dealing with signatures on drawings

We need to have our drawings conform to ASME Y14.100 which means that we
have to have a unique controlable identifier for the signatures on a
drawing. At the moment we have the original, typically 11X17, signed off in
a signature block off the border in the upper right of the sheet and the
names are added in to the title block using a custom property. The problem
comes when we need to send the drawing out and do a PDF the original
signatures are no longer there as they are only on the original paper
version and we no longer strictly comply with ASME as the sig block is off
the drawing.

Part of the ASME standard says


The design activity shall verify that engineering
drawingis and associated lists are technically accurate,
in conformance with all requirements, and have been
approved. Approval shall be signified in the signature
block on the original by signature or approval indicator
established by the design activity. An approval indicator
may be any symbol adopted by the design activity. A
signature or approval indicator may be either hand
written or electronically affixed as long as it is unique
to an individual, capable of verification, and under the
individual's sole control.

and

(c) Electronically generated names or signatures are
allowed provided there is an electronic authorization system.
The system procedures shall provide for entry of the
name or a signature of the responsible individuals in the
Title block and Revision History block of the drawing.


I guess I am getting into some PDM here, we run PDM Works, but of course
that will not handle this sort of thing

So to make a long story short, how are other people doing this?


Steve Reinisch

 

It's just not practical to have human signatures (electroinically
replicated or not) on a drawing in modern CAD systems. I can't speak
to whether or not ASME has addressed this issue. But the norm these
days is Electronic Signatures, which is legally established under U.S.
law.

Electronic Signature systems is in the realm of PLM's, and won't even
show up on your drawings.. If you aren't big enough as a company for a
PLM, but expect to be big enough one day, I was suggest just investing
in a good one now that manages all aspects of the comany, including a
straightforward system for Doc Control, Design control, Change Control,
Inventory, requisition and acquisition, etc. Don't settle for a system
that just does Doc Control/Change Control, or just inventory and
workorders. Get a system that seamlessly integrates the who
enterprise. If you already have a PLM, you'll need to figure about the
best way for your company to us it for these purposes.

If you don't feel a PLM is going to be needed, then I would suggest
that whatever you do is built into your change control process.

At my company, the decision very early on was to not have signiture
fields on the drawing at all, either for revision or for direct drawing
approval. Approval is maintained by the PLM in the form of electronic
signatures. A drawing is no different from a word document or a visio
document or an excel document when it comes to how it is managed in a
PLM, so if electronic signatures are all it needed for a word document
(as no one signs word documents directly, or ever has unless they are
eccentric), then that is all is required for a drawing. This is more
in the realm of legal requirements than directly speaking of ASME.

matt