Title: What are Engineering Drawings?
Course: PW-Course-Import-Test > Section: Module 3: Acceptance Criteria

Module 3

Specifications for parts are most often documented on the drawing. The drawing helps the supplier understand what the requirements for the component is. The supplier will refer to the specifications on the drawing before manufacturing the part. The drawing also tells the quality inspector what needs to be inspected.  Drawings are present during all the phases of the manufacturing process. Drawings can be electronically accessed on the computer or can be printed out and referred during inspection. |

Engineering Drawings

An engineering drawing is a type of drawing used to fully and clearly define requirements for engineered items, and is usually created in accordance with standardized conventions for layout, nomenclature, interpretation, appearance size, etc. Its purpose is to accurately and unambiguously capture all the geometric features of a product or a component.

The end goal of an engineering drawing is to convey all the required information that will allow a manufacturer to produce that component and inspect the product per the specifications in the drawing.

Information on Drawings

Drawings normally convey the following critical information:

- Geometry – the shape of the object; represented as views; how the object will look when it is viewed from various angles, such as front, top, side, etc.
- Dimensions – the size of the object is captured in accepted units.
- Tolerances – the allowable variations for each dimension.
- Material – represents what the item is made of.
- Finish – specifies the surface quality of the item, functional or cosmetic. For example, a mass-marketed product usually requires a much higher surface quality than, say, a component that goes inside industrial machinery.

Sections of Engineering Drawing

An engineering drawing is divided into the following five major areas:

1. Title block - Contains the basic drawing information. This information includes, but is not limited to, company name and address, drawing title, page number, drafter name, scale used, date creates, etc. |
2. Grid system - A grid system allows a specific point on a drawing to be referenced or found easily. |
3. Revision block - As changes to a component or system are made, the drawing depicting the component or system must be redrafted. When the drawing is first issued it is called revision zero (0) and the revision block is empty or says ‘Initial Release’. As each revision is made to the drawing, an entry is made to the revision block. This entry will provide the revision number, a title or summary of the revision, and date of revision. |
4. Notes and legends - Notes and legends section of an engineering drawing provides the user additional instructions and information about the drawing or component depicted in the drawing that could not be conveyed by the drawing. Traditional locations for the notes and legends list are somewhere along the edges of the field of the drawing.
5. Engineering drawing (graphic portion) - This portion of the engineering drawing is the graphic portion that depicts the component or part for which the engineering drawing is created. This section occupies the majority of the engineering drawing and may depict one or more components and views depending on the complexity of the components and the information the drawing is trying to convey. |

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Blueprint Reading - Intro to Drawing Formats Part 1

Blueprint Reading - Intro to Drawing Formats Part 2