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How to Generate a BOM in OrCAD X

Published Date
Author Cadence PCB Solutions

Key Takeaways

  • The Bill of Materials (BOM) describes all the components, parts, and materials that go into PCB manufacturing.

  • Live BOM is a BOM management viewer and editor that presents an up-to-date view of the design of BOM with zero configuration.

  • To generate a BOM using Live BOM in OrCAD X Capture, follow the steps detailed in this article.

Live BOM in OrCAD X Capture

Screenshot of Live BOM in OrCAD X Capture

The Bill of Materials (BOM) describes all the components, parts, and materials that go into PCB manufacturing. The BOM is a reference document for various stages of the PCB design process, including procurement, assembly, testing, and maintenance. It ensures that the correct components are sourced, assembled, and installed onto the PCB, thus contributing to the final product's overall functionality, reliability, and quality. This article examines how to generate a BOM in OrCAD X.

Creating an effective BOM  presents several challenges, including ensuring comprehensive and up-to-date component libraries, managing component variants and substitutes, dealing with custom components and footprints, formatting the BOM to meet specific requirements, and maintaining version control to keep the BOM synchronized with the latest design revisions. These challenges require careful attention to detail, effective collaboration, and the use of best practices for BOM management within the OrCAD X environment.

How To Generate a BOM in OrCAD X

Live BOM is a BOM management viewer and editor that presents an up-to-date view of the design of a BOM with zero configuration. To generate a BOM using Live BOM in OrCAD X Capture, you should follow these steps:

How to Generate a BOM in OrCAD X 

Create a Design

First, create a new design or open an existing one in OrCAD X Capture.

Design Schematic

Design your schematic in OrCAD X Capture. Ensure all components have the necessary information, such as part numbers, descriptions, and values.

Assign Parameters

Assign parameters to components in your schematic, such as manufacturer part number, manufacturer name, description, and value. This information is crucial for generating an accurate BOM.

Run the Live BOM

Once your schematic is complete and all components have parameters assigned, you can generate the BOM using Live BOM.

  • Go to the "Place" menu.

  • Select "Live BOM."

Configure Live BOM Settings

In the Live BOM dialog box, you can configure various settings, such as which columns to include in the BOM, grouping options, and output format.

Generate the BOM

After configuring the settings, click the "Run" or "Generate" button to generate the BOM.

Review and Export the BOM

Once the BOM is generated, review it to ensure accuracy. Depending on your requirements, you can export the BOM in various formats.

Save the BOM

Finally, save the generated BOM in your desired location for future reference or sharing with others involved in the project.

Benefits of OrCAD X Live BOM 

Screenshot of Live BOM user interface

With OrCAD X Live BOM, changes made to the PCB design are reflected in the BOM, helping maintain component availability and costs throughout the product development process. Designers can access detailed information about each component, such as its manufacturer part number, properties, and description. The dashboard provides data and essential information on component lifecycle status, obsolescence, and overall BOM health status. 

Benefits of using OrCAD X Live BOM include: 

  • Access to over one billion parts across more than 3,500 suppliers, along with the ability to access technical parameters, REACH and ROHS material compliance, and datasheets.
  • Easily replace high-risk parts with form-fit-function alternates and see supplier rating.
  • Ability to compare pricing, availability, and delivery times.
  • Identify obsolescence and shortage issues and generate compliance reports.
  • Monitor and analyze BOM health with part scoring parameters to improve BOM grading.
  • Ability to track lead time, inventory, pricing, lifecycle status, cost avoidance, and shortage patterns or trends.
  • Access to aggregated market intelligence and analytics.
  • Receive notification updates on parts and assemblies.

OrCAD X Live BOM is integrated into OrCAD X Capture and provides a comprehensive and dynamic dashboard displaying up-to-date BOM information. It is powered by Sourcengine™, which is an electronic component marketplace. OrCAD X is a next-generation PCB design tool, one of Cadence’s set of PCB Design and Analysis Software tools. To find out more, try our OrCAD X free trial.

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