Last issue I wrote about big trends in the way manufacturing companies are organised over the last century. One more topic I need to touch on for the background of drawings is ‘product lifecycle’. That means from concept through design and making to maintenance and finally disposal at the end of its useful life. Let’s step through the stages of the “lifecycle”. Architects are currently discovering that the plans for a building can give them a long-term stream of income beyond construction because of BIM or Building Information Modeling, where the 3D model has a lot of data attached such as the supplier, component specifications and cost, even the labour for installation and then maintenance instructions and schedules for the service life of the building. Demolition information is also included which would equate to recycling concerns for electro-mechanical products.
Drawings play an important role in the lifecycle of all products. They are used in all the stages of product lifecycle already mentioned. Drawings are used to communicate design intent, specifications, and requirements between different teams involved in the product development process.
