Processes

Process definitions, hourly rates, setup times, mass constraints, and material constraints.

Edited in the Database Management window.

Processes

Defines all manufacturing processes, their hierarchy, cost centres, and active status.

Column	Description
ID	Unique identifier
Superior process	Reference to the superior process
Process	Reference to the process
Name	Display name
Cost center	Cost centre identifier
Priority	Priority ranking
Active	Whether the entry is active
Subprocesses active	Whether sub-processes are active
Description	Notes

Processes - Hourly rate

Hourly rate per process for cost calculation.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Hourly rate	Hourly rate

Processes - Setup time default values

Default setup time per process used when no specific time is defined.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Setup time	Setup time

Processes - Unit time default values

Default unit time per process used when no specific time is defined.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Unit time	Unit time

Processes - Handling time

Handling time adjustments per process based on part mass.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Mass	Part mass in kg
Setup time delta	Setup time offset
Unit time delta	Unit time offset

Processes - Idle time

Idle/queue time per process between operations.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Time	Time value

Processes - Mass constraints

Mass limits per process — minimum and maximum part mass.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
min.	Minimum value
incl.	Whether minimum is inclusive
max.	Maximum value
excl.	Whether maximum is exclusive

Processes - Sheet material constraints

Defines which sheet materials are allowed for each process.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Sheet - Material	Reference to the sheet material
Allowed	Whether this combination is allowed

Processes - Tube material constraints

Defines which tube materials are allowed for each process.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Tubes - Material	Reference to the tube material
Allowed	Whether this combination is allowed

Processes - Purchase part constraints

Defines which purchase part materials are allowed for each process.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process
Purchase part material	Reference to the purchase part material
Allowed	Whether this combination is allowed

Custom Calculations

WSi lets you override or extend the standard cost and time calculation for any process node using custom formulas. You write expressions that read part geometry, material properties, and user-supplied values, then wire the result to one of five entry points.

Processes - Calculation

Links custom calculation configurations to specific processes. The configuration is stored as a JSON blob per processId.

Column	Description
Process	Reference to the process

How to Open the Dialog

Open Settings → Database and select the Processes - Calculation table. Select a process and click Edit, or double-click the process. The dialog shows that process's calculation configuration.

The entries in the node context menu do not open this dialog. Edit calculation variables asks for the values of the input variables the process's calculation defines (see Variables). Edit calculation parameters overrides the material costs, setup time, and unit time per piece — or the scale prices for external manufacturing — for individual nodes. Edit calculation settings in the toolbar sets the scale values.

Entry Points

Each custom function must be assigned to one entry point:

Entry point	What it controls
Setup time	Fixed time needed before production starts
Unit time	Time per part during production
Material costs	Material cost per part
Constraint	Boolean pass/fail for validation rules
Custom	Any value with configurable precision and optional BOM export

Variables

Built-in variables are computed automatically from the part geometry and are always available:

Mass, Volume, Surface area (2D/3D), Bounding box volume, X/Y/Z dimensions, Thickness, Quantity, Article count, Component count, Outer/inner contour length, Contour count, Flow nesting length (2D), Coating area/density/cost rate, Operation count, Operation group count, Volume before.

User-defined variables let you add custom inputs:

• Constant — fixed numeric value
• Material constant — value depends on the material group
• Number input — user enters a value via Edit calculation variables in the node context menu (with configurable min, max, precision)
• Enumeration input — user picks from a dropdown of named options
• Loop (filter/map/reduce) — iterates over a parameter table and aggregates results
• Function — calls another named function to reuse logic
• Function parameter — parameter passed into a function when called

Expression Language

Variables start with $ and contain letters, numbers, and underscores (e.g. $mass, $thickness_2). Supported operations:

Operation	Meaning
+ -	Addition, Subtraction
* /	Multiplication, Division
^	Power
( )	Grouping

Built-in functions: MIN[$a; $b; ...], MAX[$a; $b; ...], FLOOR[$v], CEIL[$v].

Units are carried through automatically — dividing $mass (kg) by $thickness (mm) gives a result in kg/mm.

Preview

The Preview field at the bottom of the editor evaluates the expression using test values so you can verify the formula before saving. Invalid expressions show a red error message.

Where the Result Appears

1. Create a function with built-in and/or user-defined variables
2. Write an expression that computes a result from those variables
3. Assign the function to an Entry point
4. When WSi recalculates a node's cost, it evaluates the expression using the current part geometry and user inputs
5. The result feeds into the cost calculation and appears in the Cost Analysis panel

Configurations are stored in the Processes - Calculation table. When restoring database defaults, WSi preserves existing custom calculation function IDs so your formulas are not lost.