How to solve Engineering Problems

7 Top Efficiency Tips for Engineers

It's all about one word - DISCIPLINE  -

1. Don't be a slave to the telephone
2. Use the Pareto Principle
3. Focus on the “Must Do Jobs” not the “Nice To Do Jobs” 
   
4. Prioritize
5. Avoid Getting Sucked In (to the gossip trap)
   
6. Qualify the Work (be specific)
   
7. Delegate
   
   

How to create an efficient drawing management system for CAD

Preamble
The heart of a good Engineering office is a good drawing management system. It should be simple to produce such a system. But typically it hasn't been. Large Engineering manufacturers usually employ substantial resource to this part of the system and most will have a fairly sophisticated process. They need it, in order to operate. Assemblies, sub assemblies, individual components, clearly identifiable and manageable. The automobile, the aircraft, the washing machine, it is essential that they have systems and staff to manage the systems, so as to make it work. In the days before computers, manufacturers would generally use a fairly sophisticated combination of letters and numbers in order to segregate and group components and systems. Human error was very common.

Preamble
How To Prevent Blocked Drains Caused By Poor Wash Down Procedures.
Many industrial processes have a need to wash down plant and equipment.  This may be done “in line” or at a remote dedicated location such as a wash room.  Typically the design of the area will have a grated floor drain and the residue then runs from this floor drain through an underground drainage system to a pit or treatment plant.

 Water and similar liquids which are are relatively clean will happily flow through drainage pipes and there are millions of kilometers of drainage pipes installed throughout the world.  However, as every plumber will tell you, it is not always free flowing liquids which finds its way into drainage systems and clearing blocked pipelines is a regular occurrence.

When considering industrial wash down applications there is the potential for many and varied liquids or slurries to find their way into drainage systems.  Whilst in theory running a network of underground pipes to a central treatment system or pit can look attractive.  It looks far less attractive to the maintenance manager who has to deal with the constant blockages.

In theory the grated drain cover acts as a course filter to prevent large pieces of sediment getting into the drainage system and the operators clean up the sediment which can then be disposed of via a solid waste system.  Typically, for an “in line” process, there will be a Standard Operating Procedure to clean up any “operational” spillage during production, in order to prevent it from getting into the drainage system.