Why Are ANSI Drawing Standards Important?
Without a regulatory body setting drafting standards for drawings, each company would have to set its own. Drawings would be misread, resulting in incorrectly constructed parts or buildings with walls that don't fit. For this reason, the American National Standards Institute--ANSI--has set drawing standards.
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Features
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ANSI has set various standardized sizes for paper. Title blocks include the drawing number, title, date, drafting checker and scale. Companies may add information, but still retain the ANSI standards.
Abbreviations
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Standard abbreviations have been agreed to for drawings. Without an abbreviation standard, drawings could be misread.
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Dimensions
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ANSI has set guidelines about how drawings should be dimensioned. This keeps the drawings readable and free of clutter. The dimension standards cover civil, mechanical and architectural practices.
Symbols
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Symbols for the finish, surface texture and roughness indicate the smoothness of the surface of a machined part. Weld symbols show where, how many welds and how much weld should be applied. There are many other areas where symbols are used, including architectural and electrical uses.
History
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Originally named the American Standards Association, ANSI was formed in 1918 by a group of engineering societies that combined to set standards for building codes, fire escapes--and even steel-toed shoes.
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