A: Steel fabrication Melbourne drawings are: Drawings created just for steel fabricators.
A Shop Drawing is the base for steel fabrication and is very important in the AEC industry. A fabrication shop drawing is a set of drawings made by the fabricator to utilize detailing services given by detailers in contract with the owner and use drawn information in the construction documents
Structural steel detailing is a critical process of structural engineering and demands near-99% accuracy. Even a tiny error can lead to a loss of valuable time and money. Structural steel detailing is an important and mandatory process in all types of manufacturing and construction activities, such as erection of residential and commercial buildings, factories and institutes, as well as shipbuilding. The process of steel detailing is a vital ‘communications link’ that connects key professionals such as engineers, architects, contractors, fabricators and others—all of whom are individually and collectively responsible for the highest levels of accuracy at each stage.
Steel detailing involves the creation of detailed drawings for fabricators and contractors, and includes plans and estimates, as well as other reports and important tasks. The process involves two main types of drawings—shop drawings and erection drawings.
Shop drawings or detail drawings specify every miniscule detail of an individual steel piece or component (columns, beams, joists, trusses, braces etc.) that needs to be made by a steel fabricator. Such drawings include material specifications, component sizes and dimensions, surface specs, welding, bolting and painting details, and all other information pertaining to the fabrication of each component. These drawings are relevant to fabrications only, and do not include details about erection and installation of the steel components
Erection Drawings
It is the construction site steel erector who refers to these drawings in the steel detailing process, in order to know how and where to build with the fabricated steel pieces. Included in the erection drawings are dimensional plans to identify the steel members, in addition to all work required on the site including welding, bolting, and installing masonry anchors.
Additional Duties and Responsibilities
For the detailer in the steel detailing process:
Presents his drawings to the structural engineer and/or architect for evaluation before their release to the fabricator.
In cases where structural drawings have inadequate information, offers links subject to the sanction of the structural engineer.
If the detailer is uncertain about any information which prevents him from completing the drawings, they send a request for information (RFI) to the relevant parties before continuing.
Sends his drawing to another steel detailer (labeled the “checker”) for completeness and accuracy.
To monitor changes during the drawing creation process, identifies the revisions by assigning an associated number or letter code in the drawing revision block.
Must resolve any comments which may have come out of the checking and approval process.
The main job of steel drafters and detailers is to consult the architectural and engineering drawings relating to a project, interpret what they mean, then create their own unique drawings that relate to the steel components required.
These drawings include the location and specifications of every steel component in the entire structure and total accuracy is essential.
Shop drawings
Also known as detail drawings, shop drawings are created for the benefit of the steel fabricator and contain the specifications relating to every steel component that needs to be fabricated, such as the steel beams, braces, joists, trusses and columns. Shop drawings typically include material and surface specs, component dimensions, as well as details relating to welding, painting and bolting.
Erection drawings
These extremely detailed drawings are created for the benefit of those who will be erecting or installing the fabricated steel components. The details include the exact location of every steel component that will be part of the overall structure as well as instructions for how they should be installed. The quality and accuracy of erection drawings plays a huge role in ensuring that a project runs smoothly.
Leveraging technology
Software advancements have revolutionised steel detailing over the past few years, making it fast and easy to create accurate drawings in 3D. As a result, drafters and detailers now use 3D drawings for everything from shop drawings and erection plans through to full scale templates of intricate layouts. Not only does this make it easier to visualise components and understand their role in the overall structure, but it can make spotting potential problems easier as well. 3D isometric drawings can be particularly useful when dealing with complex connections, such as column/beam splices, as well as make responding to Requests for Information (RFIs) quick and easy.
Maximising efficiency
Another important part of the job involves creating a Bill of Materials (BoM), which is a comprehensive record of the raw materials, supplies and sub-assemblies required for constructing all those steel components. Apart from making it easy to monitor the volume of material required, and therefore its cost, the BoM can also include an estimate of the amount of scrap expected making it easier to maximise efficiency.
Techniques
Computer-aided drafting (CAD) has replaced manual drafting for the most part in steel detailing. The detailer using these systems generate his drawings on the computer, employing software designed for this purpose, and then prints them. Accordingly, in the skills needed for steel detailing, the detailer needs proficiencies in the use of computers and comprehension of the particular CAD software he will utilize.
Steel detailers add another category for those working with 3-D modeling applications. The process for the construction of these drawings is very different from two-dimensional drafting. In this case, the project is built in 3-D before production of shop drawings from the model.