engineering release process

[joebk]

industry background:

I work for a company that designs and manufactures components for the off-road vehicle industry.

The problem:

Currently we do not have a formal release process for a finished component or assembly - this is a huge problem I am attempting to solve. There are also no releases to other departments (i.e. release for prototype, release for tooling, release for purchasing, release for manufacturing, release for production/sales, etc).

The question:

Since we have no defined procedure the silver lining on this huge cloud is that we can start from scratch and not fight any previous procedures that could cause problems.

What I would like to know is there are any books, standards, etc that might contain examples of release procedures we could use as models to create our own procedure.

Thanks!

 

[looslib]

Configuration Mamagement Institute homepage:

http://www.icmhq.com/index.html

What CAD system do you use to design your parts? Most of these vendors also have PDM tools that are integrated with their CAD tools.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[KENAT]

Assuming you're in the US I'd familiarize myself with ASME Y14.35M-1997 Revision of Engineering Drawings and Associated Documents.

It won't give you all your answers but is probably the foundation you should build upon.

Assuming you use CAD, and especially if the CAD files are your master then a PDM or PLM system may well be usefull, it isn't essential and doesn't in itself solve all problems though.

thread1103-190456 may be of interest for the drawing approval/sign off side of things.

The least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[ewh]

... good thing we don't need checkers anymore

 

[joebk]

I should have been more clear in my OP. The issue is not really releasing the drawing(s) but releasing the entire design to certain other departments or functions within or outside of our organization.

So when is a design released for tooling or for quotation of purchased items or for full production.

Drawing release is certainly tied into this. As a policy all drawings must be checked by another member of the design team but this is a real problem. Different members of the team have different levels of understanding WRT GD&T, dimensioning, tolerancing, etc. So the format of the drawing depends on who checks it - this is not good.

So what I am trying to figure out is how other organizations release designs into the wild once certain reviews have been performed.

I hope this clarifies the situation. Thanks for all of your help!!

BTW: CAD = Solid Edge, PDM = Smarteam by end of year

 

[KENAT]

Simplistically how I've seen it done:

Once the drawing pack is complete and checked & signed off then an ECO or equivalent is used to release it.

The reason I put the ref of the revision standard is that we have 2 sites with different processes. Both of them build prototypes before the drawings are released, but have significantly different processes. Neither are very good and leave a lot to be desired.

At an earlier employer drawings were normally released before the prototypes were made and then updated as things came up during the prototype stage. From a config control point of view this was much better. At this place the ‘design’ belonged to the design department, within reason we could change it as needed without having to pander to manufacturing. Once we’d ECOd the change into the drawing pack production would decide how and when to incorporate it into production. This was often driven by contract terms etc. Likewise if manufacturing wanted a change incorporated they had to ask us to do it, they could not change the drawing pack.

At my current place manufacturing is the main owner of the ECO process and is driven by how it impacts production etc. They incorporate most minor ECOs leaving only new development and major changes to Design. To my point of view this system doesn’t work that well.

Any more specific questions?





KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[mrMikee]

I'd suggest looking at...

"Engineering Documentation Control Handbook, Configuration Management in Industry." Frank B. Watts

Regards,
-Mike