### Creating a New Part Template

Before a part can be measured, its dimensions, tolerances, nominal values, trace data, and any measurement helps must first be defined as a part template. A part template is just a part with pre-defined dimension variables but without any transactions or measurement data. A part template can also help to speed up initial part creation by providing a starting base. Use existing part templates if you often use the same dimension types on different parts.

You, as the administrator, can do this by using the New Part Wizard.

1. Login as an administrator.

2. From the ribbon, choose the File tab, then from the Part Template group, choose New to display the New Part Wizard.

3. The Part Name screen appears.

New Part Wizard - Part Name screen

3. Type a unique, short, but descriptive name for the new part. If you want to use an existing part's structure as a starting point for the new part, mark the From an existing Part check box. Then use the drop-down list to the right and select the existing part.

3. To change the part image, click on the existing starting image in Part image. From the Open dialog box, navigate to and select an image that represents your part. Click the Open button to load the image into the wizard.

4. When done, click the Next > button to display Trace Definition screen. Traces provide data that gets stored with the measurement transaction into the database. During execution the operator is prompted to fill in the trace information. For example, you might want to track the operator name as well as a part's serial number and so forth. You can define these sorts of trace values using this screen.

New Part Wizard - Trace Definition screen

6. Type how many traces you want to use in Number of Traces box. The number you enter displays that many trace rows in the Trace Name list.

7. Give each trace a name by typing a value in the Trace Name column. Click the Show check box for each item you want to display to the operator during part measurement so they can input information. Click on the New and Delete buttons to add or remove Trace field rows.

8. When done, click the Next > button to display the next wizard screen. This is where you define the bulk of the part structure. You will need to decide what features you want measured and what dimensions you want reported.

New Part Wizard dialog box 4

9. In Session size, type the number of parts to measure for this measurement session.

10. In the Add Rows box, define the number of initial dimensions you want in the part and click Add. The software creates the same number of dimension rows in the dimension list area. You can click on the Add later to add additional items as needed. Select rows and click Delete at any time to remove selected rows from the dimensions list.

11. For each dimension you want measured and reported on, do the following:

- Name - Provide a short, descriptive, ID for the dimension.

- Axis - Type an axis. M is a default label that stands for "Measurement" but you can define whatever you want. Generally, you'll be tracking discrete information like width, height, length, weight an so on. For example, if you wanted to track the X, Y, and diameter values of a hole, you might have CIRCLE1 three times in Name and then X, Y, and D for the axes. Note that the Name and Axis together must be unique.

- Type - Choose how the results will be entered into the database. Numeric means the field expects the actual measurement value. PassOrFail means the field expects a single character that represents a pass or fail state, so a P (for Pass) or an F (for Fail). An in-tolerance measurement is a Pass. An out-of-tolerance measurement is a Fail.

- Nominal - Type the perfect nominal value for the dimension.

- Upper Tol - Type the allowed upper tolerance.

- Lower Tol - Type the allowed lower tolerance.

- Input Type - This defines how the data is input into the database. If it's coming from a gauge device automatically through digital output, choose Gauge. If it's going to be manually typed by the operator, choose Keyboard. If, you want to use either input type choose Both.

- Group ID - For most users this can be ignored. It is provided for unique cases where dimensions need to be grouped together. If you need axes grouped together, specify a Group ID. If any dimension axes have the same Group ID they are measured first on all samples before proceeding to a different group ID. Then the samples starts over for the new group.

- Gauge ID - Provide an ID for the gauge machine the operator will use to measure this dimension.

- Skip - For most users this can be ignored. This value provides a way for you to only do a spot-check for specified dimensions that do not need to be measured in every sample. For example, a skip value of 0 means the software expects a measurement value from each sample; a skip value of 1 means one measurement of every two samples may be skipped; a skip value of two means two of every three samples may be skipped, and so on.

- Description - Click this button to provide the operator with measurement instructions. A small Description input box appears. Type a brief set of basic measurement instructions for measuring that axis. When finished, click OK. The description is stored with the part and is displayed to the operator during the measurement of that feature.

- Image - Click this button to provide the operator an image. An Open dialog box appears. Navigate to a directory containing an appropriate image that provides additional measurement instructions for that axis and click Open. The image is stored with the part and is displayed to the operator during the measurement of that feature.

12. Click the < Back button at any time to return to the previous wizard screen.

13. When finished, click the Finish button to store the updates and return to the main DataGauge+ screen. Click the Cancel button to exit the wizard without saving the changes.