ARRANGEMENT OF ENGINEERING COMPONENTS TO FORM A WORKING
PLANT (ASSEMBLY DRAWING OF A PLANT)
In engineering, plant, refers to machinery, equipment or apparatus used for an industrial activity.
The arrangement of engineering components to form a working plant is called a plant layout. It's
a complex task that involves designing the physical relationship between equipment, work areas,
and production operations.
Plant layout drawing – in 5 steps: Design a Manufacturing Plant Layout
Plant layout is the arrangement of machines, work areas and service areas within a factory. Plant
layout involves the development of physical relationship among building, equipment and
production operations, which will enable the manufacturing process to be carried on efficiently.
Step 1: What is the aim of Plant Layout Engineering?
Essentially, there are two main aspects you have to keep in mind:
• Determining the feasibility
• Presenting the results
Probably both aspects come into play. Most of the time, feasibility can be examined quite easily
and quickly in a facility plan. However, when it comes to presenting the results, the requirements
are usually higher. Why is that, you might ask. The reason is quite simple: An abstract or technical
model is sufficient for a planner to examine the feasibility, whereas the result often has to be
presented to a larger audience in a way that’s easy to grasp. At this point, you should answer the
following questions:
• Should the design be presented analog or digitally?
• Should it be displayed in 2D or 3D?
Now, you may think – of course digitally and in 3D, maybe even with VR. That’s pretty ambitious
and would leave quite the impression. Often though, you’ll have to balance the benefit and the
effort. One’s own skills and the tools available are what is more important here. This brings us
straight to the next point.
Step 2: What tool to use for the Design of a Plant Layout?
Just by using scissors and paper or by drawing, you can achieve a draft very quickly and easily
plan in variants. Sometimes you’ll even face special requirements when it comes to innovatively
presenting the result like wooden models often used in architecture.
What matters, in the end, is that you can complete the plan in the given time. The following
diagram gives you a selection of options available for a plant layout study or plant planning for
the analysis of different configurations.
Type of Plant Layout
Analog Digital
2D 3D 2D Software 3D software
✓ Snippets of paper Wooden model ✓ Office document ✓ 3D software
✓ Print & plot 3D print ✓ Graphic ✓ VR model
✓ CAD drawing
Step 3: What data can be used for Plant Layout in Engineering?
Of course, this cannot be answered across the board, as it depends very much on the planning
content. In most cases, however, there is some data, either on paper or digitally as a pdf or even in
a CAD format.
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Step 4: Which Scale to use?
If you want to design the draft analogue though, it is important to choose a suitable scale. This is
quite common when you want to print out a digital drawing on paper, for example, or present it in
the form of a 3D model. There are recommended scales for printing (e.g. 1:100), which can be
used to calculate back to the original size very quickly, or even rulers that already have the
conversion included in the scale. Otherwise, you should choose the scale so that the plan also fits
the output medium, e.g. on an A3 page. Fortunately, many software systems offer a suitable
preview to help you choose the scale.
After the step-by-step determination of the objective, and the selection of the tool and the data, the
preparations for a plant layout have been largely completed. Now it is time for the actual creation.
Step 5: How to build the Layout?
At this point, all the data available is usually taken and included. Additionally, one’s own
evaluation is added, and grown structures are created very quickly. This may cause the draft to no
longer be manageable, or it is difficult to maintain an overview.
Assembly Drawings
Assembly drawings are vital for mechanical engineering and product design because they show
how different parts and components are put together visually. Professionals may effectively explain
the complexities of product assembly to engineers, manufacturers, and assembly workers by using
a drawing sheet and assembly file, providing a smooth transfer from the design phase to the
manufacturing phase. All parties engaged in the assembly process will have a clear grasp of the
procedure with a well-prepared assembly drawing that includes dimensions and annotations added
to the design sheet. The inclusion of dimensions, tolerances, and other pertinent data not only
lowers the possibility of mistakes occurring during the assembly process but also improves the
project’s overall effectiveness and success.
The process of producing new drawings from an existing assembly file is greatly streamlined by
the usage of CAD software while developing assembly drawings. The software enables the
immediate input of dimensions, notes, and exploded views to the drawing sheet, resulting in a
thorough comprehension of the assembly procedure. By ensuring that everyone involved has a
comprehensive grasp of the assembly process from the individual components to the finished
system or product, these drawings eventually improve the project’s overall success and efficiency.
The purpose of an assembly drawing is to show how different parts of a machine fit together and
to help engineers and technicians understand how to assemble the machine.
Types of assembly drawings:
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General Assembly Drawings: Image credit: [Link]
Exploded assembly drawing: Image credit: [Link]
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Installation drawings: Image credit: [Link]
Schematic Assembly Drawing: Image Credit: [Link]
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Machine Shop Drawing: Image Credit- [Link]
SOFTWARES:
Some popular software used for creating assembly drawings include:
✓ AutoCAD,
✓ SolidWorks,
✓ CATIA,
✓ Siemens NX, and
✓ PTC Creo.
These software programs offer a range of features and capabilities to create detailed and accurate
assembly drawings.