dealing with signatures on drawings

Sep 26, 2006 2 Replies

We need to have our drawings conform to ASME Y14.100 which means that we have to have a unique controlable identifier for the signatures on a drawing. At the moment we have the original, typically 11X17, signed off in a signature block off the border in the upper right of the sheet and the names are added in to the title block using a custom property. The problem comes when we need to send the drawing out and do a PDF the original signatures are no longer there as they are only on the original paper version and we no longer strictly comply with ASME as the sig block is off the drawing.



Part of the ASME standard says


The design activity shall verify that engineering drawingis and associated lists are technically accurate, in conformance with all requirements, and have been approved. Approval shall be signified in the signature block on the original by signature or approval indicator established by the design activity. An approval indicator may be any symbol adopted by the design activity. A signature or approval indicator may be either hand written or electronically affixed as long as it is unique to an individual, capable of verification, and under the individual's sole control.



and



(c) Electronically generated names or signatures are allowed provided there is an electronic authorization system. The system procedures shall provide for entry of the name or a signature of the responsible individuals in the Title block and Revision History block of the drawing.


I guess I am getting into some PDM here, we run PDM Works, but of course that will not handle this sort of thing



So to make a long story short, how are other people doing this?


Steve Reinisch


I can't help you much on what system to use for document control per se. We use a web based system called VisualVault for our electronic workflow, document storage and approval system, etc.

You may want to look at ASME Y14.42-2002, Digital Approval Systems. This would seem to be applicable to what you are looking at also.

Regards,

Anna Wood

Steve Re> We need to have our drawings conform to ASME Y14.100 which means that we

It's just not practical to have human signatures (electroinically replicated or not) on a drawing in modern CAD systems. I can't speak to whether or not ASME has addressed this issue. But the norm these days is Electronic Signatures, which is legally established under U.S. law.

Electronic Signature systems is in the realm of PLM's, and won't even show up on your drawings.. If you aren't big enough as a company for a PLM, but expect to be big enough one day, I was suggest just investing in a good one now that manages all aspects of the comany, including a straightforward system for Doc Control, Design control, Change Control, Inventory, requisition and acquisition, etc. Don't settle for a system that just does Doc Control/Change Control, or just inventory and workorders. Get a system that seamlessly integrates the who enterprise. If you already have a PLM, you'll need to figure about the best way for your company to us it for these purposes.

If you don't feel a PLM is going to be needed, then I would suggest that whatever you do is built into your change control process.

At my company, the decision very early on was to not have signiture fields on the drawing at all, either for revision or for direct drawing approval. Approval is maintained by the PLM in the form of electronic signatures. A drawing is no different from a word document or a visio document or an excel document when it comes to how it is managed in a PLM, so if electronic signatures are all it needed for a word document (as no one signs word documents directly, or ever has unless they are eccentric), then that is all is required for a drawing. This is more in the realm of legal requirements than directly speaking of ASME.

matt

Steve Re> We need to have our drawings conform to ASME Y14.100 which means that we

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