Creating a consolidated part list in a manufacturing drawing environment as an engineer can be more complex as one would expect. Solidworks’ Create a part list command creates a part list in the manufacturing drawing environment but it is hard to make a consolidated list this way.
Usually, a bigger compilation’s part list is created by generating a part list in the manufacturing drawing of the given compilation or sub-compilation. This way the drawing’s part list is always divided into multiple, separate sheets and combining these into a complete part list for procurement or manufacturing is a time-consuming process. Moreover, the part list of a greater compilation may not even fit into one sheet.
How to create a consolidated part list
SummarizeBOM for SOLIDWORKS add-in, developed by XperiCAD, generates all your part lists in Excel, in a CSV format or even directly in your corporate governance system. The add-in makes it possible to quickly edit the manufacturing data, even retrospectively. You do not need to open each part individually to modify data.
It is indispensable to be able to clearly identify the parts to have a precise part list. In an engineering environment, it is mostly done by the Drawing number and Item number but a text or a barcode can also be used for this purpose. This information is contained in the Solidworks model’s configuration in a field. In the following example, the manufacturing information appears in the Number property value in the Default configuration.
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