Lesson 1: Why (blue)Prints are Important
Word List
| to visualize | to see something in your mind; to get a picture in your mind. e.g., Car. you visualize what California would look like with no water? |
| specifications | a list of dimensions, sizes, materials and other particulars needed to make a part. e.g., The machinists will find the specifications for the part on the blueprint. Related Word: “specs” (an abbreviation for specifications). |
| to draft | to draw a plan for doing or making something. e.g., It took Carlos three days to draft the blueprints for the part. Related Words: drafter, draftsman. |
| maroon | a dark, brownish red color. e.g., Lupita’s new, maroon car was wrecked on the freeway.Can you see the maroon highlight of this text? |
| view | a drawing of a part, as seen from the top, or bottom, or side, or from some other angle. e.g., A box has six sides, and so has 6 views which can be seen by turning. |
| a copy of an original drawing; a shortened form of the word blueprint . e.g., Juan, take these prints over to Engineering to have them checked. |
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| photocopy | a copy made by a photographic process.
e.g., We can now quickly make many photocopies from one original blueprint. |
7.6 Practice with New Vocabulary
WHY (Blue)PRINTS ARE IMPORTANT
As you know, machinists make parts out of metal and other materials. The parts must be made accurately, in order for them to fit together correctly. the machinist needs a set of pictures and directions to tell him/her what the part looks like, what size it is, and how to make it. Blueprints are a set of drawings which usually show three different views of the part. When the machinist sees me three views, he/she can visualize (see in his/her mind) what the part looks like.
The drawings also tell the dimensions of a part’s different features,
usually given in thousands of an inch, but sometimes in fractions.
The parts must be made to those dimensions, so the parts will fit.
To make blueprints,
several persons are needed:
(1) the engineer, who designs and tests the part, and who decides the specifications or “specs” for the part. They
tell the dimensions, the kind of material used, the kind of finish, and other information needed to make the part correctly);
(2) the draftsperson or drafter who draws the views of the part and completes the drawing according to the engineer’s specifications.
Blueprints are important because they are the chief way that the people who design the parts (engineers) and the people who make the parts (machinists) communicate with each other. They are also a great help in making the parts accurately.
There are several words which have the same meaning: blueprint = engineering drawing = drawing = print. When we say “blueprint” or “print” we mean a copy of the engineer’s or drafter’s original drawing. The word “blueprint” comes from the way that all drawings used to be made: blue paper with white lines. Today, there are many colors for the prints: white background with black, blue, or maroon-colored lines; white lines on brown background (Vandyke); and photo copies (black lines on white paper).
Ex. 6.1 Comprehension Check
Practice Conversation:
Situation: Blanca, a young mach:ne shop student, arrives early at the shop and starts a conversation with Martin.
Conversation No. 1:
Blanca: Hi, Martin! I was absent last week and missed the classes. What did the teacher talk about?
Martin: It’s good to see you back! And yes, I’ll tell you what you missed–it was about blueprints.
Blanca: What’s a blueprint?
Martin: You’ve probably seen them–those large sheets of paper that fold up like a map. They have drawings of what a part
is supposed to look like.
Blanca: Oh, I’m sorry I missed that. I saw some of those blueprints before, but I didn’t exactly know what they were.
Martin: Well, it’s important to be able to understand them, because they tell you all you need to know to make an accurate part.
Conversation No. 2:
Blanca: Now, lin really sorry I missed the class, but I hope you’ll tell me what I missed.
Martin: Sure, Blanca! I guess the first thing is to know that blueprints are an important means of communicating between the
engineer, who designs parts, and the machinist, who makes them.
Blanca: I think I understand, but tell me more.
Martin: Well, blueprints usually show you two or three views of the
part so you can visualize it.
Blanca: Slow down, Martin. Tell me what you mean by the words view and visualize. (Continue, next page)
Martin: A “view” is a drawing of the shape of a part as you see it from some angle. It could be a picture of the front, the rear, the top, the bottom, one of the sides, or from some other angle. To “visualize” something means to see it in your mind.
Blanca: Let me see if I have this right. “To visualize” means I have enough pictures of the part from different angles so that I have a clear picture in my mind of what the part looks like.
Martin: Yes, you’ve got it. Blanca.
MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND: Two important words from the conversation – TO MISS and TO BE SUPPOSED TO.
1. TO MISS – to be absent so you do not experience something important.
Examples: – I missed the class.
- I missed what the teacher said.
- Carlos missed his train and had to wait.
2. TO BE SUPPOSED TO – what something should be or do.
Examples: – This radio is supposed to work, but it needs new batteries.
- Joaquin was supposed to buy some meat and vegetables on his way home, but he forgot.
- A mother and father are supposed to care for their children, and most of them do.
True-False Questions on Blueprints:
Read each sentence. Decide if it is true of false. Choose T or F.
