Link a Dimension to the BOM with a Custom Property

Why is a Custom Property Required?

The Bill of Materials (BOM) will not directly associate a specific component feature dimension to a BOM cell. However, when we associate a Custom Property to a dimension, we can use that in the BOM.

For reference, I have a simple assembly with a base block, three dowel pins, and three sliders. Each of the sliders has the same physical length, but we want to have the slot length for each slider displayed in the BOM.

Where to start?

Since the BOM requires a custom property, we can link to, let's create one and associate it to the slot length dimension.

We start with the component. Highlighting the feature with the dimension we want to target displays the dimension. Using the Custom Properties tool, we can add a new property named ‘SlotLength’. We will reference this later. Once the association is complete, and you see the dimension referenced, you can close the dialog with the ‘OK” button.3

Create a Custom Property in Component

With the Custom Property created we can now add it to the BOM

This requires editing the BOM table to include the new custom property. We will create a new column and apply the custom property to it.

Add Custom Property to BOM

Once the other components have the property and dimension association, they will also appear in the BOM table.

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