Adding machine and material data
Add machine, material type, and stock data to a VPE when the VPE does not contain the machines or materials used by your facility.
If you want to add a large number of machines or materials to the VPE, we recommend that you export the VPE data and add the new machines or materials in Excel, then import it. For more information, see To export VPE Data to Excel on page 1 and To Import VPE Data from Excel on page 1 .
A note about material hardness
By default, most material hardness values are set to “0.00” in the VPE Manager “Materials” UI. In this case, aPriori cost models will derive a reasonable hardness value from internal tables at costing time, if you have a specific hardness value that you want to be used for costing, you can provide an override value.
To add a machine
1 Open the VPE to which you want to add a machine.
The VPE is displayed in the aPriori VPE Manager. For more information, see Opening a VPE on page 1. Expand the process group to which you want to add a machine.
2 Expand the Machines folder.
3 Expand the machine type folder for the type of machine you want to add.
4 Right-click the machine type folder and select Create new machine from the context menu to display the New Machine window.
5 Enter the machine’s name and select the work center. Check Apply Default Values if you want to use the values from the default machine to populate the new machine’s data.
6 Click OK to add the new machine as a new file in the Navigation pane and as a new row in the machine type table in the Data pane.
7 Click the machine in the Navigation pane to edit the machine’s properties.
If you are editing directly in the table, you can click 
in the column header to expand the column and display its sub-columns. Click 
to collapse the sub-columns.
in the column header to expand the column and display its sub-columns. Click to collapse the sub-columns. As you edit, an asterisk (*) appears next to the file in the Navigation pane and next to the row to indicate that there are unsaved changes.
For example, in the figure above, a new bend brake SPH-90C (Amada) machine was added. It appears as the last file in the Bend Brake list in the Navigation pane and as the last row in the table. Because the labor rate was edited, an asterisk appears next to the machine.
To add or update a machine field
You can add or update a column in the machine table across all processes in a process group at once, rather than making the same change to each distinct process machine table. This feature is useful if your company wishes to add a column to all machine tables in a VPE, such as “Factory Location.”
1 In the VPE Toolset (or the Cost Model Workbench), open a VPE and select the process group you wish to change.
2 From the menu bar, click Tools > Add/Update machine field.
3 Enter values in the fields in the resulting dialog box and click OK.
4 The column is added to the table, but it will not actually be populated with data.
5 Select File > Publish VPE from the aPriori VPE Manager menu bar or click 
in the toolbar to save your changes.
in the toolbar to save your changes.6 Input values into the field through the VPE Manager.
To add a material
1 Open the VPE to which you want to add a material.
The VPE is displayed in the VPE Manager. For more information, see Opening a VPE on page 1.
2 Expand the process group to which you want to add a material.
3 Expand the Materials folder.
4 Right-click the Materials folder and select Add material from the context menu to display the New Material window.
5 Enter a name for the material and click OK to display a list of material types.
6 Select a material type and click OK to display a list of material cut codes.
A material’s cut code characterizes the machinability of a material and is adapted from the Sandvik Cormorant cutability classification (CMC code) scheme for metals. Different materials that machine similarly are assigned the same cut code. For example, both Inconel and Hastelloy are assigned a cut code of 20.21 as they are both nickel-based, heat resistant super-alloys.
For more information on assigning material cut codes, see Assigning material cut codes on page 1.
7 Select a material cut code and click OK to add the new material as a new item in the Navigation pane and as a new row in the Materials table in the Data pane.
8 Click the material in the Navigation pane to edit the material’s properties.
Material properties vary by process group. Review the cost model to understand the role that material properties play in calculating cost. Typically, once a material is added, the only value that changes over time is the Unit Cost.
Common material properties include:
• Density – The density of the material
• USA Name, DIN Name, and EN Name – These properties reflect the name or standard by which the material is known in the US, Germany, and UK, respectively. They are optional fields that may be populated in addition to the primary Name field.
