Changing a CAD Part in PDMLink into an Assembly

[ptc-4006682]

I have an issue regarding CAD data placed in my PDMLink instance in the wrong format.

I have a Pro-E authored CAD part, released at A1 (AB12345678.prt) and used in multiple assemblies. It is a Pro-E CAD Part so has the suffix .prt and as such has a unique number in PDMLink (AB12345678) with the CAD Part as its content. Now the part has become an Assembly (AB12345678.asm). I cannot checkin the Assembly because the unique number of AB12345678 has already been allocated in PDMLink to the Part. I cannot delete the Part and checkin the Assembly using the unique number because it is used within the Product Structure.

Is it possible for me to change the Document Category of the CAD Part from "CAD Part" to "Assembly"? Would this allow me to checkin the Assembly against the same unique number AB12345678?

Any help gratefully received.

Jason

[huggre]

Jason

You need to renumber the original part in PDMLink to something else before you try and check in your new assembly.

Hugo

[ptc-4006682]

Hugo,

We've already renumbered the original part and so now have two objects the same with different Unique numbers. However the CAD Part in PDMlink 9.1 (due to the attribute "Document Category" stating it is a CAD Part and not an Assembly) knows it is a Part and is using that Unique Number already.

The only way to free up that Unique Number that I can see is to delete all traces of AB12345678 from PDMlink and then checkin AB12345678.asm. However the part AB12345678 (using AB12345678.prt) is linked into our Baselined Product Structure already.

Jason

[Patriot_1776]

I don't see the issue. You can have the filenames: 1234.prt, 1234.asm and 1234.drw all in the same database because the extension is different. Do you mean PDMLink 9.1 in Windchill? If so, number is generated by W/C, and name can be changed as you see fit. Onlt the complete filename and number must be unique.

How can a part "become" an assembly? Do you mean that originally it was a part, and then it was decided that the part needed to be "replaced" with a sub-assembly?

[ptc-4006682]

Frank, in our PDMLink 9.1 when a CAD Object is checked in for the first time the object created has a unique number with the CAD Object extension removed....so AB12345678.asm becomes AB12345678 and AB12345678.prt also would become AB12345678. The number is already used by AB12345678.prt so I cannot checkin AB12345678.asm

Originally the creator of this CAD checked it in as a singular part (a .prt) now he needs to check it is with the same number (as it is already used within Product Structures) as an assembly (a .asm).

[huggre]

Jason

Lets say you rename the original filename in PDMLink to AB12345678_OLD.prt and number to AB12345678_OLD

Would not that solve your problem? or is there something im missing here?

Hugo

[GregoryPERASSO]

Hello

After renaming the original AB12345678.prt to AB12345678-OLD.prt, you will be able to create the new AB12345678.asm CADDoc.

But you will also after that, have to replace the AB12345678-OLD.prt by the new AB12345678.asm in all the use cases...

You can do it in mass by the "replace in parent" function (second step of the save as wizard):

-take the AB12345678-OLD.prt and launch a PDMLink SaveAs. in the 1st step of the wizard, select it and pick the button "replace", search the AB12345678.asm as replacement part. (this function is hidden OOTB by a pref in PDMLink 10)

-in the next step, it should collect all the parent use cases. select all the parent and apply the replacement (have to checkout or revise the parents depending of the lifecycle states and accessrules defined in your company).

If you create manualy some Baselines (not As Stored baselines) , you will have to update (or create news)) them with the AB12345678.asm and the new iterations/revisions of the parents where the replacement was done.

regards

Gregory