Advance Steel – Managing Lots / Phases in NC Files

When people divide their structures into Lots or Phases they often wish to issue the NC files for manufacture in corresponding lots and phases. However, how can you tell which lot or phase each NC file belongs to? How can you get the quantities right in each lot? Read on for the answers.

This works better with Phasing (identical part in different phase gets a different number) rather than Lotting (identical part in different Lots gets the same number). It can work for both though.

First it is nice to see the lot / phase name in the NC file name so you can spot which files belong to which lot/phase. This is very easy. With your model open go to Home > Documents > NC Settings. Put your cursor in front of the text in the File Name box. At the end of the line click the >> symbol and select Lot/Phase. You probably also want to type a dash or space or something to separate the two tokens.

Now when you produce your NC files they will include the Lot/Phase value at the start of their filename.

Changing this setting in the NC Settings box inside a model only affects the current model. If you want to change this permanently then you can change the Default called “Structured BOM / NC > DStV NC&DXF > NC File name”. Make sure you type the new name perfectly. The token to add is ”%Assembly”.

This means that all new models will start with this setting.

The next question is how do you get the correct quantity written into the file if the same part appears in different lots? There is no such problem with Phasing as the parts have different numbers in different phases, but you need to manage this a little carefully if using Lots.

First ensure that you have the Default “Structured BOM/NC > DStV NC&DXF > Controls the quantity for NC” ticked. Then produce your NC files lot by lot. This is easiest if you have made a saved query for each lot (as recommended). Turn on the light bulb next to the query, select all visible objects, run NC files. This will only produce NC files for the selected items. The quantity inside those files will only be for the selected items. Move the NC files to a new folder or sub-folder before creating the next lot. Repeat for each lot.

If you forget to move the files between lots, you might not get all your parts. When an NC file is made for a part, any existing versions are deleted. So, if a part appears in a new lot the existing file for that part in a previous lot will be deleted if it has not been moved to a safe place.

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