• Cost Units – Material cost data can be entered in multiple units systems. Select one of the following unit types from the drop-down list:
• Cost per KG – Available for all process groups
• Cost per LB – Available for all process groups
• Cost per Square Foot – Available for the Sheet Metal process group
• Cost per Square Meter – Available for the Sheet Metal process group
• Cost per Linear Foot – Available for the Bar & Tube Fabrication and Forging groups
• Cost per Linear Meter – Available for the Bar & Tube Fabrication and Forging groups
• Cost per Item (Each) – Cost for an individual stock item of the specified size. Available for some process groups
• Regardless of the cost units chosen, costs are converted as appropriate and displayed in cost per mass units in the aPriori interface. That is, in the aPriori interface, material unit costs are displayed as Cost per Kg or Cost per Lb, depending on whether the user has chosen Metric or English units for display.
• Cost per Unit – Material unit cost based on the selected Cost Units
Note: When you add a material with cut code 4.0 or 4.1, please specify Rockwell C as the Hardness System field value. When you add a material with cut code 23.1, 23.21, or 23.22, please specify Tensile Strength as the Hardness System field value. See A note about material hardness for more information.
9 Add material stocks to the material type folder following the instructions in To add a material stock below.
To add or update a material field
You can add or update a column in the material table across multiple process groups in a VPE at once, rather than making the same change to each process group individually. This feature is useful if your company needs to add a column to all material tables in a VPE, such as “Company Description.”
1 In the VPE Toolset (or the Cost Model Workbench), open a VPE.
2 From the menu bar, click Tools > Add/Update material field.
3 Enter the fields in the resulting dialog box. Use CTRL-left-click and SHIFT-left-click to extend your selection of process groups from the Select Process Group(s) field.
4 When you click OK, a window will open for each process group you selected as it is updated. You can dismiss these windows when done.
5 The column is added to the table, but it will not actually be populated with data.
6 Input values into the field through the VPE Manager.
7 Select File > Publish VPE from the aPriori VPE Manager menu bar or click in the toolbar to save your changes.
in the toolbar to save your changes.To add a material stock
1 Open the VPE to which you want to add a material stock.
The VPE is displayed in the aPriori VPE Manager. For more information, , see Opening a VPE on page 1.
2 Expand the process group to which you want to add a material stock.
Material stocks are available for the Bar & Tube Fabrication, Forging, Sheet Metal, and Stock Machining process groups.
3 Expand the Materials folder.
4 Expand the material type folder for the type of material stock you want to add.
5 Right-click the material type folder and select Add material stock from the context menu to display the New Material Stock window.
6 Enter a name for the material stock and click OK to add the new material stock as a new file in the Navigation pane and as a new row in the Materials table in the Data pane.
7 Enter data directly in the Material Stocks table cells or click the material stock in the Navigation pane to enter the values in fields.
If you are editing directly in the table, you can click to expand a column and display its sub-columns. Click to collapse the sub-columns.
to expand a column and display its sub-columns. Click to collapse the sub-columns. As you edit, an asterisk (*) appears next to the file in the Navigation pane and next to the row to indicate that there are unsaved changes.
To add a tool shop
A tool shop is a set of variables to calculate tooling related costs. A tool shop is something like a miniature VPE but is tooling specific. They have no CSL but store data such as relative costs for different die materials, and can be used by a process that makes use of tooling such as molds, cores, etc. To create a tool shop, you (or an administrator who has permission to use the Cost Model WorkBench) must first create a tool shop type, and then associate it with the relevant process. For these initial steps, please refer to the aPriori Cost Model Workbench Guide, “Working with Tool Shop Metadata”.
Once the initial set-up work is done, you can use the VPE Manager to add tool shops and view and modify their variables.
1 Open the VPE to which you want to add a tool shop.
The VPE is displayed in the aPriori VPE Manager. For more information, , see Opening a VPE on page 1.
2 Expand the process group to which you want to add the tool shop.
3 Expand the Processes folder.
4 Expand the process folder to which you want to add the tool shop. (If your target process cannot be expanded or does not include a Tool Shops subfolder, review the preliminary work that was done on the CMWB as described above.)
5 Right-click Tool Shops and click Create Tool Shop.
6 Enter a name for the tool shop and click OK.
The tool shop should now appear under the Tool Shops subfolder.
7 Click the new tool shop and enter values as needed in the fields that are displayed.