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custom gauge tables

Question asked by Jim Steinmeyer on Dec 21, 2015
Latest reply on Dec 22, 2015 by Jim Steinmeyer

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I remember that while at a previous employer we were able to select a material gauge when making a sheet metal part and have the company's material description and material part number added to the custom properties. I have spent the last few days searching the forum and different blogs in an attempt to learn how to do this for my current company but have not found anything that could even get me started.

Is my memory incorrect? Or can someone point me in the correct direction for a tutorial for working with Gauge tables. Most information I find deals more with bend tables.

We are in 2015 and will soon be going to 16 ( if the UI doesn't dissuade us.)

Thank you

Jim

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Ingvar Magnusson Dec 21, 2015 12:56 PM
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Edit:

This one might help K-factor Bend table problems

or might just confuse you more, sorry.

Was it more then one table ? different table for different material ?

Do you first want to select e.g. The AISI gauge table, and then select the gauge from it?

What exactly do you want to end up with in the description, can you please give an example.
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- Jim Steinmeyer @ Ingvar Magnusson on Dec 21, 2015 4:15 PM
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  @Ingvar,
  First off it has been a few years so my memory could be cloudy but, as I remember it we would select (use gauge table) in the base flange property manager and a drop down would allow us to select the gauge we desired. There would probably need to be more than one table to deal with stainless and mild steal, but if one is made it wouldn't be to difficult to make more. The selected gauge would drive the material thickness (as normal) but would also assign the material part number and material description for the BOM properties as well as the material properties (i.e. 1010 sheet).
  The advantage here is that the properties are driven by the gauge so if the thickness changes during design the BOM properties follow automatically rather than relying on someone remembering to make all the changes. It also ensures that the material descriptions are consistent rather than each designer having a slightly different description for 7ga hot rolled 1020 sheet.
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  - Jim Steinmeyer @ Jim Steinmeyer on Dec 21, 2015 4:52 PM
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    In looking through your previous thread I opened up the bend table and the gauge table and this is where the questions arise. There appears to be no location to attach property information. For instance $PRP:material description = 7 GA SHEET A1020. Or $PRP: material part no. .Of course I have the callouts wrong, but that is something I need to research and learn how to do.
    An example of what I would like to add it that our 16 gauge sheet is part number 304500 and desc. 16 GA. HR SHEET. Or the 10 gauge is # 304440 and 10 GA. HR SHEET. If I could find a way to get this type of information to populate the drawing BOM table from the gauge table and be updated if I changed the thickness using the base flange property manager I would be exceedingly happy.
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Kevin Chandler Dec 22, 2015 8:28 AM
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Hello,

You can't use the sheet gauge tables to do what you're looking for.

You can have descriptions change based on material thickness by using a modified design table in conjunction with a gauge table.
The thicknesses (static copied from the gauge table) and their descriptions (per your company standards) are in the design table (outboard of the where SW looks) and by using VLOOKUP based on the thickness, the description property is populated and is automatically updated when the thickness changes.

Since it's from a design table, it's a config specific property, not a custom one.

If you change material, you'll have to change the design table. Which is probably a smash and add.

You'll need to create design tables for each material since gauge tables are material specific (with one K factor).
But the design table can be loaded from file when inserted into the part.

In the design table, the lookup is done separately and the description field checks for N/A so an unlisted thickness is reported as not specified and you'll know to investigate.

Also, in the included gauge table, you see I copied the gauge text column over to the right and change the original cells to a formula that concatenates the original text with the thickness in parentheses.
This column are the values listed in the dropdown of gauges to select. By putting gauge and thickness together, you can make your selection with whichever data you have on your brain.

While in your gauge tables, be sure you bend radii are correct for each gauge and match available/standard tooling noses.

Lastly, I'd suggest putting your gauge tables in a common network share and configure everyone's file locations top that spot, like:
Z:\SolidWorks Data\Sheet Metal Gauge Tables
Note: It's SW vintage independent.
You may want to keep your sheet metal design table templates there too, so any mods to the gauge tables can readily happen to the design tables.

I hope this solves your post.

Cheers,

Kevin
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- smPart1.zip170.3 KB
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- Jim Steinmeyer @ Kevin Chandler on Dec 22, 2015 9:31 AM
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  Kevin,
  This is kind of what I was afraid the answer would be based on what I could gather from all the previous posts I have found that hinted at the subject. The design tables could be added to the sheet metal start part format if I went this way but I would rather not do this if it could be avoided.
  I was sure this had been accomplished in a different manner with my previous employer so I will have to contact someone still there and see if they can enlighten me. Maybe my memory is all messed up though.
  
  Thank you
  
  Jim
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