In openBoM, we distinguish a Bill of Materials (BOM) from an Inventory:

• Bill of Materials (BOM): there are three types of BOMs: Part lists, Single and Multi-level;
• Inventory: a catalog of parts which can be assigned to a BOM

If you haven’t done so already, we suggest you read, Part number, properties, and BOM types to acquaint yourself with openBoM BOMs.

Here’s an example of a BOM:

Here’s an example of Parts Catalog that can be assigned to a BOM:

Assigning a Part Catalog is easy and straightforward.  In a BOM, click “Set inventories” and select the desired Part Catalogs (= Inventories):

Once assigned, you can bring any desired Property from the Inventory and/or customize the BOM by adding custom properties.  You can do so by clicking “Tools” > “Add Inventory properties” and selecting the desired Properties from the Part Catalog(s) assigned to the BOM:

After clicking “Apply“, all the properties configured from the Parts Catalog are added to the BOM.

Parts Catalogs (Inventories)

Part catalogs (also referred to Inventories in openBoM) are usually created by importing an Excel spreadsheet or from CAD systems (currently in Onshape, other CAD systems will be supported soon). Learn more about parts catalogs (inventories) by navigating to the following links:

• Create an inventory of parts
• Assigning a parts catalog (inventory) to a BOM
• For Onshape users: creating parts catalog

And don’t forget: All BOMs and Parts Catalogs can be shared with other openBoM users.