In a recent article, we discussed how a complete documentation package is
crucial to controlling your manufacturing and product-related intellectual
assets. Today, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the specific
documentation you should have for your mechanical components.

In the world of electromechanical manufacturing, the mechanical components
of the assembly are an important part of the overall function and quality
of the final product.

Without a comprehensive documentation package, you can lose control of
your intellectual property to a manufacturer or engineering firm. But when
done properly, a document package gives you the flexibility to make
engineering and supply chain changes to meet market demands

The following are some of the basic mechanical component files that need
to be included in the documentation package.

Solid Models of All Parts
These should preferably be in the native format that they were designed in
(Solidworks, Pro-Engineer, etc). You don’t necessarily need to have the
software required to read these mechanical component files, although most
have free viewers available.

Neutral file formats like STEP and IGES are acceptable, but not as good,
since it is much more difficult to make design changes if required down
the road.

2D Drawings
2D drawings are important supplementary mechanical component documents to
the 3D CAD data. They contain tolerance and material information, assembly
directions, and more. It is important that all of this be captured.

Material Information
Be sure that you have the mechanical component manufacturer and grade
number for resins, metals, etc. You should also have information about any
colorants or fillers that are blended by the manufacturer.

Tool Drawings
While not as important as the other items it is a good idea to have copies
of all mechanical component tool drawings. There are subtleties in
manufacturing that may have to be relearned if you redesign the tool from
scratch with another supplier.

In future articles, we will address electronic and programming
documentation. In the meantime, feel free to email Mars International with
any questions or for more information on our contract manufacturing
services.

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