topic Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty in Inventor Forum

Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewdroth — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:14:40 GMT

I'm trying to figure out how I get get a BOM column to indicate if a sheet metal part requires a forming or rolling operation, or if it stays flat.

Is there something built in I can link? Or would I need to use iLogic and inspect the extents vs thickness or something like that?

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewiv — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:28:44 GMT

There is nothing "out of the box" to do this that I'm aware of. I would probably use an iLogic rule to look at the component and see if it has a flat pattern or not and then fill in a custom cell in the parts list or create a custom iproperty in the component that displays on the parts list.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewdroth — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:36:07 GMT

The flat plates will also have flat patterns though.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewiv — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:46:26 GMT

Then you might be able to look for specific features, like flange or fold to identify the formed parts.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewdroth — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:48:58 GMT

That's also a problem because something like a contour flange can end up as a flat or formed part.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

swalton — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:59:36 GMT

Are you wanting an iProperty in each sheetmetal part that shows the forming technique necessary to fabricate the part?

I am not aware of an out-of-the-box iProperty. I expect you will have to make a custom one.

Do you want Inventor to fill out this iprop based on the features used to model the part?

I am not aware of an out-of-the-box tool. Custom iLogic rules should help. Are there modeling features/workflows that must be rolled vs formed in a press brake?

Shoulden't the user know how the part will be fabricated during the design process? Why can't they set the custom iProp during modeling? Maybe an iLogic rule with a dropdown that runs when a sheetmetal part is started? Or different sheetmetal templates with the iprop already set?

Once the parts have the custom iProp, then add it to the Parts List styles as necessary to display it on your prints.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

andrewdroth — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 16:04:40 GMT

All I'm looking for is a flag in the BOM that indicates if post processing the plate after burning is required. It doesn't matter what the process is, just that it needs more attention than cutting.

The top level assembly BOM will be converted to excel and sent to the client. They will use that table to determine which plate provider the parts will come from.

Re: Sheet Metal BOM - Formed iProperty

johnsonshiue — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 22:52:18 GMT

Hi Andrew,

This is a very interesting requirement. Indeed, there isn't a workflow out of box doing exactly like this. But, one thing you may consider is using Unfold/Refold. For a flat body, you cannot create Unfold/Refold. For a regular foldable body, you can create at least one Unfold/Refold. For a rolled body, you have to have nested Unfold/Refold (Unfold -> Unfold -> Refold -> Refold). The first Unfold/Refold takes care of the roll and the second pair takes cares of the fold.

I am not sure this will help. But, Unfold/Refold does distinguish the bodies.

Many thanks!