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Weight Auto-Calculations

3E Exchange can automatically calculate weights and percentages in products using your data!

Joe Marino avatar
Written by Joe Marino
Updated over a week ago

3E Exchange has a list of auto-calculation modes that were designed to meet a multitude of needs. We typically recommend the 3E Exchange Standard Auto-calculations. If you haven't already, check out the article listed below. 

If the 3E Exchange Standard Auto-calculations don't meet your needs, continue reading about additional options below. 

Other Auto-calculation Settings

Use the following flow chart to find a more in-depth analysis on the type of weight information that you have to use in 3E Exchange. The green oval indicates what type of auto-calculation mode you should use. Below the flow chart, we will get into the details of each mode.

No Auto-calculations

Without enabling auto-calculations, 3E Exchange will not calculate any weight-related fields in the BOM editor. You should choose this mode if you intend to import Product % by Weight or Weight or otherwise wish to enter this information by hand.

Percentages (Relative)

In this mode you provide Material % by Weight in each row, and Product % by Weight for the top-level parts. 3E Exchange will automatically calculate Product % by Weight for each row.

In the example below, Material % by Weight is already populated in the linked materials. In creating the product, the Material % by Weight of Solvent A and Solvent B, and the Product % by Weight of the top-level parts are provided which allows 3E Exchange to determine the relative Product % by Weight for the subsequent rows.

Weights (Absolute) - Both Substance and Absolute Weight

This mode works the same whether your weight data is stored at the substance row level or at a higher level such as part, material or component level.

In this mode you provide Material % by Weight in each row, and Weight for the top-level parts. 3E Exchange will automatically calculate the Weight and Product % by Weight of each row.

In the example below, Material % by Weight is already populated in the linked materials. In creating the product, the Material % by Weight for Solvent C and Solvent D, and the Weight of the top-level parts are provided which allows 3E Exchange to determine the individual weights of each row.

Product % by Weight is calculated for each row based on the row's Weight and a Total Weight of the product, found by one of two methods:

  • Using Substance Rows for Summing Total Weights

  • Use Absolute Weights Entered for Summing Total Weights

Absolute weights are part rows in which you provide a Weight but no Material % by Weight. If you are providing absolute weights, select the "Using Absolute Weights" option; otherwise, select the "Using Substance Rows" option.

Quantities/Unit Weights - Both Substance and Absolute Weight

This mode works the same whether your weight data is stored at the substance row level or at a higher level such as part, material or component level. 

In this mode you provide Material % by Weight in each row, and Unit Weight and Quantity for the top-level parts. 3E Exchange will automatically calculate the Weight and Product % by Weight of each row.

In the example below, Material % by Weight is already populated in the linked materials. In creating the product, the Material % by Weight for Solvent C and Solvent D, and the Unit Weight and Quantity of the top-level parts are provided. Weights are determined for top-level parts by multiplying Unit Weight and Quantity, and the results are used to determine subsequent child weights.

Product % by Weight is calculated for each row based on the row's Weight and a Total Weight of the product, found by one of two methods:

  • Using Substance Rows for Summing Total Weights

  • Use Absolute Weights Entered for Summing Total Weights

Absolute weights are part rows in which you provide a Weight but no Material % by Weight. If you are providing absolute weights, select the "Using Absolute Weights" option; otherwise, select the "Using Substance Rows" option.

Ranges

Ranged values are possible for Weight, Unit Weight, Quantity, and Material % by Weight by separating the values of the range with a hyphen (e.g. 20-30%). Ranged values are handled in all auto-calculations.

Alternatives

Alternatives represent products that are made up of substances and materials that sometimes differ in their formulations. 3E Exchange's auto-calculations account for situations where the alternative formulations may have different weights. 

In the case of alternatives using weight based calculations, the system will calculate weights and percentages specific to the given alternative option.

For example, consider the product below:

In this example, the total weight of the product is either 15 or 16 lbs, based on whether A1 or A2 is present in the product. The relative percentage of the Aluminum in the final product reflects this ranged total weight possibility. The relative percentage of Gold and Gold/Silver are respective to their own possibilities of 10 or 11 lbs, respectively.

This is particularly powerful when summarizing alternative information in reports such as HPD Basic Inventory, where the amount of Gold, for example, ranges from 58.438% to 66.667% depending on which alternative is used.

For more information on alternatives, see Reporting on Alternatives.

Video Walk-through

Getting Help

If you have questions about using 3E Exchange or the material covered in this help article, reach out in chat in the bottom right-hand corner or email support@3eco.com.

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