Content center material

[bradeneuropeArthur]

I need some advice or best practice information regarding content center materials.

What are you doing with the following situation.
For us in Europe we have bolts screws washers.

For the bolts we have for example 4.6; 5.6; 8.8; 9.8; 10.9; 12.9 material with all different surfaces like electrolytic plated in different versions; thermo zink; blank.

I am configuring all these versions as materials in my content center families.

This is very time consuming and sometimes I don't know if I have all available materials prepared because we don't have all the standards papers for all different bolt or screw.

How can this be configured the best.
Is this the right way I am doing it, with adding all these materials to the families.
Or is there a beter solution for it.

Regards,

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

Refer to the following post for my Question regarding Content Center Materials:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-customization/content-center-material/td-p/7884964

[Frederick_Law]

You can make a linked copy of a select Content Center fastener and change its material and description.

You can put it in a new library so it is easier to copy to other workstation.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

Thank you for your support.

But I was already that far.

My question is if it is really necessary to add all materials that could be available.

like: This is very time consuming to do it for all 300 custom Families

4.6

5.6

8.8

9.8

10.9

12.9

4.6 St Galv.

5.6 St Galv.

8.8 St Galv.

9.8 St Galv.

10.9 St Galv.

12.9 St Galv.

4.6  tZn

5.6  tZn

8.8  tZn

9.8  tZn

10.9  tZn

12.9  tZn

[MechMachineMan]

I've always wondered the same kind of thing.

I've only worked for smaller companies (<100 employees), and we've done it the same way at both:

- Whatever is used "commonly" has a place in the library. (ie; used more than .5% of the time)

- If it's rarely used, the designer will just grab a model from the library and modify the properties as required and save it as a custom part.

- Ideally, these custom parts should be tracked somewhere so you aren't recreating the files often, and so that there isn't the same part using multiple part numbers.

- If standards change, and a fastener types use becomes more prevalent, I would imagine we would just add it to the library at that point, then give it all new part numbers and obsolete the old ones.

[Frederick_Law]

The question is, do you need to do it?  Do you need BOM to show class and finish?

I only added A325 structural bolts to the library for engineer sealed drawings.  We usually don't specify fastener unless necessary.  Since we don't put fastener in model and BOM, we'll put a note for special fasteners.

[jhackney1972]

You are probably using the best method of assigning "Materials" to Content Center Library parts at the present time.  Now if you want to assign "Appearances" and "Features to entire CCL families at once, you can use "Replace Family Template" to do this.  Just create a "custom" part from your CCL and then edit the appearance and/or features, save it, and then use the Replace Family Template to apply these changes to all members.

I am sorry to say that materials cannot be added to complete families using this method.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Are you willing to explain this further.

We create all different bolts and nuts etc. for our purchasing department.
So all bolts and nuts do need a unique ordering name. We use the partnumber for it.
For example:

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 Blank

This means for this example already 9 different materials.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

@MechMachineMan

Thank you for your confirmation.

you wrote the following:

- Whatever is used "commonly" has a place in the library. (ie; used more than .5% of the time)

We are preparing that at the moment. Question is do I have all possible available materials added, because a catalog of  a reseller doesn't tell if there are more materials available than he has in his storage. You understand my question regarding this?

- If it's rarely used, the designer will just grab a model from the library and modify the properties as required and save it as a custom part.

We try to avoid this already from the beginning because how should I explain how the bolts are to be named to order them correctly.

Secondary thing is that we need to fill our ERP system with all possible bolts and nuts ect. and their partnumber/ordering number to avoid problems with the order.

- Ideally, these custom parts should be tracked somewhere so you aren't recreating the files often, and so that there isn't the same part using multiple part numbers.

- If standards change, and a fastener types use becomes more prevalent, I would imagine we would just add it to the library at that point, then give it all new part numbers and obsolete the old ones.

We are using Vault professional with the release process, so this is killing for the system. because we need to change our designs when the Custom bolt has been replaced with the Bolt in the Content Center. Secondary thing is that the configuration is that difficult (Like Custom descriptions; Material aliases; etc. etc.) that not everyone should be allowed to edit the Content Center library to avoid errors in our File system of Vault and our ERP system. 

Thank you for your comments regarding this in advance...

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Thank You for your confirmation.
The pfoblem is that I am/need to create the materials in one family for all needed families.

like bellow:

We create all different bolts and nuts etc. for our purchasing department.
So all bolts and nuts do need a unique ordering name. We use the partnumber for it.
For example:

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 Blank

This means for this example already 9 different materials.

The suffix after "-" are the materials (i.e .10.9 tZn) I add to the family...

[Frederick_Law]

---

@bradeneuropeArthurwrote:
Are you willing to explain this further.

We create all different bolts and nuts etc. for our purchasing department.
So all bolts and nuts do need a unique ordering name. We use the partnumber for it.
For example:

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 10.9 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 8.8 Blank

DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 tZn
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 St-Galv.
DIN EN ##### - HV - M12 x 35 - 5.6 Blank

This means for this example already 9 different materials.

---

Since you use the part number for ERP and purchasing, you have to create all material in content center.

Create what you need now and add new one later.  You can write a program to copy CC library and change material.

Also does your company use all different class of fasteners?  We use 8.8 or above.  On engineered drawings, we'll spec bolt size and have a note to specify all fastener need to meet a certain standard (eg ANSI A325).

From my pass jobs, we order fastener from different suppliers.  We only give them spec: M12x35 SHCS 8.8 and we don't have internal part number.  Purchase orders are processed manually.

We do use certain supplier (eg McMaster Carr) quite often and have hardware library using their part number.  Parts are model or download on per use.  We don't have a system to share hardware library so everyone do it differently.

Management do suggested using internal part number for purchase parts from time to time.  We always resist.  Supplier don't know PN12345 is a M12x30 SHCS.  Customer and assembler need to look up the part number also.  It just extra work with no benefit.  Also we don't even have a part number system for manufactured parts.  Every designer use their own system.

[MechMachineMan]

I understand your concerns.

I've definitely run into it where I've tried to make a full library but then ran into the issue of discovering very similar types of bolts/ different materials afterwards. One that always comes up is fully-threaded bolts.

I guess that comes down to what you want - do you want a minimalist database where you only store information is relevant (ie; parts that have been used or are very likely to be used) or do you do a "full database"? But with doing a full database, where do you drawing the line? Gonna put ø1.25" x 12" bolts in there as well or leave those out? How do you decide?

I would think that having a separate folder for "custom hardware" and a well laid out policy for stealing the models for them, part numbering, and describing them should be sufficient.

Like you brought up though, if you ever did push a class/material to the library in the future, you would likely have issues resolving the files & maybe with constraints - which is why I brought up the policy on 'stealing' models.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Thank you.

Other suggestions?