Sheet sizing standards
Sheet sizing standards
(OP)
Hello,
I'm trying to figure out whether there's merit in standardizing the sheet size for all drawings or picking the sheet size such that the part is drawn to scale. What is the industry practice here? I can think of pros and cons for both approaches. Having a standard sheet size means the font sizes/tables and such would remain consistent when viewed on a screen. On the other hand, having the part drawn to scale on the appropriate sheet size might help the manufacturer/inspector if they're using a printed copy of the drawing and have the ability to print multiple sheet sizes.
Thanks
I'm trying to figure out whether there's merit in standardizing the sheet size for all drawings or picking the sheet size such that the part is drawn to scale. What is the industry practice here? I can think of pros and cons for both approaches. Having a standard sheet size means the font sizes/tables and such would remain consistent when viewed on a screen. On the other hand, having the part drawn to scale on the appropriate sheet size might help the manufacturer/inspector if they're using a printed copy of the drawing and have the ability to print multiple sheet sizes.
Thanks





RE: Sheet sizing standards
The concession we've made to most drawing getting printed onto B is that we set the font size to .15 instead of the typical .12/3 mm.
A D size printed on B is pretty legible at this size and an E size is workable for most folks.
Typically when I've seen people standardize on a sheet size they've picked B/Tabloid/A3 as "that's the largest most printers will handle".
This then means the border format and standard notes... take up a very large % of the available space if you keep to the font sizes & border formats in ASME stds etc.
This then leads to very cramped drawings with lots of sheets.
(Our CAD template actually defaults to D size with the intention that folks then select the appropriate size. Unfortunately a lot of people just stick with D regardless so we have some unnecessarily cramped drawings of large/complex part or we have some drawings of small simple parts at very large scale that still don't take up much space. We even had one Phd who instead of choosing the appropriate size sheet decided to stick with the default D and instead dig deeper on some drawings and change the font size to 1/4 of an inch or so.)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Sheet sizing standards
... but lots of outfits have thrown out their large format printer/plotters, possibly because minimum wage monkeys screwed them up, or they just got tired of buying expensive paper and expensive ink.
For that reason, it might be better, or less awful, to standardize on a C sheet for drawings, and check for readability on an A size printer.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Sheet sizing standards
I have seen a shop that standardized on A and B size for their 11×17" printer. They developed a highly compressed title-block, to leave as much space as possible for the drawing. I thought their system was workable, although I would strongly prefer access to a plotter.
--
JHG
RE: Sheet sizing standards
If you deal with ISO formats (A4, A3, etc) the scaling issue is better because the aspect ratio is the same for all of them, unlike ANSI sheet sizes.
I did work for a company that only used A-size drawings, because the engineering manager was "emotionally attached" to the printer. Not only that, but sheet 1 was the end-item drawing, sheet 2 was the 2nd turning op, sheet 3 was the milling operations, and sheet 4 was the 1st turning op. They had products that were 2-3 feet long, with machining details as small as .010, and the whole thing had to be crammed onto a single A-size piece of paper because additional sheets were already pre-defined as operational steps.
I asked the engineering manager to allow us to go to B-size, because an A/B printer was cheap and a single-folded B-Size paper still fit nicely in the travelers.
I asked why we couldn't draw on any sheet size and print scaled down to A-size.
Don't let your managers get emotionally attached to a printer.
--Scott
www.aerornd.com
RE: Sheet sizing standards
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Sheet sizing standards
On all drawings I indicate "Scale = None".
Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks '16
ctophers home
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Sheet sizing standards
RE: Sheet sizing standards
Reasoning for this is that we very rarely design one-off parts- we design systems, and our deliverables to customers and end users include a complete drawing book, which is usually 150-200 sheets on the low end. Trying to collate three or four different size drawings into a single book is additional labor and it sometimes makes the drawings hard to find in the book.
We do design individual components which often have very fine details required, but they all ultimately have to make it into the project book- so they match the format that layouts, electrical, and all other drawings are on.
It is absolutely a compromise- occasionally a complicated part requires more detail sheets than I would like, but to me the trade off is worth it.
One of the benefits is that there are zero questions about what size fonts should be, which title block should be used, etc. We have exactly one title block, exactly one BOM format, exactly one revision table format, etc. Makes it very easy for the engineers (who do all of the drafting here).
This approach, of course, may not be best for you or for anyone else.
RE: Sheet sizing standards
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Sheet sizing standards
We have those settings too- but correct settings don't make a bunch of A-size sheets look nice in a B-size book.
I'm not saying my method is the only way, or the best way, for anyone other than me- I'm just explaining the rational for one of the many approaches to answering OP's question.
RE: Sheet sizing standards
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Sheet sizing standards
RE: Sheet sizing standards
The advantage of an E size or A0 size sheet is that you can get a great deal of readable data on it. This is important if you are doing an arrangement drawing of a complex assembly, or a fabrication drawing of a large, complex part. These large drawings do not fit on desks and workbenches. They must be hung on walls. Even D and A1 size can be hard for some people to manage. When I create installation drawings for our customers, I do not exceed C size, for all sorts of reasons, mostly noted above.
I strongly prefer to draw my fabrication drawings at 1:1 scale. If the part fits on a B size drawing, I use B size.
--
JHG
RE: Sheet sizing standards
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.