Modifying a Bill of Materials

You can modify a created bill of materials (BOM) by reordering components, adding rows, changing the sequence of the displayed components and so on.

The BOM is represented in the form of a table. Therefore, all the actions that are performed on a table (copying a table or pasting a table), can be performed on a BOM too except splitting a table. Several bills of material of the same assembly or of different assemblies can be added in the same layout.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:
  • Open a drawing or a layout representation containing at least one view.
  • Create a BOM.
See Also
Working with a Bill of Materials

Reorder Components in a Bill of Materials

You can change the sequence of the components displayed in a BOM.

  1. Right-click the BOM and select Table.x object > Edit Bill Of Material.

    Note: You can also edit the BOM using one of the following ways:
    • Double-click the BOM.x object available in the tree.
    • Right-click the BOM.x object in the tree and select BOM.x object > Definition.

    Important:
    • The contents in this dialog box depend on the selected product and its respective BOM.
    • The Style list displays available BOM styles.
    • As the style is not a persistent property of the BOM, the field is always empty on a BOM. You can select any one of the styles to reapply to the existing BOM.
    Note: For our scenario, use this example and reorder item number 3.
  2. In the Bill of Material Edition - BOM.x dialog box, select the item number 3, High Speed Shaft, and click Move up .

    The selected item moves up one level. Repeat this step till it reaches the required position.

  3. Click OK.

    The selected item is reordered to position 1.



    Notes:
    • The text properties of the selected item remain the same as they were before, even after changing the sequence or reordering the components.
    • After reordering a component, all the item numbers are automatically updated.

Add a Row in a Bill of Materials

You can add a blank line/row to reserve a number in a BOM. This lets you add information that is stored in the BOM.

  1. Right-click the BOM and select Table.x object > Edit Bill Of Material.
    Note: For this scenario, use the above example and add a line above item number 3.
  2. In the Bill of Material Edition - BOM.x dialog box, select item number 3, Worm gear and click New .
    A blank row is added above the selected item. All the item numbers are automatically rearranged.

    Note: The newly added row is not associated to a product and can be deleted by clicking Delete .

Delete a Row in the Bill of Materials

You can delete a reserved line that is not associated with the product.

  1. Right-click the BOM and select Table.x object > Edit Bill Of Material.
    Note: For this scenario, use the above example and delete the previously added line.
  2. In the Bill of Material Edition - BOM.x dialog box, select the newly added line and click Delete .
    The selected line is deleted.

Update a Bill of Materials After Part Modification

You can update a BOM at any time, but it is not automatically integrated in the drawing update and the update status.

You can update it by right-clicking the BOM and selecting Update Bill Of Material. It updates the BOM based on the product information.

If you perform any modification in the product structure on which the BOM is computed, either by replacing a part, deleting a part, or adding a new part, you have to update the BOM. Also, if you modify the properties of a product that is represented in a BOM, you have to update the BOM.

  1. Replace a component in the BOM using either of the following ways:

    • If you replace a component with an existing component that is already a part of the product, thus already appearing in the BOM, then, its quantity attribute is increased.

      For our scenario, replace a component using this option.

    • If you replace a component with a new revision or a new component that is not a part of the product, it occupies the same row as that of the removed component in the BOM and its quantity attribute is computed.

  2. In the tree, right-click the part named Worm gear and select Replace with existing, and then select High Speed Shaft .

    For more information, see Assembly Design User's Guide: Assembly Components: Replacing Components.

  3. Right-click the BOM and select Update Bill Of Material.
    Tip: You can also right-click the BOM object in the tree and select Update Bill Of Material .

    The BOM is updated.



    • The part High Speed Shaft already exists, so its quantity attribute has been increased (to 2).
    • The replaced part Worm gear is removed. Its item number is not reassigned.

      However, if a new part is added in the BOM, the item number is reassigned and it is added to the same row in the BOM table.

  4. Add a new part under this product.

    For more information, see Assembly Design User's Guide.

  5. Right-click the BOM and select Update Bill Of Material.


    The new part is added at the end of the BOM if the last line is not a blank line. However, if you add a blank line at the end of the table, the added parts are inserted above this blank line.

  6. In the tree, right-click the Product2487 and select Delete.
    The selected part is deleted from the product structure.
  7. Right-click the BOM and select Update Bill Of Material.

    The BOM is updated and the component is either removed, deleted, or struck through from the BOM. This result is based on the option you selected for the Display of Removed Products in the BOM Format tab available by right-clicking the BOM and selecting Properties. In this scenario, Keep a blank line is selected.



    Important: The BOM is not updated as part of the drawing update. Also, it does not provide an update status. You need to explicitly update the BOM after any modifications performed in a part or a product. Update Bill Of Material also updates the attribute links that are contained in the BOM.
  8. Optional: Right-click the BOM and select Properties > BOM Format tab and select Strikethrough the line in the Display of Removed Products list.
    The removed product line appears struck through which was previously displayed as blank.

    Notes:
    • When you right-click a BOM and select Properties > BOM Format tab, the selected option in the Display of Removed Products is applicable to the current BOM under edition.
    • When you change the option of an existing BOM from a blank line or a crossed line to a deleted line, the item numbers are reattributed according to the products listed in the BOM.
    • When you choose the option Delete the line in the Display of Removed Products list, the line is permanently deleted from the BOM. It is impossible to change it back to a crossed line or a blank line later on.

Modify the Structure of a Bill of Materials

You can modify a BOM by changing its content and structure. You can modify the cells value by editing the cells (generic table edition), adding text to the cell, or by removing the attribute link to overload the value (useful to overload quantities, for example).

  1. Perform either of the following operations:
    • Select a column from the BOM and change its column width using the context menu.
    • Modify the cells that do not display the properties values.

    Notes:
    • You can add or delete a column in the bill of materials only through Properties. Right-click the BOM table and select Properties. Under Reported Properties, select Column from the Product Type Filter list.
    • To add a row, right-click the table and select Insert > Insert row(s) above. While editing the table, only this row can be deleted.

  2. Right-click the BOM and select Update Bill Of Material.

    All the modifications done in the structure of the BOM such as column width modifications, manual addition of columns and manual modifications of cells are kept after update. These modifications are persistent while updating the BOM.

    Notes:
    • By configuring the structure of the BOM, you can overload the quantity, modify the computed weight, add specific comments and so on.
    • You cannot merge the cells of a BOM.

Edit Bill of Materials

You can edit the bill of materials after creation.

  1. Right-click the BOM, and select Table.X object > Edit Bill of Material
  2. In the Bill of Material Edition dialog box, select a style from the Style list.

    You can create custom BOM styles in the standards. For more information see, Bill of Materials Styles.

You can also add a new item in the BOM, remove isolated items, or shift the rows of the items.