quantity on WTParts that are non-CAD and CAD Document driven.

So I have two tools that can modify attributes on a usage link but neither seem to be fully implemented. Is it just me or is this a blatant oversight on the part of PTC developers?

Patrick Williams | Engineering Systems | c: 616.947.2110
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[SteveVinyard]

What version of PDMLink are you on?

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Steve Vinyard
Application Engineer

[pwilliams-3]

10.1 M010. I have been informed that the ability to mass change the Find Numbers for CAD driven Parts is on the list but I don't know when it will be delivered.

Patrick Williams | Engineering Systems | c: 616.947.2110
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[ddemay]

So I am so busy on various things and I caught this posting halfway through;
I had to think what you meant by a find part number and I have always called
that the BOM line item number to avoid confusion with the wtpart number
field or making someone think about searching. Okay, I'm a software guy not
from engineering, so I have that excuse also. I had to actually go on
ptc.com and search for 'find part' to jog my memory of what the heck it was.




I'm posting this link as a cross reference for anyone else in my situation: