Design & Drawing Office Management
Design & Drawing Office Management
(OP)
Apologies if this is in the wrong section of the forum, I was going to put it in the Engineering Management/Certification section until I realised that only 3 threads were active in the past month. And because I've received some cracking help in the Solidworks forum in the past I thought I'd be cheeky and pop it in here.
I would like some advice on Design & Drawing Office Management. I'll explain my situation here.
1. This is my first job since leaving University.
2. I am the only employee who designs our products in SolidWorks, as such the data management and organisation of related information is my responsibility. Fag packet sketches are faxed through to me from our design engineer at another branch.
3. I have recently been successful in getting the company ISO 9001:2008 certified.
4. I have recently installed PDMWorks Workgroup; began transferring old files to the vault, and have been using it for new projects. I use dumb file numbers. (e.g 000345, 000346 etc.) It's a fantastic bit of software, but I am not using it beyond using it as a data organisation tool and revision/issue status management. I don't think I'm using it to its full potential.
5. I have no parts numbering system in place at the moment.
We are looking to get some very large (for our company at least) orders. The customer would require regularly updated parts catalogue, technical documentation, post design services.
Basically, I want to organise and structure our drawing and design office in a much more professional and efficient manner. Without coming and having a look at it yourself you can't really know whats going on but I would appreciate any advice, stories, current practices that you use in your organisation etc etc.
Cheers
PS. I am considering buying the ISO Technical Drawings Standards Handbook (http://www.iso.org/iso/drawings1.pdf) as a starting point. Anybody have any views on these standards?
I would like some advice on Design & Drawing Office Management. I'll explain my situation here.
1. This is my first job since leaving University.
2. I am the only employee who designs our products in SolidWorks, as such the data management and organisation of related information is my responsibility. Fag packet sketches are faxed through to me from our design engineer at another branch.
3. I have recently been successful in getting the company ISO 9001:2008 certified.
4. I have recently installed PDMWorks Workgroup; began transferring old files to the vault, and have been using it for new projects. I use dumb file numbers. (e.g 000345, 000346 etc.) It's a fantastic bit of software, but I am not using it beyond using it as a data organisation tool and revision/issue status management. I don't think I'm using it to its full potential.
5. I have no parts numbering system in place at the moment.
We are looking to get some very large (for our company at least) orders. The customer would require regularly updated parts catalogue, technical documentation, post design services.
Basically, I want to organise and structure our drawing and design office in a much more professional and efficient manner. Without coming and having a look at it yourself you can't really know whats going on but I would appreciate any advice, stories, current practices that you use in your organisation etc etc.
Cheers
PS. I am considering buying the ISO Technical Drawings Standards Handbook (http://www.iso.org/iso/drawings1.pdf) as a starting point. Anybody have any views on these standards?






RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
You are actually in a nice position. Ordinarily, you would walk in halfway throught this process, and you would have to cope, somehow, with someone else's shoddy work.
Do everything right the first time. Establish the standards. Six months from now, the new guy coming in will have to do things just as well (or just as sloppily) as you do. Everyone will expect it.
You need to work out what your opportunities are. With SolidWorks, you can...
- Establish and formally define good modeling practise. This covers design and documentation, as well as any analysis modeling and sales literature.
- Establish drafting and documentation standards.
- Extract mass, centre of gravity and moments of intertia. To do this, densities must be entered correctly in SolidWorks. Catalogue parts must be modeled so that the SolidWorks mass closely approximates the real mass.
- Type your BOM entries on your parts and assemblies once, and use them everywhere. Talk to your purchasing, warehouse and manufacturing people. Set up SolidWorks, MRP and your purchase requisition systems all to use the same data format. Make sure mechanical designers enter BOM stuff intelligently. Even if the other departments do not cooperate with you, try to follow a universal format. Someone may get to implement the thing, later.
I am sure I have missed stuff.RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
2 - Set up a common parts library.
3 - If you don't have an ECR/ECO system in place, make sure you set one up early on.
