Engineering Drawings for Manufacturing

- [Mike] It is essential that design engineers are able to produce clear, complete engineering drawings. - [Betsy] Even in a modern industry using 3D CAD and CAM, 2D drawings are still the primary way engineers communicate design details and tolerance limits to manufacturers. - [Mike] A 2D drawing also forms a legal contract between designers and manufacturers. Ambiguous or incomplete engineering drawings can have substantial financial implications. I'm Mike. - [Betsy] And I'm Betsy, and in this course, we'll show you the fundamentals of mechanical drafting. If you're a student, new engineer, or maker we'll teach you what you need to know to generate professional drawings that can be sent to manufacturers for prototype or mass production. - [Mike] And if you've made a few drawings before, we'll help refine your skills by giving you some tips that will save you time and frustration. In this course, we'll show you how to select views that clearly depict even the most complicated of designs. We'll teach you a system for dimensioning, so that your drawings are complete and fully defined. We'll also show you some of the stylistic conventions in mechanical drafting that you can use to improve the clarity of your drawings. Finally, we'll discuss how to set mechanical tolerances and express them on a drawing. - [Betsy] We've also included several fully dimensioned sample drawings in the course resources. You can use these to see the application of all the concepts taught in the course with actual prints. This course is not specific to any particular CAD package. Instead, we'll focus on the basics of creating good drawings, which apply to any CAD program, or even hand drafting. If you want to improve your design skills and get better parts in the end, this course is for you.