Question regarding BOM automation limitations

[sjohnson-3]

We have recently launched a new ERP simultaneously with Windchill implementation. Part of the ERP launch has been converting all lowest level consumables from percentage of a unique blank to pounds of <xyz> material. In Creo we have converted our lowest level sheetmetal parts to be driven off of a material assignment to define their respective gage and type. That allows us to supply this unique material name and part weight for each respective sheetmetal part in a report that can then be entered into ERP for <xx> pounds of <xyz> material.

I am now being asked to supply cutoff materials with their respective lengths (examples: expensive tape consumed by the inch, extrusions/tubing cut by the foot). We historically have used a repeat region to display A/R (as required) in the assembly drawing BOM table when the parameter Unit of Measure is FT or IN (feet or inches) and then graphically on the drawing view(s) show the appropriate cut length(s). Does anybody have any experience with methods of capturing this in Windchill? BTW, we are just getting ready to implement WT Parts. Ultimately the goal is to automatically derive and sum the BOM quantities based on rules leveraging parameters and dimensions. Any help/input is greatly appreciated!


Sasha Johnson
Sr. Design Engineer
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Russ Bassett Corporation
8189 Byron Road
Whittier, CA 90606
Phone 800-350-2445 X 3345
Fax 562-447-2228
sjohnson@russbassett.com<">mailto:tsimon@russbassett.com>
www.russbassett.com

[SteveVinyard]

Hi Sasha, we have an App for Windchill (and an App framework that allows you to plug and play the actual Apps themselves) that allows you to basically do Family Tables for WTParts. It's not as rudimentary as that though being that it also allows you to "configure" your BOM where it'll bring up the WTPart BOM and allow you to pick (for each part family) a member to use for that BOM. It's a quick way to handle things like Material/Finish/Color with absolute ease without doing crazy family tables in CAD and dealing with that all of the time. Each of the family parts will have the same visualization and certain attributes all synced to the generic. Which attributes are configurable amongst other things.



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Stephen Vinyard
Director of Customer Satisfaction

[sjohnson-3]

Thanks Steve, I'd like to learn more about that.

In this case we're not specifically trying to manage family tables or configurable options such as finish/color. Instead these specific objects are real CAD models with defined flexibility to a dimension value (an example is an extrusion cut to length for a specific assembly application). If Windchill could be coded where anytime an object's UM (Unit of Measure) parameter value equals "FT" (feet) it would use the flexible dimension value (or parameter value if WC can only look at part parameters instead of dimensions) for it's quantity in that specific assembly context. If this is possible it would open up a wide range of BOM automation opportunities with respect to consumables and the like. Maybe there are better ways to accomplish this with WT Parts (or obstacles as well), but I don't have a firm understanding on how WT Parts exactly work yet.


Sasha Johnson
Sr. Design Engineer
[cid:image002.jpg@01CFC1E1.D8AA1020]
Russ Bassett Corporation
8189 Byron Road
Whittier, CA 90606
Phone 800-350-2445 X 3345
Fax 562-447-2228
sjohnson@russbassett.com<">mailto:tsimon@russbassett.com>
www.russbassett.com

[jvanasse]

Sasha,

Great question. It would be nice if PTC would pass repeat region information and resolve it with a WTPart Part Usage parameter. Patrick Williams, from Steelcase, created a system that used a usage parameter, I think from the assembly, and passed it into the Repeat Region and into Windchill. If I can find more info, I'll pass it along.

We currently handle this manually in WTPart Product Structure, since a Pro-E Owner link can only push "each" as a unit of measure. (WF5, WC10.1) We set the link type of the "non-each" component to Content and then modify the Unit of Measure and Quantity inside the Structure view of the WTPart. All "each" components are CAD driven through an Owner link.

We use WTParts extensively, for many purposes. I would be happy to demonstrate how and where they fit into our processes.


J.P. Vanasse
Global IT, R&D Surgical Franchises

20511 Lake Forest Dr., Lake Forest, CA 92630, USA
T +1 949.505.7804 | F +1 949.505.6270 | M +1 714.612.3823

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