Why standards drift
Every engineering company has standards for templates, layers, dimension styles, part numbering, materials and file names. Over time, people copy old files, use personal shortcuts and forget rules. The result is inconsistent drawings, wrong data in ERP and extra checking effort.
Three layers of standardisation
1. Start right: templates and libraries
- Controlled part, assembly and drawing templates deployed automatically.
- Standard component libraries with approved sizes, materials and part numbers.
- Wizards that create new files with the right properties from the start.
2. Stay right: guided design
- Dropdowns instead of free text for materials, finishes and suppliers.
- Commands that apply the correct layer, style and annotation automatically.
- Warnings when a non-standard size or feature is used.
3. Prove right: automated checks
- Rule-based checkers run before save, check-in or release.
- Clear reports listing issues with one-click navigation and fixes.
- Release gates in PDM / PLM that block files failing mandatory checks.
Examples of checkable rules
| Area | Rule example |
|---|---|
| Properties | Part number, description, material and weight must be filled |
| Drawings | Correct title block, scale, projection symbol and revision table |
| Geometry | Minimum wall thickness, standard hole sizes, bend radius ≥ thickness |
| 2D CAD | Only approved layers, text styles and dimension styles |
| Files | File name matches part number, no broken references |
Quality control benefits
Automated checks turn subjective drawing reviews into objective, repeatable results. Reviewers can focus on design intent instead of spotting missing text. Reports also give managers data on the most common errors, so training and templates can improve.
Checking quality at the end is expensive. Building it into the tool is cheap.
Rolling out standards tools
- Agree and document the current standard with all teams.
- Start with warnings only, then make critical rules mandatory.
- Provide batch tools to fix legacy files.
- Review rules every few months based on reports.
Standardise with ENGIMANDI
We build templates, libraries and standards checkers for AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Inventor, Revit and CATIA.