Manufacturer Part Management

All of the manufacturer parts are stored in a unique database. They are classified and have several search criteria.

To access the Manufacturer Part management, click Menu > Libraries > Manufacturer part management .

The Manufacturer part management dialog box has different tabs. The Classification tab shows a list of the different Classes. The Filters tab lets you look for a manufacturer part to modify its properties, for example. The right side of the dialog box shows the list of the parts contained in the selected class or the list of references satisfying the filter criteria.

There are two options for displaying manufacturer parts. If you check the Automatic refresh box, the list of manufacturer parts is automatically displayed. If you do not check the Automatic refresh box, the list of manufacturer parts is only updated if you click Refresh.

Icon/ Options Description
Add manufacturer part A new manufacturer part is created by copying from an existing one that you have selected beforehand. It is best to select a manufacturer part that closely matches the one that you want to add. Then click the Add manufacturer part button.
Add Electrical assembly Allows you to create a specific manufacturer part named Electrical assembly. The creation process of an Electrical assembly is the same as defined above.
Multiple insertion This command is similar to the Add manufacturer part command with the difference that the properties dialog box does not close on validation, but prompts you to create another manufacturer part.
Add Electrical assembly Allows you to create several specific manufacturer parts named Electrical assembly. The creation process of an Electrical assembly is the same as defined above.
Import Imports a customized list of references to integrate them into the catalogs.
Delete Lets you delete the selected manufacturer parts.
Properties Opens the Properties dialog box of the selected manufacturer part. If you select several manufacturer parts, the Properties dialog box displays only the common properties.
Cut Places a copy of the selected manufacturer part on the SOLIDWORKS Electrical clipboard and deletes the originals.

You can also use the shortcut: [Ctrl] + [X].
Copy Places a copy of the selected manufacturer part on the SOLIDWORKS Electrical clipboard and keeps the originals. The Copy command can be used to copy the selected element list to another application such as Excel (List mode only).

You can also use the shortcut: [Ctrl] + [C].
Paste Pastes the manufacturer part present in the SOLIDWORKS Electrical clipboard.

You can also use the shortcut: [Ctrl] + [V].
Select all Selects all the manufacturer part displayed in the right-hand side of the Manufacturer part management.
Configuration Manages the display settings for items in the dialog box.
Show user data Displayed only if ERP database is active. It allows you to show the user data in the filter tab.
Archive Select the manufacturer parts that you want to archive by clicking the Archive icon.

A dialog box to save the file opens, allowing you to save the archived file.
Unarchive A file selection dialog box opens where a TEWZIP file can be selected for unarchiving. The update data wizard opens automatically. Refer to the Archive / Unarchive chapter for more information.
Electrical content portal Used to access downloads of part reference archive files from Electrical Content Portal. The manufacturer parts are grouped by manufacturer in a catalog, with the manufacturer name. Not all of the manufacturer parts are in the catalog. These files include the latest part updates. The downloaded files are automatically unarchived.
Update subscription Allows you to check if your subscription is available. The subscription is mandatory to access to Electrical Content Portal.
Download 2D footprint Allows you to access to the ECP (Electrical Content Portal) to download the 2D footprints corresponding to the selected manufacturer part.
Download SOLIDWORKS 3D part Allows you to access to the ECP (Electrical Content Portal) to download the 3D parts corresponding to the selected manufacturer part.
Classification management Allows you to manage the different classes in which the manufacturer parts are stored.
Language Allows you to change the language of the description.
Dimension Units Select in the list the unit system that you want to show the manufacturer part dimensions.

Managing Circuits

When you import several manufacturer parts, circuits are not imported, and you must add them in each imported manufacturer part. To help you, you can use in the context menu of a manufacturer part, a specific Copy or Paste for the circuits. An Electrical assembly has the circuits of their child references.
  • Copy circuits: Copies on the clipboard the circuits of the selected manufacturer part.
  • Paste circuits: Pastes the circuits present in the clipboard, to the selected manufacturer part.
  • Remove circuits: Deletes the circuits of the selected manufacturer part.