Engineering Drawings vs. Manufacturing Drawings

Engineering drawings, manufacturing drawings. Tomato, tomato. Right? – Wrong. Although these two terms can sometimes be used interchangeably, there is in fact, a distinction between the two.

The truth is, there is a big distinction between engineering and manufacturing altogether! Most of the time, there are departments that are for each within a company since they require a different set of skills. Although there is a difference between the two, they go hand in hand and work together for the end result. However, in smaller companies, the distinction can become lost since one or a few people handle the engineering and manufacturing together. This article will demonstrate the difference between the two types of drawings and why they are both important to have. Continue reading

Manufacturing Prints – View Types

Whether you are learning about engineering, manufacturing, or just need to brush up on your knowledge of dimensional prints, how to read a manufacturing prints is absolutely critical when it comes to fabricating a part. So to start with the basics, let’s ask the question, why do you need prints or drawings to manufacture a part? The sole purpose of prints is for visualization. It’s very difficult to have words explain what is required for a part. For example, if someone said “I want to make a 3 x 2 x 2 rectangle with one corner cut off of the rectangle and a hole through the center,” you would have many questions just based on this short description which seems like it should be fairly easy to understand. However, this description doesn’t describe  the angle of the “cut off corner” and the exact location and size of the hole. The fabricator has to be able to fully visualize what the part needs to look like. In addition, drawings act as manufacturing instructions which include the dimensions, material type, and finish of the part. Prints are also used for verification once the part has been fabricated. The manufacturer will check the dimensions which should match perfectly with the print. Continue reading

Sheet Metal Dimensional Drawing Example

Some mechanical engineers learn how to draft prints from work experience, and others from schooling. Many times, the two engineers design parts very differently based upon their experiences. Therefore, some engineers include everything in their prints, while others may leave out information. Below is a general idea of how a drawing should look. It should be fully dimensioned with material type, material thickness, finish, critical dimensions or specs, revision, hardware call out, etc.

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