Here is how you create a Part in a Part Catalog by referencing a McMaster Part Number. As a result, the OpenBOM catalog part will be created with all information retrieved from the McMaster catalog. This will insure you will have all McMaster catalog data for this part integrated inside of an OpenBOM BOM and Part catalog. You can re-use the same part in other BOMs.

(1) Start with a BOM you have created manually, imported from a spreadsheet, or imported from a CAD system. Make sure there is, in addition to a Part Number, an alternative part number reference in the BOM, for example, in the picture, below, “Catalog Part Number”.

(2) Click the “Parts and Catalogs” button. You will see a “Parts and Catalogs configuration” dialog window appear:

(3) Choose the desired Part Catalog from the list. For example, “Printer parts”. You can set more than one catalog to a BOM.

Here’s a pic of the catalog (just a simple example, please don’t mind the data):

Note: make sure that you have set “Auto generate Part Numbers” as active.

(4) Link the catalog Part Number to the desired property in the BOM. Click on “BOM to Catalog link“. Then “Map to BOM property“.  For example, “Catalog Part  Number”.

(5) In the desired BOM item, for example, “Coupler 5-8”, (i) go to the info panel; (ii) click “Part Catalog properties”; and (iii) click the button “Create New  Part”

(6) A “Create New Part” dialog window appears. Make sure to be in the “New Part from McMaster” window tab:

(7) Select the desired Part Catalog from the “Select Part Catalog” drop-down menu. Add a McMaster-Carr part number, e.g. 6412K8, and click the “Load” button.

Data from McMaster-Carr for the part number 6412K8 will be brought in:

Click “Create Part” when done.

McMaster-Carr data will be added to the item in your BOM. The “6412K8” part number is added to the “Catalog Part Number” to the right item, “Coupler 5-8”. You can view all the properties taken from McMaster-Carr in using the Info panel:

(8) The Part Catalog we saw in step “3” is also updated with the part you’ve added to the BOM from McMaster-Carr. Note: you can use any of the parts, including those you add from McMaster-Carr, in this Catalog with any other BOM. Data updated in the Part Catalog is automatically updated in all the BOMs this catalog has been assigned to.

(9) Back in the BOM, you can configure and bring in properties from the catalog, for example, we’ll bring in “Supplier Link” as a simple example.

Once you click “Apply“, the property “Supplier Link” is brought to the BOM.

The corresponding link takes you directly to the appropriate McMaster-Carr catalog page.

This video brings all these steps together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi8-Hfq6h7g&rel=0