Tube and Pipe Hose details in BOM

[larry6P5J2]

I have two questions regarding flexible hoses and the Tube and Pipe BOM:

1.  Is it possible to adjust the precision of the RPL value?

2. In our company we use a simple hose code:  <First Fitting> / <Hose Type & Size> (<Cut Length>)/ <Second Fitting>  So the example here would be: 1JC43-12-12/387TC-12(52.5")/1J143-12-12.  Is it possible to set it up so that Inventor would generate that code inside of the BOM?  This would simplify the transition of data from Inventor models to our production and business software.

Does this mean I'm going to start getting into ifeatures?

Thanks for any clues tossed my way!

[cbenner]

@larry6P5J2

RPL?  What column in your Content Center family contains this expression you are building?

[larry6P5J2]

RPL = Rounded Pipe Length. What I would call Hose Cut Length.  Generated using the Hose Round Up Value in the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box, Rules tab.  I don't think its a column in the Content Center Family?

[cbenner]

@larry6P5J2

Gotcha.  I normally work with rigid pipe, so I've not seen this before.  I'm going to tag in @blair, who is a real "hoser".  

Is this RPL value something that YOU set up as a user parameter?  Or is the parameter generated by T&P when doing hoses?

[larry6P5J2]

@cbenner

The RPL value is generated by the tube and pipe environment using the Hose Round Up Value:

[blair]

I'm going to have to dig into it. You might be able to format the BOM Table Style for the units. I think the text string is hard coded as to how the items are placed. 

Most of what we do in nylon air-line runs where the fittings are outside of the T & P run and reside within the model BOM.

This would be a great IdeaStation, to have a ("starting fitting", "hose type, style - length", ending fitting"). Much like the 2019.2 updates to the Frame-Generator section.

It has my vote.

[blair]

This is the information that's populated on the BOM for flexibly T & P. I've placed a group from a run and then drilled down on the runs to a single run. I've picked Hose 06 from Run02 to show the only information sent to the BOM. Nothing from the Run Styles is pulled into the BOM at any level in the Flexible T & P.

[blair]

We don't even get the tube style colours from the assembly when we place T & P runs into a drawing. They just come out a generic tan colour instead of the Style Colour.

[larry6P5J2]

So you don't use the hose cut length (the RPL value) at all on your parts list?

I would really like to have more control over the precision of the values as shown.  Ideally I would like to have that 52.345 not show at all and 52-1/2" show in the QTY field.  Nobody I know of specifies a hose length to thousandths of an inch.  Our standard hose tolerance is +/- 1/4".

But, as we are doing away with hose drawings, I'm more interested in what I've got in the model's BOM (and how to extract the information in the BOM) than I am in the drawing's Parts List.

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

[blair]

Not really, we use DWF Viewer with a View-Rep for the control airlines with industrial tablets for the production floor. We are more concerned with the correct color to the correct port. The only items on the V-R are the runs, fittings and components that have the lines running to them.

This allows the floor to install the fittings to the correct orientation and they know which lines go to which fittings. They are pulling the lines off of 500' spools. We already have the BOM in our ERP system.

Only with the last updates will the cut-length actually stick, which made it pretty much useless.

[larry6P5J2]

---

@blair wrote:

Only with the last updates will the cut-length actually stick, which made it pretty much useless.

---

Agree with you there.  And they still have a ways to go with it too.  

I'm trying to decide if we should be documenting our hoses with Inventor and I'm still not convinced that Inventor is up to the task yet.  I still have no confidence in using Tube and Pipe to predict hose lengths; my attempts have been in the +/- 3" range.

But, again, thanks for your input; I've enjoyed talking about this with another engineer who has a different perspective on the issue.

[blair]

Agreed! If it wasn't for our ERP system, it would be a real mess. Any hydraulic lines that are pre-made, are handled by our EPR system for each hose (we don't have many pre-made hydraulic lines (2 )).

With the truck chassis, they are all Field-Fit to the chassis.

[Jesper_S]

Hi.

At what level and where do you want your Hose Code to be displayed?

At the assembly for the hose and in the Description iProperty?

We also use a type of Hose Code and we use iLogic to extract info from the Couplings and Hose to populate the Description at the assembly level of the hose. (Coupling, hose, coupling)

[larry6P5J2]

We would like to have it in the Stock Number field in the BOM and in the iproperties. 

Like this:

But we could live with a custom field.  As long as we're able to export the code in the hose's BOM into our business system.

[blair]

I would be happy with the Family Part Number and Style Size and Color in the Description. I can easily fill out the Stock-Code to match our ERP system.

[blair]

It would be nice to get it at either the upper most level of the T & P or at least at the RUN level.

[Jesper_S]

Hi.

This is to be run at the Tube & Pipe Run level. 

It would be best if you could place your FittingTypes in a Custom iProperty called "FittingTypes".

Easier to get access to just them and not something else in the structure.

And as for the HoseType, in your example (387TC-12) I took this from Stock Number. If there are other parts in the structure that has any data in Stock Number this will also be written to the HoseCode.

Best I can do now with the info I got. But hopefully it can point you in the right direction.

asmDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveEditDocument   'ThisApplication.ActiveEditDocument     'ThisDoc.Document

Dim hoseLength As String = ""
Dim hoseType As String = "" 
Dim hoseDimNo As String = "" '
Dim fittingTypes As List(Of String) = New List(Of String)

Dim fittingTypeString As String = ""

Dim totalLength As Integer = 0 
Dim hoseKey As String = "" 
Dim index As Integer = 0

Dim fn As String = ""
' - - - 
For Each occ As ComponentOccurrence In asmDoc.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences.AllLeafOccurrences'asmDoc.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences
	If (occ.definition.type = 83886592) Then		
        Try ' 
                hoseLength = iProperties.Value(occ.Name, "Custom", "RPL") 
                index = hoseLength.IndexOf(",")
				If index = -1 Then
				index = hoseLength.IndexOf(".")
				End If
				totalLength += hoseLength.Substring(0,index)
                
                hoseType = iProperties.Value(occ.Name, "Project", "Stock Number") 	

        Catch ex As Exception
            
        End Try
    
        Try 
	fittingTypes.Add(iProperties.Value(occ.Name, "Custom", "FittingType"))
			
        Catch ex As Exception
            
        End Try
    End If

Next

fittingTypes.Sort()

HoseCode = fittingTypes(0) & "/" & hoseType & " (" & totalLength & """)/" & fittingTypes(1)

MessageBox.Show(HoseCode, "Hose Code")

'MessageBox.Show( fittingTypes(0) & "/" & hoseType & " (" & totalLength & """)/" & fittingTypes(1), "Title")
iProperties.Value("Project", "Stock Number") = HoseCode

[blair]

Thanks a lot for iLogic code. I'll give it a try, it should help to fill in the void (being polite).

It just magnifies the shortcomings of the Flexible Tube & Pipe module.