Enhance your SOLIDWORKS Cut List by including Custom Folder Names

A great new enhancement for SOLIDWORKS 2018 is the ability to make SOLIDWORKS cut list folder names a custom property! If you’ve taken the time to re-name your cut list folders for added clarity in your design, the ability to bring those custom names into your detailed cut list is going to save a lot of time during manufacturing as you will know exactly which piece you are making at any given time.

Lets see the enhanced SOLIDWORKS Cut List in action

For this example, we will look at this picnic table weldment which is made using a 2 X 6 softwood lumber profile.

Picnic table weldment design

The SOLIDWORKS cut list folders have all been named according to where on the table the part will be installed.

Fully detailed cut list with custom folder names

Now with SOLIDWORKS 2018 we can re-use this data in our detailed cut list to be able to easily identify where each piece belongs. This is great for making kits for assembly.

Detailed SOLIDWORKS Cut List with custom descriptions for each piece

How it works

Adding the custom SOLIDWORKS cut list folder names to your detailed cut list is really simple. In your cut list properties, add a new property for each cut list item.

Add a custom property, and set the value to “Cut List Item Name”

Because it is a custom property linked with the body, when either your detailed cut list or the name of the cut list folder is changed, everything will stay up to date.