Practically, all the things we use are made by engineers and designers, and this process of making things goes through two stages: designing and making. And of course, during the manufacturing process, different types of engineers need to work together. To be successful, they need to communicate well using technical language.
Technical drawings are the answer to that need for communication. A design engineer can create the exact product they expect and communicate their specifications clearly to the manufacturing engineer. This share of data is done by using 2D pictures of the part from various angles, sizes, and symbols that dictate the shape of the part.
Most engineering drawings during the past century have been done by hand. The designer relied on drafting tables, T squares and other such instruments. Drawings were created on paper.
These days many technical drawings are made digitally. The designer makes a digital copy of the sketch on a computer using computer-aided design (CAD) software, which may also be used for 3D modeling.
The future of engineering will focus on bettering interdepartmental collaboration for more efficient and lucrative manufacturing. The capabilities of CAD programs will improve and new uses, such as model-based definitions will emerge.
What is Technical Drawing? A Basic Overview
A technical drawing is a detailed and accurate 2D picture or plan that shows how an object works or is made. The illustrations and specifications help control the many details involved in fabricating, putting together, and handling care of the product.
A drawing includes:
- Geometry (shape, size, and form of the part)
- Critical functional relationships
- Tolerances allowed for proper function
- Material, heat treat, surface coatings
- Part documentation information (part number, revision level)
Drawings that show how to construct something can look different depending on what they are for. They might be simple ideas or more detailed plans with steps for assembly.
Various types of drawings are used when designing and building something. Technical drawings usually have one of three purposes:
- Visualization
- Communication
- Documentation
The details of a part or assembly are displayed through various views, angles, dimensions, and symbols such as GD&T. You can use notes and tables to explain other requirements, such as the material used.
The ability to read and follow technical drawings is crucial whether you’re designing an automobile or maintaining a mining machine.
Form-Fit-Function
In manufacturing, the term “form-fit-function” refers to the unique features of a part used to make a product. A part is a single component that is included in the final product. “Form” is how a part looks and its size and shape, making it different from other parts.
“Fit” refers to a component’s capacity to connect to, interface with, or become a structurally necessary part of another component. For example, a screw that needs to be put into a hole in a specific spot on the product’s surface is its fit.
The “function” of a part is what it is supposed to do. A car wheel helps the car move forward by rotating.
Fit, form, and function are crucial to ensure that your assembly and production line runs smoothly without any interruptions caused by parts that don’t fit or don’t work correctly.
Drawings must have all the essential details, sizes, and measurements to ensure every component fits and works correctly.
The Need for Precise Communications in Engineering and Standardisation
Today, computer programs known as CAD can easily convert 3D models into 2D drawings.
Technical drawings are still the most critical manufacturing documents, and official papers are drawings that provide technical information. A comprehensive engineering sketch should include all relevant information regarding the part, and every specification should be quantifiable.
Information is communicated using engineering drawings. They influence many sectors of a business and can considerably boost expenditures.
Technical drawings used to be distinct and different everywhere before standardisation. Engineers today follow the same norms and standards when designing technical drawings so that people worldwide may comprehend them—making drawing more intelligible aids in global production. ISO and ASME GD & T standards are examples.
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
GD&T is a set of labels used on technical drawings to show information. In any written language, the writer and the reader must have the same idea of the language’s patterns and how they are put together.
The GD&T method was made because there was a need for it. Coordinate dimensioning and tolerancing needed more to keep track of everything about a part. GD&T handles the part’s size, location, shape, and direction to ensure it always meets the requirements.
Some of the GD&T symbols are as follows:
- Straightness
- Flatness
- Perpendicularity
- Total Runout
- Profile of a Surface
GD&T cuts down on mistakes in manufacturing and quality control. So, businesses that use it save a lot of money and time. Today, GD&T is one of the technical designs that get the most attention.
Future of Technical Drawings
Model-Based Definition
In the past, draftspersons who made designs did so directly on paper. Today, they use computers and digital 3D models to design products. But we still use 2D sketches as technical pictures to show the design details. In the future, we’ll see that 2D drawings are slowly being replaced by descriptions that are based on models.
A model-based definition includes all the measurements, tolerances, GD&T information, and everything directly described in the 3D model. The fully described 3D model can be used immediately for design, production (CAM), or quality. PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) tools can be used to store it.
You can find out more about the model-based definition “here” from a leading CAD software provider.
Concurrent Engineering and Technical Drawings
On the other hand, new methods are replacing the old ways of designing and making things. In the past, a part would be created first, then made, and only then would the quality be checked. A systematic and simultaneous approach is established in many fields today, thanks to concurrent engineering activities.
The main goals of concurrent engineering are to make fewer changes to the design and engineering of a product and to cut down on the time and money it takes to get a product from an idea to the market.
In concurrent engineering, all disciplines are involved in the early design stages. Simultaneous engineering means it’s getting increasingly important to communicate precisely with people in other fields and within your area.
When combined with other emerging technologies in engineering concurrent engineering promises a lot of benefits. Thus it is essential that a company establishes a certain standard for their drawings for the necessary precise communication between departments.
Conclusion
Technical sketches have come a long way. And technical models with the latest standards and technologies help businesses save significant amounts of money and time while improving their products.
In engineering, clear communication is becoming more and more critical all the time. As new technologies come out and new standards are released worldwide, there is a huge need for experts in the area.
Today, companies can hire professionals to help them with CAD and drawing tools if they lack professional human resources in-house.
Highly skilled CAD Designers and Drafters at Trevilla Engineering can do the work for engineering companies. Trevilla Engineers can assist your company in updating its technical drawings to reflect current practices thanks to their in-depth familiarity with various business sectors and global standards.
Check out this blog to learn why you should hire a mechanical engineering consultant.
