i've been asked if i know anything about DOD Level III drawings. I don't. Does anyone out there know what these are and where can i find some info on them? thanks for your time
In a nutshell: Level 1 – Conceptual and Developmental Design, Level 2 – Production Prototype and Limited Production, Level 3 - Production.
In level 3 drawings, all of your i's must be dotted and t's crossed, with nothing left open to varying interpretations.
In addition to ewh's post, all the i's and t's include material specs, alternate materials MUST be specified (including if any ASTM steel spec will work for your cold rolled requirement, list all appropriate).
Yes, the data package should be complete.
The gov't should be able to expect the same end item (as defined in the data package) from any two (or more) qualified vendors, regardless of where they are located.
DOD-STD-100 used to be the drawing standard for military/DOD drawings, but I think it has been supplanted by the ANSI/ASME Y14 series? PROEGUY is looking for a reference, I'm not sure where else to point him, other than the Drawing Requirements Manual.
To be honest, I'm not sure what the governing standard would be today. I think your right that it has been superceded. The only level 3 drawing standard I'm familiar with would be DOD-STD-100.
The appendix in ASME Y14.100 tags on the remnants of DOD-STD-100 in order to define/create level I, II, and III drawings that are not mentioned in the body of the ASME standard.