What Is a Drawing Management System?
A drawing management system is a system for managing drawing data used in the design of a product or architecture.
Drawing data refers to 2D or 3D drawing files created using CAD software. These drawing files include product part drawings and building plans. With the use of a drawing management system, these complex drawing files can be managed efficiently.
The system manages drawing versions, distinguishing between the latest version and previous versions. Metadata can also be added to drawing files and categorized for easy retrieval.
Multiple designers can access the same drawings, facilitating multi-person design, and drawing management systems play an important role in quality control of CAD data.
Uses of Drawing Management Systems
Drawing management systems are widely used in the manufacturing and construction industries.
1. Construction and Design Industry
In the construction industry, a drawing management system is indispensable for managing building plans and elevations during building design and construction. When design changes occur, related drawings are managed centrally, so that the affected drawings can be extracted quickly. Also, during construction, necessary drawing information can be quickly referenced on site.
2. Manufacturing Industry
In the manufacturing industry, product blueprints play an important role. A drawing management system makes it possible to track the revision history of product blueprints and centralize version management.
In addition, it is possible to manage various related information centrally, such as related 3D data and work procedures. This will greatly reduce confusion and errors in the manufacturing process.
3. Engineering Industry
In the engineering industry, drawing management systems can also streamline project management. Especially in large projects, numerous blueprints are involved, which can be difficult to manage. With the introduction of a drawing management system, centralized management of blueprints and real-time sharing of blueprints, allowing projects to proceed smoothly.
Principle of Drawing Management Systems
A drawing management system basically consists of a database system and a file server. Drawing files are stored on the file server, and the database stores drawing metadata and management information.
Metadata management, file management, and security management enable systematic management and operation of large volumes of drawing data accumulated over a long period.
1. System Users
System users can access the drawing management system from their client PCs. They can search, browse, download, and upload drawing files with the authorization corresponding to the user who accessed the system.
When a new drawing file is uploaded, the drawing management system automatically extracts the information associated with the drawing file and registers it into the database as metadata.
2. Metadata
Using the search function, you can efficiently search for necessary drawing files based on metadata. The version control function tracks the revision history of drawings and allows you to manage past and current versions. The log function manages the operation history of users who have accessed drawings.
In addition, access can be restricted according to the authority of each department, project, and user in the company. The system can also be linked to core business systems to connect drawing management systems with systems for ordering, production management, asset management, and so on.
Other Information on Drawing Management System
1. Drawing Management System Issues
Conventional file server-based drawing management has the following issues:
- Re-creating drawings that already existed, which causes a double effort.
- The drawing is sent to the wrong customer because it is not clear to which customer the drawing is intended.
- The latest drawings are lost, and the wrong drawings are sent.
- General folder management makes it difficult to know where the necessary drawing data is located, and it takes time to search for it.
- The drawing information held by each department, such as the design and production departments, is not shared, and it takes time to share the information.
2. Solution by Drawing Management System
The following advantages can be obtained by introducing a drawing management system to solve the above problems.
Information Can Be Linked
Drawings can be managed together with product parts lists, etc., and each part can be systematically managed by linking drawings, ordering information, etc. to each part. This prevents the repetitive creation of the same drawing and eliminates the mistake of handing over the wrong drawing to the ordering party.
Search by Keyword or Category
Drawings can be searched by keywords or categories, such as part name or creation date. Even if a keyword is unknown, you can search backward from the product category for efficient searching.
Efficient Information Sharing
Information can be shared very efficiently because drawings can be shared across departments, transcending departmental boundaries such as the design and production departments. You can also set up the system to allow only viewing by the ordering party, which facilitates smooth communication with the processing manufacturer.