Example: Show sheet metal material thickness in a parts list

You can assign material and mechanical properties to a part or assembly in the material table. When working with a sheet metal part, you also can use the material table to define the properties for the sheet metal stock you are using, such as material thickness, sheet gage, and bend radius.

You can access variables in the material table by exposing the corresponding variables in the variable table. For example, to display the sheet metal gage thickness in a parts list on a drawing, expose the Material Thickness variable in the part.

Display the sheet metal gage thickness property in a parts list

1. Open the sheet metal part and choose the Variables command.

   Tip:

   If there are multiple sheet metal parts in an assembly, then you must do this for each part that you want to show in the parts list.

2. In the Variable Table, select the Expose check box for the Material Thickness variable.

3. In the Exposed Name column, review the material thickness variable name. This is the column heading that will appear in the parts list.

   • Verify that the exposed name conforms to variable naming conventions.

   • Verify that the exposed name is the same for all the parts.

   • To change the exposed name: Double-click the cell, type a new name, and then press Enter.

   Tip:

   For information about what constitutes a valid name, see the help topic, Variable Table dialog box.

4. Close the Variable Table dialog box.

5. Open the draft document that contains the parts list.

   Tip:

   If there is no parts list on the drawing, use the Parts List command to generate one. To learn how to create a parts list, see Create a parts list.

6. Select the parts list, and on the command bar, click Properties.

7. In the Parts List Properties dialog box, click the Columns tab.

8. On the Columns page, from the Properties list, select the property labeled Material Thickness (Exposed Variable).

9. Click Add Column to include the material thickness values in the parts list.

10. Click OK to close the dialog box and update the parts list.

    Tip:

    • If no data appears in the Material Thickness column in the parts list, then change the granularity of the parts list. On the List Control tab in the Parts List Properties dialog box, select the option, Atomic list (all parts and subassemblies).

    • If you subsequently change the part or assembly document, you must update the parts list in the draft document using the Update command on its shortcut menu.

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