An assembly drawing is an illustration of a product’s assembly process. CAD assembly drawings are generated by computer programs and provide detailed information about the assembly of components in a step-by-step manner. Assembly drawings are also called “assembly instructions” or “instructions for assembly.” They can be as simple as a single sheet showing an exploded view of all the parts and how they fit together. Assembly drawings are intended for product users to reduce errors during the assembly of any equipment, such as a drill machine. This saves a lot of time.
In this blog post, we will discuss the general assembly drawing definition and understand how it works, how to create one with CAD software, and some other benefits!
What is General Assembly (GA) Drawing?
A General Assembly assembly drawing is a CAD assembly drawing that illustrates the assembly process of individual items.
GA assembly drawings are generated by computer-aided design software and provide detailed information about how components fit together in order to build various products such as furniture, motorcycles, or hardware like screws and bolts. The more components there are, the more complicated the assembly drawing will be.
Saving assembly drawings as PDFs and uploading them to the cloud is a good idea because assembly drawings are for product vendors and their clients, suppliers, subcontractors, or even other manufacturers. For example, if you’re assembling one bike from parts sourced from different companies worldwide, then assembly drawings are necessary to understand the assembly process.
Assembly drawings are like ‘cheat codes’ for puzzles. They make things simpler by instructing you where and how the parts fit so that you can easily build or install the said equipment.
How Assembly Drawings Work
Now that you know what an assembly drawing is, let’s take a look at how these drawings work with an example. Suppose you purchase the latest home workout equipment. The set arrived in different boxes. There are pulleys and cables in one box, weights in another, and screws in the other. The home equipment also comes with an assembly drawing or a set of instructions on how to install your home exercise equipment. The drawing will be clearly labeled and tagged so that it is easy for you to put together the pieces without any hassle.
Creating a CAD Assembly Drawing
There are different types of assembly drawings created by manufacturers. The most common ones include:
- General Assembly Drawings
- Assembly Instructions
- Fabrication Drawings
When creating assembly drawings, it is vital that you are aware of the several specific technicalities of drawings. The following are some tips that will help your approach during the process:
Communicate Clearly
Communication is key when creating assembly drawings. Make sure you are clear with your instructions for assembly and that the symbols used in the assembly drawing make sense to all readers, including suppliers, subcontractors, or buyers of material parts. It’s also important to be consistent with showing what a part looks like and where it should go on an assembly.
Include Unique Tips and Insights
You might want to include assembly instructions that are specific to your product. For example, if you’re selling furniture, then assembly drawings should show the accumulated weight of all parts in order for customers to understand how much space they need and what would happen once all of their pieces have been assembled.
Be Precise
When it comes to assembly drawings, precision is key. You should make sure that assembly instructions are clear and easy to follow because the more components there are, the more detailed assembly drawing will be needed.
Conclusion
This blog post should give you a better idea of what assembly drawings are and how they work. You can improve the assembly drawing process by ensuring that the assembly process is clear and precise for all kinds of readers.
