Blueprints

The purpose for using blueprints is to take an idea from a person and bring it to a conclusion. Everyone involved in working with the project knows how and what is expected of them, by following the blueprint exactly as the drafts person has drawn it. Whether it is a large project or a small item which is part of a larger job, the process is the same. If you are machining a cog or a small spindle, the dimensions have to be exact to the blueprint otherwise the small part will not fit in its place. The machine operator has to be skilled at his job, because precision machining takes the clearances to the thousandth of an inch which is a very small amount, so it is crucial to follow the blueprint.

Presently, we have help in drawing blueprints, it’s called CAD [computer aided design] which makes it a little easier for the drafts person with his or her designing of parts, because they can move the object on the screen by rotating it or flipping it to get a better view, plus there is less room for errors when making the parts. When the drafts person has finished the drawing it can be printed out as a hard copy for the machinist to work from.

The machinist also has help nowadays with their machining; they call it a CNC machine which means [computer numerically controlled] the blueprints are downloaded to this machine, which takes a lot of hard work away from the worker; this machine is used where there is a lot of repetitive parts to make.