ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING DESIGN Technical Drawing Alphabet of Lines

Line type and weight provide valuable information to various industry tradespersons. Line types and weight have specific meanings that must follow certain standards, to provide consistency in work and understanding throughout the manufacturing and construction industry. Mechanical, Architectural and Civil Engineering trade/discipline areas may use line types or weights differently than another and those differences will be review during the study of that particular trade area. For now, Mechanical Engineering and the line types and weights associated to this industry Technical Drawings will be revealed. Although other line types are used in Technical Drawing, there are four commonly used line types: continuous, hidden, center and phantom. Associated to each line type is a line weight or thickness, other weights are also used, but the most common weights range between 0.6 mm for important lines to 0.3 for less important. Line weights or thickness are generally identified as follows, and should be adjusted based on size and complexity of the part: Thin 0.3 mm Medium 0.4 mm Thick 0.6 mm Very Thick 0.8 mm

Line types used in technical drawings are as follows, presented in their order of hierarchy: Border line is a very thick, continuous line that forms the boundaries of the drawing and title block. Cutting plane line is used to show where an imaginary cut has been made through an object in order to view interior features. The line types have a very thick line weights, using either a phantom line or hidden line patterns with arrows at each end pointing toward the direction of sight. Visible (Object) line is a continuous line representing visible edges and boundaries of an object, having a thick weight. Hidden line is a dashed line, of medium thickness, that represents object edges and boundaries that cannot be seen. The dashes and spaces should have a consistent length throughout a drawing, unless varying the lengths provide a clearer understanding. Center line is a repeating pattern of long dash short dash, having a thin weight line. The center line represents axes of symmetry, center of circles/radii, cylindrical shapes and paths of motion. Phantom line is a repeating pattern of long dash double short dash having a thin weight line. The phantom line represents adjoining related parts, alternate positions of moving parts, repeating patterns and locations of fillets and rounds in views that do not show the radius.

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Break lines are used to show imaginary breaks in objects, two types exist. Long break lines are thin weight continuous lines with a z-shaped jog. Long break lines are used to reduce the length of large objects. Short break lines are thick weight series of small continuous arcs or line segments. Short break lines are used to reduce the length of small objects or to indicate the removal of a portion of an object for break-out sections. Section lines are used to show areas that have been cut by the cutting plane. Section lines in the most generic form are groups of parallel continuous lines set at a 45 angle. A thin line weight is used. Other patterns, line types or angles should be used to indicate adjacent parts of similar or different materials. Dimension and Extension lines are used to show the size/location of an object or its features. In general, a dimension line is placed between two extension lines and is terminated by arrowheads, which indicates the direction and extent of the dimension. A continuous line type having thin line weights are used for both the dimension and extension lines. Construction and Guide lines Construction lines are used for the initial layout of an object. Guide lines are used to help improve and maintain lettering heights. A continuous line type having a very thin line weights (0.1 mm) are used for both Construction and Guide lines.

Application Rules for Hidden and Center line types: