About Fabrication Units
On the Menu Manager, click ASM PROCESS > Fab Unit to create or modify a fabrication unit or to view or delete information about a unit. Create a fabrication unit whenever you wish to avoid permanent changes to the design assembly model. A fabrication unit is a group of components that represents what is actually manufactured and shipped. It is different from a design assembly because it also includes shipping, documentation and other support material. For example, a pipe assembly can contain caps to protect an open-ended assembly until it is assembled.
A fabrication unit can be used as a component in any type of step. When a fabrication unit is used in an Assemble step, all of the components in the fabrication unit are assembled simultaneously. In addition, a fabrication unit is handled as a single component when you define any of the options (for example, an exploded view, a simplified representation or a BOM).
Because it is treated as a single entity, you must create each fabrication unit before you use any of its components in a process step. You can create a fabrication unit even if some of the components have already been used in another step, but you should redefine that step and assemble the fabrication unit instead of the individual component. You cannot create a fabrication unit that includes component used in different Assemble steps.
When working with fabrication units, consider the following:
• You must place a fabrication unit separately, as a unit, in the process assembly.
• The components that make up a fabrication unit must come from a single assembly, although they can come from different assembly levels.
• A fabrication unit can appear in the process plan several times. When you select one instance of a fabrication unit, the other instances are also highlighted. Each instance of a fabrication unit appears separately in the BOM and the parts list.
• When you create a BOM for the process plan, each component of the fabrication unit is displayed separately. When you create a BOM for a manufacturing plan, the fabrication unit is listed as a single unit and is not broken down into its individual components.