Even a correctly calculated design may prove unsuitable for production if the documentation is ambiguous. One engineer designated a part one way, the process engineer understood the entry differently, and the factory manufactured the product with an error.
The Unified System for Design Documentation (ESKD) is used precisely to prevent such situations. It sets uniform requirements for drawings, specifications, text documents, product designations and the procedure for developing documentation.
Executing design documentation is necessary not for the sake of formal compliance with standards. High-quality design documentation (DD) makes it possible to hand a product over from the developer to the process engineer, production, the quality control department and the operating organization without loss of information.
At the same time, ESKD is not a single GOST and not a universal drawing template. It is a set of interrelated standards. Some regulate design stages, others regulate document types, title blocks, formats, scales, lines, dimensions and the rules for executing specific drawings.
Let us examine which documents are part of DD, how the stages of developing design documentation are determined, and which stages of engineering work can already be accelerated with the help of artificial intelligence.
Unified System for Design Documentation: What ESKD Regulates
ESKD is a set of standards establishing interrelated rules for the development, execution, recording, circulation and use of design documents.
The general provisions of the system are set out in GOST R 2.001-2023. In Russia this standard has been in effect since March 1, 2024, and it defines the purpose, scope of application and structure of the ESKD set.
ESKD regulates:
- types of design documents;
- completeness of documentation;
- stages of its development;
- designation of products and documents;
- preparing drawings;
- execution of title blocks;
- preparation of text documents;
- introduction of changes;
- work with electronic models;
- performance of standards compliance control;
- storage and circulation of documentation.
The types and completeness of documents are determined by GOST R 2.102-2023. It applies to mechanical engineering products and establishes which design documents may be developed at different stages of a project.
Depending on the product, a DD set may include:
- part drawing;
- assembly drawing;
- general arrangement drawing;
- overall dimensions drawing;
- installation drawing;
- diagram;
- specification;
- list of documents;
- explanatory note;
- technical specifications;
- test program and methods;
- operational documents;
- electronic product model.
A complete set is not always required. Its composition depends on the complexity of the product, the development stage, the terms of the contract and the requirements of the technical assignment.
For example, for a simple part a drawing containing the data for manufacture and inspection is sufficient. Complex equipment may require assembly drawings, specifications, diagrams, technical specifications, operational documents and electronic models.
To prepare DD correctly, it is necessary to determine the type of product, the type of document and the applicable standards.
The main current documents of the system include:
- GOST R 2.001-2023 — general provisions of ESKD;
- GOST R 2.102-2023 — types and completeness of design documents;
- GOST 2.103-2013 — development stages;
- GOST R 2.104-2023 — title blocks;
- GOST R 2.105-2019 — general requirements for text documents;
- GOST R 2.106-2019 — rules for executing text documents;
- GOST R 2.109-2023 — basic requirements for drawings;
- GOST R 2.201-2023 — designation of products and documents;
- GOST 2.111-2013 — standards compliance control.
It is important to verify that standards are up to date. For example, GOST 2.109-73 ceased to be in force in Russia on March 1, 2024. GOST R 2.109-2023 applies in its place. Similarly, the former GOST 2.104-2006 has been replaced by GOST R 2.104-2023.
Stages of Developing Design Documentation under GOST
GOST 2.103-2013 establishes the stages of developing DD for products of all industries and the main steps of performing the work. The standard distinguishes between project and working design documentation.
The main stages are:
- Technical proposal.
- Preliminary design.
- Technical design.
- Working design documentation.
Not every product necessarily passes through all of the listed stages. The specific procedure is determined by the technical assignment, the contract and the particulars of the project.
Technical Proposal
A technical proposal is developed when it is necessary to compare several variants of the future product and to substantiate the choice of one of them.
At this stage the following are analyzed:
- purpose of the product;
- customer requirements;
- existing analogues;
- possible design solutions;
- principle of operation;
- approximate characteristics;
- advantages and limitations of the variants;
- need for additional research.
The result is a substantiated choice of the direction for further development.
The requirements for the technical proposal are established by GOST 2.118-2013. This standard, like the standards for the preliminary and technical designs, remains in force.
Preliminary Design
The preliminary design shows the basic structure of the product and gives a general idea of its design.
At this stage the following may be determined:
- layout;
- main units;
- principle of operation;
- overall dimensions;
- base materials;
- embodiments;
- preliminary technical characteristics;
- safety and operating requirements.
The preliminary design is not yet a complete set of documents for manufacture. It must confirm that the proposed technical solution is feasible in principle and meets the assignment.
The procedure for performing the preliminary design is established by GOST 2.119-2013.
Technical Design
The technical design contains the final technical solutions required for the subsequent preparation of working documentation.
At this stage the following are refined:
- design of the product;
- composition of the main units;
- materials;
- calculated characteristics;
- joining methods;
- manufacturing requirements;
- inspection methods;
- safety matters;
- maintainability;
- operating conditions.
