How to add a customized Manufacturing Setup Template Part
Manufacturing Setup Templates allow us to define a starting point when we create a new manufacturing
part. When we create a manufacturing part, we can use a template part as a parent for our design part:
In the Manufacturing environment, when we create a new part we have a choice of default templates. If
we filter on relationship = ‘Reference Existing Part’ and ‘millimeters’, we get:
The above list is compiled from filtering out ‘Palette Entry’ sections from the file:
NX\UGII\templates\ugs_manufacturing_templates.pax
<PaletteEntry id="d2">
<References/>
<Presentation name="General Setup" description="NX CAM General Setup">
<PreviewImage type="UGPart"
location="${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}mill_planar_assy.jpg"/>
</Presentation>
<ObjectData class="CamTemplate">
<Filename>${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}mill_planar_assy.prt</Filename>
<Configuration>${UGII_CAM_CONFIG_DIR}cam_library.dat</Configuration>
<LibraryClassPath>GENERAL</LibraryClassPath>
<Units>Metric</Units>
<UsesMasterModel>Yes</UsesMasterModel>
</ObjectData>
</PaletteEntry>
We can easily create our own template parts specific to our industry and working methods.
When customising, it is advisable to copy the MACH folder ( this can be on a shared drive if used by a
team) and reference it using environment variable: UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR . This ensures that we keep
our customisations separate from the NX base installation .
To define a customised template part:
Add in a new ‘Palette Entry’ sections
${UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR}\UGII\templates\ugs_manufacturing_templates.pax
( increment the PaletteEntry id , and reference your own part and jpg file as below: )
eg:
<PaletteEntry id="d15">
<References/>
<Presentation name="Siemens Special Setup" description="Siemens Setup - Special">
<PreviewImage
type="UGPartlocation="${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}siemens_special.jpg"/>
</Presentation>
<ObjectData class="CamTemplate">
<Filename>${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}Siemens_Special.prt</Filename>
<Configuration>${UGII_CAM_CONFIG_DIR}cam_library.dat</Configuration>
<LibraryClassPath>GENERAL</LibraryClassPath>
<Units>Metric</Units>
<UsesMasterModel>Yes</UsesMasterModel>
</ObjectData>
</PaletteEntry>
Create a new part & jpg – based on an existing template part and jpg in this folder
${UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR}\resource\template_part\metric\
( which is actually the same folder as >${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR} )
For example, open ${UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR}\resource\template_part\metric\mill_planar.prt in NX and
customise in your own program groups, tooling, geometry groups and method groups – and save this as
your own customised template part ( eg Siemens_Special.prt ). You can also create your own ‘.jpg’ file
(eg siemens_special.jpg )
Now, when we create a new manufacturing part, we can select our own customised template,
referencing a design part:
The resulting Manufacturing part will be a manufacturing assembly part containing our design part. It
will also contain all of the program groups, tooling, geometry groups and method groups that we
defined in our Template part
Alternatively, we can open our design part and open the manufacturing environment from the ‘Start
menu in NX
Depending on the Configuration selected, we are given a choice of CAM Setup ‘Configuration files’
The ‘cam_general’ configuration file is (NX\MACH\resource\configuration\cam_general.dat)
-
Contains a line that points to an option file:
TEMPLATE_OPERATION,${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_SET_DIR}cam_general.opt
cam_general.opt – defines the list of CAM Setup parts (template parts)
The option file contains lines ( Metric and Imperial (English) ) – that point to template parts in
${UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR}\resource\template_part\metric ( or Imperial) ( the following lines refer to the
setups displayed in the form above:
${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}mill_planar.prt
${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}mill_contour.prt
-
We can optionally browse for the Configuration file & Setup part
To use our Template part with this method:
Edit in a line to the option file pointing to your template part:
${UGII_CAM_BASE_DIR}\resource\template_set\cam_general.opt)
${UGII_CAM_TEMPLATE_PART_METRIC_DIR}Siemens_Special.prt
Then, when we open a design part, and change to the Manufacturing environment, we get our
‘Siemens_Special’ Setup under ‘cam_general’ Configuration:
In the same way, our part will now contain all of the program groups, tooling, geometry groups and
method groups that we defined in our Template part
Stephen Webb GTAC EMEA