Course Description
How to interpret a technical drawing is an essential skill to anyone involved in the manufacturing industry. This course is designed for those seeking an overview of drawing interpretation. This course presents the basic elements of a print and introduces the concepts that students must master to successfully interpret engineering drawings. Material covered includes: visualizing the part, finding and interpreting the drawing information needed for a task, performing shop mathematics, and reading standard symbols and notes.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for anyone who needs to properly interpret and act upon the information contained in engineering specifications, including mechanical engineering technicians, manufacturing engineering technicians, machinists, welders, fabricators, tool & die makers, and quality assurance technicians.
Learning Objectives
Through training, participants will learn the following:
- Interpret and describe the technical information provided on industrial prints through drawings, dimensions, and notes.
- Navigate the total manufacturing print, including lines, scale, language, symbols, title blocks, and other components.
- Visualize parts from drawings consisting of multiple views, including basic, auxiliary, partial and various types of section views.
- Identify part dimensions and tolerances including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.
- Calculate minimum and maximum allowable values for dimensions considering tolerances
- Interpret standard surface finish symbols and screw thread designations.
- Interpret symbols and notes used to communicate special manufacturing requirements that are not directly illustrated and dimensioned.
- Analyze drawing features, symbols and notes unique to castings, forgings, and molded part prints.
- Analyze weld symbols and interpret the unique symbols found on welded part prints and sheet metal prints.
- Analyze drawing features, symbols and notes unique to gears, splines, and cams.
- Identify relevant information from a variety of other common types of prints.
Course Outline
The Basics of Manufacturing Prints
What manufacturing prints are and why they are used
Who uses them and how
The manufacturing cycle and purpose of prints
The basic requirements of technical drawings
Prints are interpreted according to standards and represent contractual requirements
The Reading of Manufacturing Prints
Ways a three-dimensional part is drawn on two-dimensional paper
Identifying edges and faces of a part from isometric views or multiple projected views
Standards for interpretation
The Total Manufacturing Print
Print sizes, lines, lettering & scale
Language, local & global notes
Title block & revision history block
Views
Labeled views
Views of different scale
Interpreting views not placed in the standard arrangement
Section views
Dimensions
What dimensions are and why they are important
Fundamental dimensioning and tolerancing rules
Symbols associated with dimensions
Linear, diametral, radial, and angular dimensions
Dimensioning of common features
Tolerances
What tolerances are and why they are important
The ways numeric tolerances are indicated on prints
Determining tolerance values for numeric tolerances given implicitly, explicitly, symbolically, and by limit dimensioning
Calculating tolerance accumulations
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing
How geometric tolerances work
Thinking of parts as collections of features not dimensions
Features with size and surfaces
Maximum Material Condition and Least Material Condition
What bonus tolerance is and when it applies
Surface Finish
Terms describing surface texture
Interpretation of the standard surface texture symbol and its modifiers
Common surface treatments & coatings
Threads
Terminology of threads
Thread forms
Recognizing thread features in drawing views
Interpretation of the standard notations for thread features
Machine Terms and Manufacturing Processes
Common terms used for features and manufacturing processes
Recognizing when a specific manufacturing process is required
Interpreting hardening requirements
Casting, Forging, and Molded Part Prints
The manufacturing process for these parts
Common part features
Methods of documenting parts
Interpretation of notes & symbols unique to prints made for these processes
Welding and Sheet Metal Prints
Types of joints & welds
Methods of documenting welded parts & sheet metal parts
Interpretation of the standard weld symbol and its modifiers
Interpretation of notes & symbols unique to prints made for sheet metal parts
Calculating bend allowances
Gears, Splines, and Cams
Terminology of gears, splines, and cams
Recognizing gear and spline teeth in drawing views
Interpreting gear & spline data tables
Calculating gear data
Interpreting cam displacement diagrams and other information unique to cam prints
Types of Manufacturing Prints
Recognize other types of industrial prints and what they are used for, including assembly, common parts, piping & circuit diagrams, installation, altered item, outline, pictorial, layout, control, interface prints, and more.
Prerequisites
None
Course Format
16 hours: 2 in-person sessions or 4 virtual sessions
Instructor-led classroom training, in-person and in-groups, with lots of discussion and working sessions to practice learned skills.
Available at QSG’s training facilities, virtually, or on-site at your organization
Textbook: Hammer’s Blueprint Reading Basics, 4th ed., by Charles Gillis, Industrial Press
Instructor: Charles A. Gillis, P.E. – Senior Consultant, Mechanical Design Engineering
8:00am – 4:00pm (EST) – each day ON-SITE
9:00am – 12:30pm (EST) – each day VIRTUAL
Customer site: times vary
Course location
QSG Training Facility
319 Littleton Road #206, Westford, MA 01886
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