Whereas the preliminary design defines the general concept, in the technical design the structure must be worked out in enough detail to proceed to the issue of working drawings.
The requirements for the technical design are set out in GOST 2.120-2013.
Rules for Executing Design Documentation: Mandatory Sections
There is no universal set of sections for all design documents. A part drawing, a specification, technical specifications and an explanatory note have different structures.
Therefore, the general requirements for executing design documentation are applied taking into account the type of the specific document.
A graphic document should normally contain:
- images of the product;
- the necessary views, sections and cross-sections;
- dimensions;
- limit deviations;
- tolerances of form and position;
- surface roughness designations;
- information on the material;
- technical requirements;
- title block;
- document designation;
- signatures of responsible persons.
GOST R 2.109-2023 establishes the basic requirements for part drawings, assembly drawings, installation drawings and overall dimensions drawings at the stage of developing working DD.
The title block is executed in accordance with GOST R 2.104-2023. It contains identification and accounting information: the name of the product, the document designation, the material, the scale, the sheet number, and the details of the developer, the checker and the approver.
The designation of a product and of the document associated with it must be unique within the accounting system adopted. The rules for assigning designations are established by GOST R 2.201-2023.
For text documentation, GOST R 2.105-2019 and GOST R 2.106-2019 apply. They regulate the structure of the text, headings, tables, illustrations, appendices and the execution of individual types of documents.
In practice, executing DD in accordance with GOST means that documents must be not only visually neat but also mutually consistent.
For example:
- item numbers on the assembly drawing must match the specification;
- the name of a part must be the same in all documents;
- mass and material must not contradict the electronic model;
- technical requirements must correspond to the technology specified;
- changes must be made simultaneously in all related documents.
If a set contains individually correct sheets but there are contradictions between them, such DD cannot be considered properly prepared.
Executing Design Documentation Drawings: Typical Errors
The most dangerous are not only gross errors but also minor discrepancies that allow different interpretations.
Typical problems:
- a dimension needed for manufacture is missing;
- the same dimension is given twice with different values;
- process or design datums are not defined;
- an incorrect scale has been chosen;
- the material grade is absent;
- tolerances are not specified for critical joints;
- the part designation does not match the specification;
- item numbers on the assembly drawing are omitted or repeated;
- the roughness of a functional surface is not specified;
- an obsolete standard has been applied;
- the title block is not completely filled in;
- a weld or thread is designated ambiguously;
- technical requirements contradict the image;
- the paper and electronic versions contain different data.
Before documentation is issued, standards compliance control is carried out. Its task is to verify compliance with ESKD standards, uniformity of designations, completeness of the documentation and correctness of references to regulatory documents. The standard currently in force in this area is GOST 2.111-2013.
For a preliminary self-check, you can use a short checklist:
- Can the part be manufactured without the manufacturer having to ask the designer additional questions?
- Are the dimensions and tolerances that affect functionality specified?
- Do the drawing, the specification and the 3D model match?
- Is the title block filled in?
- Are the GOST standards cited current?
- Have the documents been assigned the correct designations?
- Are all changes reflected in the related files?
- Has the documentation passed technical review and standards compliance control?
Automating the Development of Design Documentation with AI
Preparing DD involves many repetitive operations: recognizing designations, comparing documents, checking item numbers, generating lists and finding discrepancies.
Therefore, automating the development of design documentation is becoming one of the most practical areas for applying artificial intelligence in engineering.
AI can help to:
- recognize paper and scanned drawings;
- extract dimensions, inscriptions and designations;
- match item numbers with the specification;
- generate a preliminary list of parts;
- check the consistency of the drawing and the description;
- find missing dimensions;
- identify duplicated designations;
- compare different versions of DD;
- analyze the technical assignment;
- create a basis for the description of the design;
- prepare images for a patent application.
It is important to understand that AI is useful as an assistant, not as an autonomous developer independently releasing documentation into production.
An algorithm can detect that an item number is missing from the specification. But determining the permissible load, assigning a fit or confirming the safety of a design must be done by a qualified specialist.
Neural networks help to structure the initial information faster, compare a solution with analogues and determine which features should be reflected in the technical description and patent images.
At the same time, a patent drawing cannot be considered finished working DD. To launch a product into production, full dimensions, materials, tolerances, specifications, calculations and verification against the applicable standards will be required.
Conclusion
ESKD and the execution of DD exist so that information about a product is understood in the same way by the developer, the process engineer, production, the inspector and the customer.
Work begins with determining the project stage. At the technical proposal the direction of development is chosen, in the preliminary design the general structure is formed, in the technical design the final decisions are fixed, and the working documentation is used for manufacturing and inspecting the product.
The requirements for executing design documentation under GOST depend on the type of document. Different ESKD standards apply to drawings, specifications, text materials, title blocks and designations.
Artificial intelligence can speed up the analysis, comparison and preliminary preparation of materials, but it does not replace engineering calculations, design verification and standards compliance control.
Try “POSINT” and shorten the path from a technical idea to structured materials for further development and patenting.