How to work with parts

Part records identify a physical item installed or consumed in the construction of a product.

A part always has at least one iteration and, as your design changes, many more may be added:

• Zero or one pending iteration.
• Zero or one released iteration.
• Zero or more canceled iterations.

Making a new part §

Starting the new part §

Make the new part by

• Creating the part, or
• Copying another part

In both of these, you'll permanently identify the part by its type, owning organization, and number.

Finishing the new part record §

The part record opens with its first pending iteration. Each record iteration can reflect the part's name, revision, and lifecycle phase, such as Preliminary or Production.

Item-level attributes §

Some attributes are associated with the item, and shared across all revisions of the item.

• General information includes the Part name and data on the Attributes, Custom, and Notes pages.

  • Fill in the new part

• The Item Files list has background files and external links for history, manufacturing records, websites and other information that's not managed by revision.

  • Attach an item file

  • Attach an external link

• If you track the chemical substances that affect environmental compliance, add data to the Materials list.

  • Add or remove materials

Revision-level attributes §

Revision-level data is related to a specific iteration, and changes are tracked using an executing change form.

You may add relationships between the part and other items. You establish these relationships by dragging items from the Item Explorer's Search or Recent lists, and dropping them onto the correct markup list

• Add to the BOM page Markup list parts that are used or consumed to produce the parent part.

  • Add parts from the Item Explorer, or drag parts from other parts

  • Import a BOM file from CAD

• Add to the Sources page Markup list parts from supply chain partners.

  • Manage approved sources

• Add to the References page Markup list specifications, assembly and test instructions, drawings and other documents. You can also add parts, such as tooling or fixtures, that are related to the part's construction.

  • Manage part references

• Design files describe how to fabricate, assemble or prepare the part. Add these to the Revision Files list.

  • Attach a revision file

• Add an informal reminder to the Tasks list to prepare the iteration for release.

  • Start and update a task

After you add new information, save your part.

Releasing the part for the first time §

When you've completed adding information, the pending part record is released by (1) adding it to an executing change form Affected list and (2) routing, approving, and releasing the change form.

Until you submit the change form for approval, the part record remains pending and can be changed in whatever way that you want.

After the change form is approved and released, the part record is released, and the final child relationships are shown on the BOM, Sources and References Current lists.

• Many of the released part record's attributes are locked and can never be modified;

• Some attributes can be modified by the item trustee and members of the product team; and

• Some part attributes (such as the BOM) can be modified only by making a new pending iteration of the part record.

See the Release your part help topic.

Revising a released part §

Revise a released part record by making a new iteration.

On the new iteration, you can markup the BOM, Sources and References lists. You can also add, edit and remove revision files.

The new iteration remains pending until you release it on an executing change form. At that time, you'll also cancel the preceding iteration by adding it to the same change.

See the Revise a released part help topic.

Canceling a released part §

When a released part is obsolete and no new iterations are needed, it's canceled without a new iteration.

Cancel a released iteration by adding it to a new executing change form's Affected list, and releasing that change form.

Do not create a new iteration. BOM parts, source parts, references and files stay on a canceled part, so no changes are needed.

See the Cancel a released part help topic.

Deleting a part §

You can remove (delete) a pending part iteration from the database if it's not used by another document, part or change form.

See the Remove your part help topic.

Printing and exporting part data §

View and share part information using:

• Context menu printed reports
• PDX package export file
• Custom views in the DataGrid
• Report/Export Wizard custom export files and reports

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