Inseparable Sub-Assemblies Showing ALL PARTS in Structured BOM/Export???

[phlyx]

We have some frame assemblies that are quite complicated and each of these is set to inseparable.  In the top level we are exporting a structured BOM so the parts are sorted for each sub-assembly together.  If we open the Parts Only BOM the components in the inseparable sub-assemblies do NOT show up.  But if we are in Structured BOM and we export all levels, then the parts inside the inseparable sub-assemblies all show up on the exported BOM.  Kind of thought the whole idea behind inseparable was to NOT have the parts show up on any BOMs.  How can we export a structured BOM (so parts are sorted by sub-assembly they are used in) and NOT show the parts inside an inseparable sub-assembly????

[RNDinov8r]

Inserperable is a weldment. I would think you'd want the lower parts to show up in the Parts Only as well, so you know what to order. I don't know if it matters, but the parts in the Inseperable assembly, may need to be set to Purchased to show up in the Parts only list. I've never actually tried leaving them as normal, since we've always used weldments and purchased parts.

[Frederick_Law]

Don't focus on the name, just use them to get the BOM you need.

https://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2023/ENU/?guid=GUID-A0A95805-CBF6-4524-8314-4AC8B53C19CF

Inseparable assembly with purchased children components

Inseparable components and purchased components have one difference in their behavior. In a parts-only parts list or BOM, all children of a purchased assembly are hidden. The assembly itself shows up as a line item in the BOM. For Inseparable assemblies, child components with a BOM structure of normal or inseparable components are hidden. Purchased child components that are inside an inseparable assembly are still displayed in the parts-only parts List.

[RNDinov8r]

So, in all my years of using IV, I've never actually tried setting a subcomponent in a Weldment/Inseperable Assembly to Inseperable as well.  That's a good find! Thanks @Frederick_Law 

[Frederick_Law]

There different ways to get a different BOM.

Their name are not, descriptive enough.

The "purchase part" promotion is interesting and tricky, haven't used it yet.

Phantom, Reference, Inseparable are used a lot but not nested.

I don't know if it ever changed in different year.

[phlyx]

I set the sub-components of the inseparable assembly to purchased, normal, and inseparable and they all had the same results, still showed up.  The only way I could get them to not show up is make them reference and then they come in as dashed lines in the drawings.  These are very large weldments that are assemblies but I do not wish to turn them into "weldments" (in the Inventor sense with weld beads, etc) as that is irreversible.  Not sure why an actual welded weldment shows as Default BOM Structure=inseparable but if you set an assembly to Default BOM Structure=inseparable the BOM's act differently in the top level.  Components in Inventor welded weldments do NOT show up in expended Structured BOM, sub-components in an assembly set to inseparable DO show up.   🙄

[Frederick_Law]

Instead if Inseparable, set assembly BOM structure to Purchased.

[phlyx]

Nope.  The sub-components are set to Normal and the main assembly set to Purchased, same results.

[phlyx]

When an assembly is inseparable it should mean that it cannot be broken down into smaller parts.  So why does a weldment (BOM set to inseparable) act different than an assembly (BOM set to inseparable) and why does an assembly set to Normal act the same as an assembly set to Inseparable?  Inquiring minds want to know (and are not real happy about it).    

[Frederick_Law]

Did you try changing it in Document Settings?

That's where I change them all the time.

Part list will not show parts.

I don't use the BOM much.  Don't know if it behave differently.

[Frederick_Law]

Are we talking about the same thing?

First spreadsheet is Structure, second one is Parts only:

[phlyx]

Yes, Tools/Document Settings/Bill of Materials/Default BOM Structure.  Have a top level machine assembly with sub-assemblies.  One of the sub-assembles I set to Inseparable as I want it looked at on all BOM's as one thing, not a bunch of individual parts.  Then when I am in the top level and I am on the Structured tab I export all levels (which I have to do as there are sub-assemblies a couple levels deep) it shows ALL components that make up the Inseparable sub-assembly.  It does NOT show ANY of the components that make up a Weldment assembly which is also BOM Inseparable, but it shows ALL the components of an Inseparable sub-assembly.  Seems that Inseparable <does not equal> Inseparable.  

[Frederick_Law]

Maybe you can send the files to Johnson.

All the files migrated to current version you're using?

PS I changed the assembly to Inseparable and it worked like Purchased.

Parts not showing in export.

[jtylerbc]

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@Frederick_Law wrote:

Did you try changing it in Document Settings?

That's where I change them all the time.

Part list will not show parts.

I don't use the BOM much.  Don't know if it behave differently.

---

I don't have a solution for the actual problem that @phlyx is asking about, but I can address this.  The setting in the BOM and the Document Settings are the same.  It just gives you a centralized place to change it in multiple components, instead of having to open them individually and change it in their Document Settings.  

[phlyx]

@Frederick_Law here are the steps to reproduce issue and have it happening in multiple places so think it's consistent with assemblies in 2022.4.1

- Top level assembly with sub-assemblies (iam)

- Sub-assembly that is made of multiple manufactured parts (ipt)

- In top level assembly select Bill of Materials

- Click on Structured tab

- In top menu select Structured Properties and set to All Levels

- While in the Structured tab, select Export Bill of Materials

- Export the BOM to an Excel spreadsheet

- In the Excel spreadsheet, look for the components that make up the sub-assembly

- I have set the sub-assembly to Normal, Inseparable, and Purchased with the same results, all sub-components show up on the Excel BOM.  I have set the sub-components to Normal, Inseparable, and Purchased with the same results.

[phlyx]

The *ONLY* way to prevent sub-components in a weldment or any type inseparable assembly, from showing up on a top level BOM is to make all the sub-components BOM --> Reference.  Which also means *EVERY* drawing view that it is used in has to have the Drawing View/Model tab/Hidden Line Calculation = All bodies/Display Style = Edges as Part/Margin=<big enough number to include all lines>.

Royal pain in the *ss.  Sub-components of inseparable assemblies appear the same as normal assemblies on the top level BOM.  Kind of says inseparable assemblies are separable.  

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Scott,

If I understood how it works correctly, this is the designed behavior for BOM Structured All-Level view. "Inseparable" can alter the levels only in Part Only view, not in Structured view.

To control the levels in BOM Structured All-Level view, you may create a PartsList in the drawing and then export the PartsList to Excel.

Many thanks!

[nathmoff]

Late response but I just come across this while looking for some other information. For anyone who comes along this in the future, what I do when using multiple and complex sub assemblies in a general assembly is;

When selecting the sub assembly file to place in to the general assembly under "file open options" select nothing visible.

when you open the file, it will not be visible. Go to the model tree and select visible.

Now when you open your BOM you will have that complete sub assembly as one item. 

[nick_panzarino]

Please vote on the idea below for a solution to this issue. 

new BOM type: Purchased Assembly to show up as single line in Structured BOMs - Autodesk Community