Student Workshop - Foundation of Digital Design and Drafting 27th & 28th Jan 2025

Student Workshop - Foundation of Digital Design and Drafting Student Workshop

Organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering “Foundation of Digital Design and Drafting” for all Second year on 27 and 28th January 2025 from 10.30 to 12.30 PM in Room no 402, and 02.00 to 04.30 pm in ECE Software lab of School of Engineering and Technology. This programme was led by Mr Gopinath D and Mr Gopalakrishnan M, Industrial Application for CADD, Trichy. The "Foundation of Digital Design and Drafting" workshop was conducted to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of AutoCAD and its applications in mechanical engineering design. Spanning two days, the workshop covered theoretical and hands-on training sessions to develop proficiency in 2D drafting using AutoCAD. On the first day, the fundamentals of AutoCAD were introduced, beginning with an overview of CAD, its evolution, and its applications in mechanical engineering.

Students were familiarized with the AutoCAD interface, including the menu bar, ribbon, toolbars, and command line, as well as file management and workspace types. Basic drawing commands such as Line, Circle, Rectangle, Arc, and Polyline were covered, along with coordinate systems like Absolute, Relative, and Polar. A live demonstration allowed students to observe and practice creating a simple 2D mechanical sketch, followed by an interactive Q&A session.

The second session focused on drafting basics and modifications, where students set up their workspaces, learned drawing techniques using Grid and Ortho modes, and practiced creating mechanical layouts. Modification tools such as Trim, Extend, Offset, Fillet, and Chamfer were introduced, along with layer management for effective organization. A hands-on practice task enabled students to draft a mechanical part, with instructor feedback ensuring proper guidance.

On the second day, the focus shifted to advanced drafting and applications. The morning session emphasized the importance of dimensioning and annotation in mechanical drafting, covering standards like ISO and ANSI. Students learned to use dimensioning tools such as Linear, Angular, Radius, and Diameter dimensions, and explored annotation tools including text, Multileaders, and Tables. Scaling and plotting techniques were also demonstrated to ensure proper layout configuration for printing. An interactive Q&A session allowed students to clarify doubts and reinforce their understanding.

The final session provided hands-on experience in assembly drafting and project work. Students were introduced to assembly constraints, exploded views, and assembly layouts before drafting a mechanical component such as a shaft and bearing assembly. They applied dimensioning and annotation tools learned earlier and undertook a mini-project to draft and annotate a mechanical assembly like a flange coupling or bracket. Instructors provided guidance and evaluated student progress throughout the session.
At the end of the workshop, students submitted their final projects for review and received individual feedback on their drafts. A feedback form was distributed to gather insights on their experience. By the conclusion of the workshop, students had gained proficiency in using AutoCAD for 2D drafting, understood the application of CAD tools in mechanical engineering, and developed skills in creating, modifying, and annotating mechanical drawings. The structured approach and hands-on training ensured active participation and knowledge retention, making the workshop a successful learning experience.

This workshop aimed to provide awareness to the students about the new tools on design and its impact on current scenario and challenges. Around 34 students of second year Mechanical Engineering department of Engineering and Technology were actively participated in this programme. Dr. Shankar Duraikannan, Dean, School of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Ramesh E, Associate Dean, School of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Amal Rebin A X, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Dr A Bakhirathan A, Assistant Professor of Mechanical was present.