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What to use for Initial Release designation...
2

What to use for Initial Release designation...

What to use for Initial Release designation...

(OP)
Does anyone have the correct reference for what should be used on a drawing's initial release?  Should it be a dash, meaning "original release" or should it be NC for "no change".  I figure it would be in ASME Y14.25M but I don't have a copy of the spec handy.  Thanks, ERC

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

Ahh, I'd just typed a resonse and it got scrubbed before I hit submit.

In summary:

Do you mean ASME Y14.35M-1997 Revision of Engineering Drawings & Associated Documents?  I don't see 14.25 listed in 14.100.

Are you talking about what should go in the description column of the rev history block?

I took a look at 14.35 and nothing jumped out at me, clarify the question and I'll look again.

Next time consider posting this type of question in:

Config control http://www.eng-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=781 or drafting standards http://www.eng-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=1103

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

(OP)
Sorry... Yes, I did mean ASME-Y14.35M...  I just assume that this is where it would be found... I spent nine years in engineering and then 14 in IT.  Now I am back in engineering and needing to get familiar again with current standard practice.  We used to use a "-" (dash) in the rev block of our eng dwgs on the Initial or Original Release.  Now the company I am at just starts with Rev "A" as the initial release.  I have also seen NC and N/C used to denote No Change as the Original Release description. I am hoping the the latest and greatest drawing requirements spec will state clearly what shoudl be used.  Then I can push for it.  Thanks!  ERC

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

OK, so you are asking about the actual revision indicator.

In section 5.1 (ASME Y14.35M-1997) Revision Letters "Upper case letters shall be used in sequence beginning with A and omitting letters I O Q S X & Z."

I'd suggest your current employer is correct.

I don't see mention of - or NC or N/C.  I have seen - on old drawings from various places.  I definitely wouldn't use N/C as / have been dropped from most of the standards now.

For prototype revs we actually use numbers and then go to letters at initial (formal) release.  My understanding is the standard is only talking about formally released drawings.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

Initial releases should be "A" as Kenat states.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

Technically, "A" exactly what it is, the first REVISION.  The drawing exists in a release state prior to any revisions as the "Original Release" (without revision).  The Y14.35M standard is written in such a way to not say this out right, but does not preclude this option.  It literally only addresses drawing revision and leaves open to interpretation as to handle the initial release.  I don't know if the standard originally handle things specifically in this way, but there is a clue about this logic in paragraph 7.4.2, rule (a), where is states to use a dash in the REV column for the initial release of each document and then a letter revision there after.  It doesn't apply this rule to general drawing level or all sheets at the same level revisions (anymore?).  Maybe it doesn't matter, but does anyone have any insight to how older versions of Y14.35M handled initial releases (or if some other ANSI/ASME actually already covers this instead of Y14.35M)?

Nowadays, it isn't practical to have no letter assigned to the initial release, and I've never seen any modern examples of this.  

Revision A is commonly used for initial production releases of drawing.  Numeric revisions (starting with 1) are often used to preproduction or unofficial drawing releases.  However, it appears the standard does still allow for the use of a dash for initial releases.  However, given modern PLM's and other Change Control methods, it just isn't practical in many cases to use a dash, and it is very common to associate the initial release as being Revision A, at least in my experience.

Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

Here in the UK you commonly see "O" (for "Original") designating the first release and then "A", "B", etc for subsequent revisions. Its not a universal standard but its certainly the one I've grown up with.

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

Quote (fcsuper):

Nowadays, it isn't practical to have no letter assigned to the initial release, and I've never seen any modern examples of this

What isn't practical about it?  I see plenty examples of initial release indicated as "-", or "nil", or simply leaving the revision box blank.

I also have a vendor that uses "FI" for "First Issue".  This confuses a lot of people.

A former employer avoided the issue entirely by controlling via drawing "Issue" numbers.  The first release of a drawing was "Issue 1".  Made perfect sense.

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

In my field, we use A as the first issue for bids release.  Subsequent bid issues are incremented letters.  When the drawing is issued for construction, the revision clouds are removed and the mark is changed to a zero.  Revisions after that are incremented numbers.

I like the zero revision number for the original.  When you see the number 1 in the REVISION block, it seems to indicate that there has been 1 revision and you'd wonder why you never got the original.  A zero revision means that there have been no revisions - it's an orignal.



If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

My last company used 3-digit numerals for development revs, then the first release was always "A".  My current employer uses 1-digit revs prefixed by "Q" as development revs and drops the "Q" to have initial releases as "1".  I'm sure each industry will vary.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

At my former employer, released revisions were alpha (A, B, C). Pre-release revisions were numeric (01, 02, 03) and released versions going through change would be alpha-numeric (A1, A2, A3).
From the looks of this thread, there are a multitude of ways depending on the company.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

In the UK Defense we used letters for development and officially once fully ready for release and under government control were meant to go to numbers.  In practice they often stayed at the last letter rev until a change was required.  In pre CAD days they would add (C) or (F) after the letter to indicated the design was chilled or Frozen.  I hadn't thought about that for years.  I never recal seeing O for original but different industries different practices.

Here (US commercial) we kind of do the opposite, numbers for development (also no formal config control) letters for formally release documents and combination for drafts of next rev, eg the first draft of rev B would be B1.

At the end of the day the OP appears to be in aerospace in the US and working to ASME standards.  While the standard does hint at - for first releases it only really details using letters.

fcsuper, well spotted on finding that reference to -, I missed it.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

The company I work for was formed by joining 2 separate companies that have been around since the 50s. Due to the massive amount of existing drawings on both companies we still use both of their original part numering systems. Today, one half of the company uses A,B,C... to indicate original release and subsequent changes, and 1,2,3... to indicate pre-release/development drawings. Unfortunately the other half of the company does exactly the opposite!

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

The last 3 companies i've worked for have used IR for initial release. Before that was NC.

Wes C.
------------------------------
No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

RE: What to use for Initial Release designation...

My company does it a little differently than anyone else listed here.  For a new drawing, we start out with A, B, etc. until issued for construction as Rev 0.  As-builts are Rev 1 (unless a revision is issued during construction).

If a new project is started in an area of the plant for which a drawing exists (say Rev 1) and this drawing would be have to be revised, the proposed changes are 1A, 1B, etc. until issued for construction as Rev 2.

Personally, this makes a lot of sense to me.  I always thought engineering contractors using letters for construction issues had it wrong.  Guess we're the ones who have it backwards.  Oh well, we've only been doing it this way for 100+ years (really).

Jerry Myers, P.E. (Chemical/Mechanical)
Senior Engineer

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