Mechanical drafters prepare drawings showing the detail and assembly of a wide variety of machinery and mechanical devices, indicating dimensions, fastening methods, and other requirements. Drafters fill in Technical Details using drawings, rough sketches, specifications, Codes, and Calculations previously made by engineers, architects, or scientists.
Most drafters now use CAD systems to prepare drawings. CAD systems employ Computers to Create and Store Drawings electronically that can then be viewed, printed, or programmed directly into automated manufacturing systems. Despite the use of sophisticated tools, Mechanical Drafters still must know the basics of the industrial environment they are working in. They must be able to understand what an engineer means by such things as designs, connectors, Structural Components and computed Load Characteristics that the engineer has roughed out by hand on a note pad.