CostingManager for Weldments

To display the Weldments CostingManager for multibody weldments:

1. In a weldment, click Costing (Tools toolbar or the Evaluate tab on the CommandManager) or Tools > SOLIDWORKS Applications > Costing.
2. If the software does not calculate a cost estimate automatically, select options in the Costing Task Pane to estimate the part cost.
3. Select the CostingManager tab on the left side of the SOLIDWORKS software window.

Custom Operations

Add Custom Operation

Lets you create additional operations in the machining template to add to the cost calculation.

Cost/Time Display

	Show Cost	Displays the cost for each operation to manufacture the part.
	Show Time	Displays the time required for each operation to manufacture the part.

Setup

The Setup folder contains the costs associated with manufacturing setups such as setting up machines to run a batch (lot) of parts. Each operation to manufacture the part requires setup costs. The setup costs depend on the time required to set the part on the machines. The setup costs include the machine cost per hour because the machine cannot be used during setup, and labor cost for the effort to set the part. If the setup cost is in the machining template, it is recognized by the Costing tool.

The Setup folder can have setup costs defined in the template for library features or custom features. The folder groups setup operations as Operations Setup , Custom Setup , and Load and Unload Setup . The folder also groups all the cutting, milling, and drilling setup costs into appropriate setup operations. For the cutting, milling, and drilling setup costs, a generic 5% of the total operation cost is assumed, which is the amount of time to remove the material for this feature multiplied by the labor and machine cost.

Structural Bodies

The Structural Bodies folder contains the structural members organized by cut lists.

• Expanding each cut list shows the method template used for the body.
• If you hover over a cut list item, the software displays additional information such as the number of bodies, dimensions, and which standard and profile was used to cost the body.
• The Costing software costs the first body in the cut list and then multiplies by the number of bodies.
• Double-clicking a body opens the single-body mode for the costed weldment body.

Sheet Metal Bodies

The Sheet Metal Bodies folder contains the sheet metal parts.

• Expanding each sheet metal body shows the method and template used for the body.
• Double-clicking a body opens the single-body mode for the costed sheet metal body.

General Bodies

The General Bodies folder typically contains bodies that are machined.

• Expanding each body shows the method and template used for the body.
• Double-clicking a body opens the single-body mode for the costed body.

Welding

The Welding folder contains all welding information for both fillet and weld beads.

• Fillet beads are costed per volume. Expanding a fillet bead shows the assigned method. To change weld types, right-click the bead name and from Weld Method, select a weld type.
• Weld beads are costed per length. Expanding a weld bead shows the assigned method. To change weld types, right-click the bead name and from Weld Method, select a weld type.

Custom Bodies

The Custom Bodies folder contains custom-costed bodies such as purchased hardware. You cannot open these bodies in single-body mode because there is no cost analysis performed on them. They are simply assigned a cost.

Custom Operations

The Custom Operations folder contains any operations that are not automatically recognized by the Costing tool. A custom operation cost can be calculated as a cost associated with the entire part, the part weight, specific part faces, part edges, a single stroke operation, or time.

For example, if the part is to be painted, you can assign a cost to paint the entire part or specific faces of a part. If you are painting specific faces, include a cost per area such as dollars per square inch to paint the part.

You can set custom operations in the template and apply the operations automatically or manually.

You can also create custom operations without editing the template by clicking Add Custom Operation in the CostingManager. See Custom Operations for Machined Parts.

Each item in the folder has the operation name you selected and the selection type.

Hover over a custom operation to see the equation used to calculate the cost.

Library Features

The Library Features folder contains all library features in the part. The cost of each item is calculated as the cost per feature as defined in the machining template.

Hover over a library feature to see the equation used to calculate the cost.

No Cost Assigned

The No Cost Assigned folder contains features that:

• are not recognized by the Costing tool
• are not defined in the template
• have a zero cost
• you excluded from the cost analysis manually by clicking Exclude in the Body List of the Costing task pane.

If you set a feature cost to zero, the feature moves to this folder. If you assign a cost to a feature in the No Cost Assigned folder, the feature moves to the appropriate folder and appears in italics with an asterisk to indicate an override. If a feature that you assign a cost to is not a cut path, mill operation, hole operation, or library feature, then that feature is assigned to the Custom Operations folder.