4 - Make sure your templates are set up as you'll need them and stored on the network for future designers.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
CAD Administrator, Ultimate Survival Technologies
My Blog
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Having a common parts file that you can use across multiple assemblies has saved me hundreds of hours...it is vital.
A big help to get you started, Mcmaster-Carr has a lot of downloadable SolidWorks files in the Screw/nut/hardware section of the online catalog, this is an easy way to get your library built, and handy for when you have to order the actual parts.
As for keeping the "dummy" part numbers or making your own your own, you will find advice split about 50/50. I like the make your own part number system. The one we use at my company is to have a 2 or 3 number prefix then a dash then a 4 or 5 digit number. We use the prefix to ID the customer and the 5 digit number to ID the part.
i.e. xxx - xxxxx
cust. part
This system helps in the organization of your drawings...and helps you to find them when you build a large amount...instead of trying to remember some arbitrary number you can narrow it down to the prefix that matches the customer.
Good luck
Designer / Drafter
SolidWorks 2009
It doesn't sound crazy from MY point of view!
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Right now I use a two digit project number prefix to capture assemblies, drawings, and parts. There is a four digit suffix for individual files. The assemblies start with '0100' and parts start at '1001' and are sort of lumped into sub-assembly groups by hundreds. When there are variations i use a sequential dash number post-fix(?) -001, etc., The boss hates numbered parts so the part files have a text description as part of the file name. Since he never sees drawing files I eliminate the text part for the drawing file - it is just the project number and the part number with dash number as needed. I really need more digits for project and part fields.
A sales catalog could have significant characters in a specific sequence, but that should then lead to an internal part number with no significance. The reason is that if the part changes 'significantly' you would need a new part number.
I handle drawing revisions with three digit suffixes, -001, etc., when I want to be sure the shop knows this is a new design. If it matters I save a parasolids and a pdf copy of the old design.
I remember doing ECOs and ECRs in my youth. Now it is just me, so I just change what I want.
3DContent central is a good source of stock CAD files. Many manufacturers provide files on their websites. I have been blessed with many CAD models just by asking them for a specific parts.
Mcmasters is a great resource. I save as their PN followed by some descriptive text. Custom properties complete the purchasing information. I also use a template for parts according to the material and general shape. Drawing templates are essential. Since we mostly print onto letter size, I have created a special format for that one.
"YMMV"
--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2008 SP4
Nvidia Quadro FX 1000
AMD Athalon 1.8 GHz 2 Gig RAM
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Thanks for your responses. You're right, I am in a nice position. The prospect of setting our my own system and procedures is quite exciting. I've been in the situation for a year now, muddling through...but with quantity of work slowing down (which gives me some time) and some fantastic deals on the horizon it's time to get it right.
---
All of your comments make a lost of sense.
- Defining modelling/drafting, design and documentation standards is something that I'm trying to do at the moment, with the introduction of ISO 9001:2008 here I've started to do that. I just need to be more thorough. Do you think the ISO Technical Handbook would be of any use to me? As I have little to no experience to draw from.
- I have never used BOM entries (pause as audience recoils in horror), I think this is just a case of a little research on my part. I'll have a read up, but if anyone can share any advice please do.
- Common parts library and Templates, sounds like a winner...will start on that ASAP.
- Jeff, can you explain ECR/ECO systems to me. I tried googling them but all i got eas information on ecosystems. Is it similar to PLM? A component of PLM? Or am I on completely the wrong track?
- I employed dumb file numbering system following advice from this forum, which does make sense. Having a project number prefix before the filename sounds useful too. How do you guys assign part numbers to parts that are given dumb filenames? At the moment my idea is to give projects a specific identifier and then define a seperate part number from the filename in the 'Number' value when I check files into PDM. Seems like it will work to me, does anyone know any pitfalls of this method?
- A spreadsheet or database where part numbers and projects are recorded is what I'm planning on doing next. I suppose I'll call it the Design or Project Register. Anybody have any advice on how to organise this, or even better an example of what you use? A bit cheeky I know, but if you don't ask you dont get.
