Field notes

Practical answers for hardware teams on revisions, suppliers and sharing CAD.

• How do I share a SolidWorks file with someone who doesn't have SolidWorks?

  Five ways to let a teammate or supplier see a SolidWorks part without a CAD seat, and which file to send for each job.

• How do I make sure my supplier builds the right revision?

  Wrong-revision parts come from gaps between the PO, the drawing and the email. Six checks that keep a supplier on the current rev.

• How do you do revision control without PDM?

  A file naming, release and folder routine that keeps SolidWorks revisions straight on a small team with no PDM, and where it breaks.

• PDM vs PLM: which does a small hardware team need?

  PDM manages CAD files and revisions. PLM manages the product: BOMs, changes, suppliers. What a 5 to 40 person hardware team needs and when.

• How do I document why a part was designed a certain way?

  Drawings show what a part is, not why. How to record design decisions so the next engineer, co-op or supplier doesn't undo them.

• How do you version SolidWorks files without PDM?

  Keep SolidWorks work safe between releases without PDM: rename without breaking references, dated snapshots, shared assemblies and backups.

• How do I check that a drawing revision lists every change?

  Compare two revisions of a mechanical drawing: overlay, side-by-side read, ballooned changes, and a revision block that matches what changed.

• How do I send a supplier a design change after the PO is placed?

  A part changed after the PO went out. How to stop the old revision, change the PO, decide on parts already made, and get the supplier to confirm.

• How do I run a design review when reviewers don't have CAD?

  Run a mechanical design review with people who don't have CAD: a numbered review pack sent ahead, the CAD owner driving the model, one issue list.

• How do I track action items from a mechanical design review?

  Track mechanical design review action items in one log: an ID, the view, an owner, a disposition, and the revision that closed each item.

• How do I keep track of which revision each supplier has?

  Keep one supplier revision register: per part and supplier, the revision quoted, on the PO, approved at first article and held in stock.

• How do I ask a supplier for DFM feedback before release?

  Get useful DFM feedback from a supplier before release: a marked pre-release package, specific questions, a reply date, and decisions logged.

• What should I capture before an engineer leaves a hardware team?

  Before a mechanical engineer leaves, capture per part: where the files are, work in progress, open decisions and why, suppliers, and test data.