TABLE OF CONTENTS When a design project is completed, the next immediate task is to communicate the design to much broader audiences, such as peers in different companies, engineers in a manufacturing division, a quality control division, and even to marketing personnel. One of the main methods of communication is through drawings, or so-called "engineering working drawings." Once a working drawing is formally released [1], it will be the sole document for guiding the processes including manufacturing, quality control, and assembly to realize the design.
A working drawing includes: (1) graphical representation of the engineering models, (2) dimensions, (3) geometric and dimensional tolerances, and (4) technical notes. The graphical representation of an engineering model uses necessary views to clearly reveal the geometrical shapes of the design. Dimensions are prescribed to define the nominal sizes and relative locations of each feature in the design. Geometric and tolerance dimensions are used to define the tolerable limits of the actual manufactured dimensions (more details are discussed in Chapter 3.) Technical notes are used to define all text requirements in manufacturing processes. Notes are used to convey information that is not graphical in nature, i.e., changes to overall dimensional tolerances, surface finishes, assembly order, exceptions to default values, or processes.
Working drawings, according to their contents, are specified as assembly drawings and component working drawings. Assembly working drawings are specifically used: (1) to specify all components in the assembly; (2) to convey assembly sequence and relationships; and (3) to convey basic working principles of the...