- Finally, any recomendations for resources, books etc. which might help me out?
---
Cheers for all the help!
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
ECO = Engineering Change Order
These are tools used when there are several people using the vault and/or changes to parts need to be tracked for documentation purposes or customer requirements.
They are simply forms that authorize a change to your part with signatures from the people that the change will impact (i.e. Engineering, customer, purchasing, manufacturing). These are they guys that will need to know about a rev change as they will have to deal with the parts.
This can work very well with the PDMWorks, because PDM has the sign out feature, so whoever is assigned to complete the ECO (sounds like its all you buddy) signs out the part and makes the changes.
It is a little more paperwork but it is VERY worth it, especially since you mentioned that there were more projects coming down the pipe at you.
Mechanical Designer/Drafter
Tucson AZ.
SW 2009 SP 1.0
It doesn't sound crazy from MY point of view!
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
If you are doing work for major aerospace or military projects, it will probably be mandatory.
Having a good PDMWorks setup will help.
I have used:
-Preliminary
-In Processes
-In Check
-In Sign-off
-Released
This is only an example and varies among companies.
Having a copy of DOD-STD-100 will be beneficial.
http://ww
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
ECR/ECOs are essential, IMO. It's a clean way to keep track of changes, or proposed changes. The forms can be quite simple, though the process can be a bit involved, albeit necessary. You just want to be sure that any department affected by a proposed change has say in said change. This is true for large and small companies alike. Where I work, I am the engineering department (VP's don't count, right?). No change goes unrecorded.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
CAD Administrator, Ultimate Survival Technologies
My Blog
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
I think this is a great post for this forum.
JMirisola,
I saw your blog post on dumb part numbering systems, and while I do feel that in smaller companies, like mine, where I do create the part numbers (and they are not dumb - dates, designs, products revs, materials, assembly, sub assem, part hierarchies, and digits to spare), and I do all the ECAD and MCAD parts, assemblies, drawings and designs, I will agree that smart part numbering systems may not be all that useful to someone who just picks up the files and has to take significant time to learn the system. I find them very useful. In my time in the paper mill's, working for larger companies, I will agree that internal numbering in SAP systems should be completely arbitrary, but MPN's that are smart helped engineering and maintenance a great deal.
There is a place for smart part number systems, and here is just one example. I spend a lot of time in the circuit board world. I feel that smart part numbering systems are essential in this world. Just spend 20 minutes on digikey going through texas instrument regulators and you will understand why. There are so many options eg: contact # variances, package types, plating, voltage/current/temp ratings, packaging options, RoHS...just to name a few. There is no way to put this info just in the description line and have it be efficient. The same holds true as you move into electro mechanical connectors. SMART is the only way to go. So if I was an engineer for Samtec for instance, under this advice, I should just through some arbitrary number on the part rather than indicate the number of contacts, plating, and packaging in the part number?
Smart part numbering systems are an efficient language.
rfus
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
There are many elaborate, beautiful systems set up that sooner or later are a mass of exceptions to all the rules, and time is wasted deciding what the number should be. Or you have a great structure going, only to find out that your fellow designer in the desk next to you has his own ideas.
Establish good search methods, fill in the required info, and then all you have to do for a new employee is tell them how the system works.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Guy Greenhill
Mechanical Designer/Drafter
Tucson AZ.
SW 2009 SP 1.0
It doesn't sound crazy from MY point of view!
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
I think what you are saying about smart part numbering systems is very much to the point I made. External customers find a significant number important and full of information when ordering parts.
Internally, we should not care about that, just use the next number for the part. Let marketing build the catalogs.
Of course, we all know we have internal customers as well, and the smart number systems help them.
"seen it all from both sides now . . ."
--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2008 SP4
Nvidia Quadro FX 1000
AMD Athalon 1.8 GHz 2 Gig RAM
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
I recommend burning a copy of network folders that contain CAD files that have not yet migrated to PDM. Things can move or disappear. Also purge the network of copies of anything that has migrated to PDM.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
PDM Rules to Live by: FAQ559-1227: PDM Rules to Live by:
Guy Greenhill
Mechanical Designer/Drafter
Tucson AZ.
