Tube and Pipe BOM structure

[andrewiv]

I am just getting started with Tube and Pipe.  We have been modeling hydraulics for a few years now just using some templates for hoses and tubes.  I want to figure out how to utilize the tube and pipe in Inventor since it has some benefits.  But it seems that the BOM structure is set and cannot be modified.  What we do is we have a hydraulic assembly with all the fittings, tube assemblies, and hose assemblies but the hoses and tubes need to be a part of separate kits, so we have a sub-assembly that has all of the hose assemblies in it and a separate sub-assembly that has all of the tube assemblies.  Is there a way to accomplish this using tube and pipe?

[Mark.Lancaster]

@andrewiv 

Just so I understand..   You are looking for a sub-assembly of hoses with fittings and another (separate) assembly with tubing and its related fittings?

[cbenner]

@andrewiv 

Each tube or pipe RUN is a unique sub-assembly under the Master pipe run in your parent assembly.  So, you could structure your sub-assemblies carefully to ensure that each tube run, and each hose run are separate from each other.  Is this how you want to structure it?

Maybe an example of how your BOM is structured would help us to understand what you're trying to do?

[andrewiv]

Not exactly,  I need all of the hose assemblies in an assembly with nothing else, and since we do permanent fittings on our tubes, I need all of the tube assemblies in an assembly with nothing else.  Then those two assemblies go into another assembly that also includes all of the fittings except the ones attached to the hoses and tubes.

Here is a typical parts list from one of our hydraulic assemblies.

[andrewiv]

Ideally I would put all of my fittings under the tube and pipe runs assembly, then I would have all of the hose assemblies under one run assembly and all of the tube assemblies under another run assembly.  One of the problems that I have found is that I cannot use the connect fittings command from one run to another run and I cannot use the connect fittings command on fittings that are just under the main tube and pipe assembly.

[andrewiv]

Does anyone have any ideas on this?  This could be a deal breaker for us with tube and pipe.  I want to be able to use this functionality but if it is not capable of working with our BOM structure then we won't be able to use it.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@andrewiv 

I don't think this is possible in what you are looking for under Inventor tube and piping.  If I run something between two connections, that hose or tube is part of that run/route and acts like a sub-assembly.  Meaning the components can't be at one level and the hose or tube under a different level or sub-assembly.

[andrewiv]

I was really looking forward to being able to utilize the tube and pipe commands.  It's too bad that the structure is so rigid like this.  Maybe I'll have to see if I can work around it some other way.

[Anonymous]

In a previous company (and other 3D cad package) we had a custom iproperty, and something like design representations (display configurations), telling in which drawings some parts should be visible and appear in the BOM (and which not)

It might be an idea to implement something alike?