Design Standards

Mechanical Design Rules and Standards:

1. Units and Fasteners

   1. All designs shall use metric units exclusively

   2. Approved fastener sizes: M3, M4, M6 only

   3. All hardware (bolts, nuts, inserts) must be metric

   4. Mixing imperial and metric units is not permitted

2. Threading and Inserts

   1. All threaded inserts will be helicoil thread inserts

3. Fastener Selection

   1. Nylock nuts are the default locking method

   2. Threadlocker (Loctite) is required for:

      1. Semi-permanent assemblies

      2. Permanent installations into metal components 

      3. Example: motor mounts

4. Fluid System Standards

   1. All water cooling components shall use:

      1. ¼” G-thread (BSPP/G 1/4) fittings

5. CAD and Design Environment

   1. All parts and assemblies must be created in SolidWorks

   2. Files must be saved as native SolidWorks design files:

      1. .SLDPRT

      2. .SLDASM

6. Drawings and Documentation

   1. All drawings must: 

      1. Use the standard team drawing template

      2. Include fully defined dimensions

      3. Include material specification

      4. Be fully defined

   2. Each part must include:

      1. Manufacturing dimensions

      2. Tolerances where required

   3. Documentation must include:

      1. Instructions for use

      2. Required tools

      3. Assembly guidance (if applicable)

7. Design for Procurement

   1. Before designing a custom part, the designer must ask:

      1. “Can this be purchased off-the-shelf?”

   2. Off-the-shelf components are preferred unless:

      1. Cost, performance, or packaging requires custom design

8. File Management

   1. All files must be:

      1. Stored in the correct directory in PDM

      2. Named according to team conventions

      3. No local-only or untracked files are allowed

9. Design Completion Requirements

   1. A design is considered invalid if any of the following are missing:

      1. Fully dimensioned drawings

      2. Material specification

      3. Proper file storage

      4. Required documentation

      5. Approved fastener standards not followed

10. Design Review and Release

    1. All designs must be:

       1. Reviewed and approved prior to production

    2. No part may be manufactured without:

       1. Completed drawings

       2. Documentation

       3. Approval sign-off