SW 2009 SP 1.0
It doesn't sound crazy from MY point of view!
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
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RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
As an example, our company has our ECR/ECN (Engineering Change Request/Engineering Change Notice) system built into PDMWorks Enterprise. You can send notifications to users via a built-in inbox (similar to outlook) to indicate changes, approvals and releasing of parts. Enterprise is a god-send to medium to large sized companies but I would hate to be the one that has to set it up. You would likely need an on-site IT department to handle this but it is pretty good once it is setup.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
Companies with few or unrelated products seem to work well with dumb numbers.
As someone above said you want all of your numbers to match. SW models=MRP numbers=Drawing numbers. We don't have this where I work and there are constant questions about which SW drawings work for "product x".
You are in a great position just remember to document everything as you go. It's a good idea to have someone else double check to make sure your documentation is clear.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
I've been running a dumb file part numbering system for about a month now, and I've got to say its not quite working for me. I can see the benefits, and understand them fully. But I think a slightly more intelligent numbering system will work better...I may live to regret this.
Right now a numbering system similar to the one SnowCrash mentioned about 6 posts in seems like it will suit my company.
This is where I'm upto.
1. I've read up a fair bit of PDM/PLM, thought about how I can implement the methodologies into my company. Actually, all I've really done is a lot of thinking. I need to get something going.
2. My next step (I think), its to make an Engineering Data Management database. Nothing fancy, just a place to record all projects, assign numbers, record ECO/ECR's etc. Does anybody have an example of a database/spreadsheet/whatever such as this? Screenshots, descriptions, example databases etc. Cheeky I know, but it'd be a great help.
3. COMMON PARTS LIBRARY!!! How does your parts library work, how is it organised? For that matter, how is your whole PDM Vault organised? I've just created general folders, which I'm not too happy with. If anyone fancies taking a screenshot of their PDM Vault Structure Tree I would be most grateful. There might even be a star in it for you XD
I think I'm getting there now, things are starting to fall into place..."Working Smarter, Not Harder" is my focus at the moment, even if it is a cheesy tagline.
Thanks for everyones help so far, it really is appreciated.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
As a norm my file names are part number followed by the description.
Assemblies
-Product type 1
-Drawing Number-Description
Solidworks and other supporting files
-Product Type 2
Components
-Connector Bodies
-Part Number-Description
-Enclosures
-Part number-Description
-Solidworks and other supporting files
Procedures
-Drawing Number-Despription
-Solidwokes and other supporting files
Scratch area
-Usernames
-Any files that user feels like
This leads to having a lot of projects listed in your vault but I find it easier to find things. We also use SAP to handle all real stuff I just the vault to keep track of the Solidworks files. I feel it is safer than leaving it all out on a network drive somewhere even when there are only 2-3 people accessing the vault.
RE: Design & Drawing Office Management
I work in medical device industry and recently setup a part number system for my company.
I went with a dummy number system and agree with the PITA comments with smart numbers. I also went with only an alpha-numeric number (no dashes slashes, others) because I believe there are some barcode standards that no not recognize these characters; and because I want the data to eventually transfer easily to any ERP system out there (far in the future); and I follow the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid).
For common parts libraries, here is a potential pitfall that I would like comments on: whereas I started to use common parts libraries, to use in multiple designs (ie using the same PART in many assemblies) I find it risky, especially in my industry, because of the trickle down effect of any design change to that common part. On one hand, you want the design change to be reflected in all assemblies (fast and easy), on the other hand, (again this might be industry specific, med device, aerospace, etc) changing the "common part" requires testing and risk evaluation on all effected parts. For this reason I choose to have a common parts library, but instead of using this part in many assemblies, I right-click copy, paste in the directory where the "new assembly" is being created, and change the part number of this "common part". This gives more control over design changes, while still has some efficiency benefits of common parts.
Interested to hear others responses on this one....
Paul