Assembly Drawings,

Balloons,
and

Parts Lists

Working Drawings
A design that has been approved for prototype or
full-scale manufacture requires a set of working
drawings to communicate the objects geometry to
everyone involved with its manufacture and
assembly.
Working drawings are a complete set of
documents that include: Individual part drawings
One or more assembly
drawings
A parts list

Assembly Drawings
An assembly drawing shows how all of the
parts of a multi-component design fit together,
and are generally depicted as one or more
orthographic projections.
One or more full section views are often used
in an assembly drawing to show necessary
internal features.

Example Assembly Drawing

Information from Assemblies

Assembly drawings may contain the
following:

One or more views, including sections or auxiliaries

Enlarged views to show small details
Overall or specific dimensions needed for assembly
Notes on manufacturing processes required for
assembly
Balloons to indicate item numbers
Parts list or bill of materials (BOM)

Types of Assembly Drawings

Design Assembly
General Assembly
Detail Assembly
Erection Assembly
Subassembly
Pictorial Assembly

Design Assembly
Design assemblies are used to
show various relationships
between components.
The design assembly at the right
shows the kinematic relationship
that exists between the fly
wheels 360 rotation, and the
extreme angular motion of the
piston cylinder body.

Design Assembly
Design assemblies are often made from sketches
during the preliminary phases of a design process
to study the relationships that exist between the
components before the design is modeled.

General Assembly
A general assembly is the
most common type of
assembly drawing. It is
displayed as a multiview
drawing and may contain a
section view.
General assemblies do
not contain dimensions.

Detail Assembly
A detail assembly is a combination of an
assembly view with several of its parts
depicted as dimensioned multiview drawings
on one drawing sheet.
This practice, though not common, reduces
the number of drawing sheets needed, and
is more appropriate for designs with small
numbers of components.

Example Detail Assembly

Erection Assembly
Similar to general assemblies, except
dimensions and fabrication specifications are
commonly included.
Typically associated with cabinetry or products
that are made from structural steel.
Used for both fabrication and assembly.

Subassembly Drawing
Complex or large
assemblies may be
communicated through
subassembly drawings.

Flashlight
Subassembly

Pictorial Assembly
Usually depicted as an
isometric or perspective
drawing.
May be rendered to imitate
photographic quality.
Uses include:
- Sales promotion
- Customer self-assembly
- Maintenance procedures

Pictorial Assembly Drawings

Pictorial assemblies are
often used in catalogs,
journal articles, and
advertisements.
This pictorial is
sectioned to show
interior details.

Pictorial Assembly Drawings

Exploded
pictorial
assembly
drawings are
commonly used
to show how
individual
components fit
together.

Balloons
A balloon is a
circle that
contains a
single number,
which is
connected to an
assembly
component with
a leader line.

Balloon Guidelines
All balloons on a drawing should be the same
size.
Balloons should be grouped together in an easyto-read pattern.
Balloon numbers must correspond to item
numbers in a parts list.
Balloons should not have horizontal or vertical
leader lines.

Parts List
A parts list is a
table that contains
information about
each of the parts
contained in an
assembly. The
item numbers
correspond with
the balloon
numbers.

Example Parts List

Parts List Information

Items commonly found in a parts list include:
Item number from balloons.
Quantity the number of a particular part needed
for the assembly.
Part or drawing number a reference back to the
detail drawing.
Description usually the part name or complete
description of a purchase part.
Material identification the material of the part.
Information about vendors for purchase parts.

Parts List Location

The location of a parts list usually depends on
company standards. Common locations
include:
Above the title block most common
Upper right corner
Upper left corner
A convenient location on the drawing

Parts List Location