Working Drawings

[ddmathias]

I am a college instructor who has just started teaching SolidWorks. I have taught AutoCAD for many years, and have instructed my students how to lay out and assemble a set of "working drawings" per the various graphics textbooks I have used over the years. My husband, from the manufacturing industry, disagrees on how a set of drawings should be laid out, based on his industry experience. I'd like some feedback from others on what current practices are. My definition of Working Drawings is a set of drawings that includes an assembly drawing and the drawings of all components, so that the entire assembly can be manufactured and assembled.

My idea of this is to have a set of sheets, with one or more drawings on each sheet. So, we could have drawings for 2 or more parts on one sheet. Each part drawing would have dimensions and a note associated with it giving the BOM item number in a balloon (but without the leader since it is a caption), part name, material, and quantity required. The assembly drawing would have a BOM, balloons, and other assembly information. The detail drawings and assembly drawing are all part of one sheet set and are numbered "Sheet 1 of 4," etc, with the assembly drawing on the last sheet. This was all easy when drawings were hand-drawn, but seems awkward in SolidWorks. For example, I haven't yet figured out a way to create a ballon with an (automatically generated) item number in it and no leader.

My husband's idea is different, and is much easier to produce with SolidWorks. He says that each part should have its own paper, as should the assembly. No material on the assembly drawing. No captions on the part drawings. No sheet numbers (1 of 4, etc.).

Any comments? Is there a published minimum standard? I realize that all businesses will have their own drawing standards, but I'd like to get a feel on general industry preferences. I'd like to teach my students something that they are likely to see when they start working.

 

[drawoh]

MikeHalloran,

As far as I am concerned, DFMA rule number 1 is to prepare assembly drawings. Once you have prepared assembly drawings, you can show everyone that you have thought through the assembly process. If my responsibility does not extend past a stack of fabrication drawings, the assembly process could be very bad.

Imagine you are writing instructions on how to change spark plugs on a pickup truck. If you are a technical writer, you explain how to open the hood, place the truck on a hoist, lift it, remove the front suspension and the engine bolts, lower the truck and lift the engine, using a winch. If you are the designer, you make the spark plugs accessible, and write instructions on how the spark plugs are visible and accessible when you open the hood.

It ought to be possible to set up a web page with JPEG views taken from the SolidWorks model. You would need to find some way to verify what revision of your model was used to create the JPEGS.

JHG

 

[DPeyton]

I have hand drawn mechanical drawings in the late 80's, moved to Auto-Cad in the early 90's, and finally to Solidworks in '09 and I agree with your husband. Every part gets it's own P/N and drawing. Assemblies have their own drawing with a BOM listed on the very first sheet.