Nesting Functions - PARTS MENU

This function is used to make a parts menu. A parts menu is a cluster of parts positioned in a separate window for later selection of single parts. The parts to appear in the parts menu are identified by selecting parts in a plate part selection dialog.

Additional search criteria;

If the Panel name option is selected, parts that belong to matches with given panel name are displayed in the parts menu.

If the Block name option is selected, parts that belong to matches with given block name are displayed in the parts menu.

If the Assembly name option is selected, parts that belong to matches with given assembly name are displayed in the parts menu.

If the Manufacturing package option is selected, the parts that matches in the given manufacturing package will be displayed in the parts menu as nest-able parts.

When Filter is selected the user gets the possibility to edit the Nesting Filter File. For a complete description of the filter possibilities, see The Nesting Filter File

Each part will be scaled down. Along with the part geometry, the part name will also be displayed in the menu. When a part later is selected to be nested (cf. NEST) it will be scaled

up to its real size.

An optional modification of the PARTS MENU function is that the plate parts are automatically mirrored so that the side with the largest number of marking lines is shown.

The selection of plate parts can also be made using the assemblies on the top level. This is controlled with the default parameter PARTS_MENU_SELECTION. Possible values are

PART and ASSEMBLY.

When a plate part has been put in the menu by the user, the system automatically searches after identical parts among the remaining parts in the file. All other parts which are identical with the current part, are put into the parts menu behind the first one but they are initially invisible and not possible to access. The number of identical parts for each assembly is presented below the parts in the menu.

The criteria for two parts to be identical are:

• the same area and number of segments in the outer contour

• identical or mirrored segments

There are no checks on assemblies and position numbers.

When the first of the identical parts has been nested the next identical part will be visible and nestable. The number of remaining identical parts is updated.

The presentation of identical parts in the parts menu is controlled by the default parameter,PARTS_MENU_EQUAL. The possible values are YES and NO.

The presentation of part name below the part in the parts menu is controlled by the default parameter, PARTS_MENU_NAME. Allowed values for the parameter are ObjectName and

PartId.

When the parameter is set to ObjectName the plate part name is presented and this is the default setting. If the parameter set to PartId the plate part name is presented as the rule is defined in part name control. In the part name control settings, the module named PARTMENU_NEST2AX controls the configuration of the part name to be presented in the parts menu.