Welcome to PartForge.
This guide covers the recommended workflow for setting up your workshop inventory and creating your first project.
Before entering a large inventory, consider how you want to organize your workshop.
PartForge supports both categories and storage locations.
Categories describe what a part is.
Examples:
You can create your own categories at any time.
Storage locations describe where a part is physically stored.
Locations can be nested.
Example:
Workshop
→ Parts Cabinet
→ Drawer 3
→ Bin A
This allows PartForge to represent the actual layout of your workspace.
Open Inventory and choose Add Part.
Enter the information you want to track.
Only the information useful to you needs to be entered.
A part can include:
PartForge includes duplicate detection to help prevent multiple records representing the same component.
If you begin adding a part that already exists, PartForge may identify the existing inventory record.
Instead of creating another record, you can add the new quantity to the existing part.
For example:
You already have:
M3x20mm Countersunk Screw — Quantity 25
You purchase 50 more.
Using Add Part, PartForge identifies the existing part and allows the additional quantity to be applied to that record.
The resulting inventory becomes:
Quantity 75
This is different from a direct inventory adjustment, which is available through the inventory transaction workflow.
Photos can help visually identify components.
You can:
PartForge can generate QR codes for parts and storage locations.
Open the appropriate record and access its QR function.
The QR image can then be saved, shared, or used when creating physical labels.
When a PartForge QR code is scanned using the PartForge scanner, the matching record opens automatically.
For commonly used parts, set a minimum quantity.
When current inventory falls below that value, PartForge can identify the part as low inventory.
This makes it easier to restock frequently used workshop supplies.
Open Projects and create a project.
Enter the relevant project information, such as:
Open the project and add BOM items.
A BOM item can be linked to an existing PartForge inventory record.
For example:
Project: Sensor Enclosure
BOM:
PartForge compares those requirements with current inventory.
PartForge determines whether enough inventory exists to satisfy the project BOM.
If inventory is sufficient, the item is considered available.
If inventory is insufficient, PartForge calculates the shortage.
Missing parts automatically contribute to the shopping list.
Use the shopping list to understand what needs to be purchased before beginning a project.
When components are purchased, record the purchase through PartForge.
Existing inventory items receive inventory transactions reflecting the newly purchased quantity.
External BOM items can be converted into inventory records as part of the purchase workflow.
When a project is finished, use the project completion workflow.
PartForge can record actual component usage and reduce inventory based on the quantities consumed.
Periodically create a PartForge backup.
Backups are designed for restoring PartForge data.
CSV exports are intended for reporting and should not be treated as a replacement for application backups.
PartForge supports Apple’s iCloud and CloudKit synchronization.
When iCloud is available, application data can synchronize between compatible devices associated with the user’s iCloud account.
Synchronization may not always be instantaneous and depends on device connectivity and Apple’s iCloud services.
See PartForge Support.