Should I fix or redraw a customer's prints before quoting?

Example: a bracket whose hole locations cannot both be right

Assume a 6061-T6 mounting bracket is 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and 0.25 inch thick. Its print locates one hole center 0.50 inch from the left edge and another 0.50 inch from the right, but calls their spacing 3.25 inches. The edge dimensions imply 4 − 0.50 − 0.50 = 3.00 inches. A machinist can spot the conflict without knowing which dimension reflects the intended assembly.

Prepare a marked copy showing the two possible readings. For this illustrative review, allow 0.25 hour to list discrepancies, 1.25 hours to reconstruct the drawing after the customer answers, and 0.50 hour to check the new document against the approved response. At $110 per hour the total is $220. Those hours cover one simple part and one review cycle; multiple sheets, mating components or missing tolerance decisions require another estimate.

Decide what document you are actually making

An internal operation sketch can show work offsets, soft-jaw locations or inspection points while remaining subordinate to the customer's released definition. Label it with the source part number and revision, identify it as a manufacturing aid, and verify every copied requirement. Do not give it the appearance of an approved replacement customer drawing.

A corrected product drawing is different. Changing hole spacing, selecting an unspecified fit or relaxing a surface requirement changes what the customer is buying. Obtain approval from the person authorized by that customer to release the definition. A buyer's request to make it work may be a useful conversation starter, but it leaves unresolved which dimensions the inspector will later accept.

ASME's public description of Y14.35 says it covers revision practices and methods for identifying and recording revisions. That supports keeping changes traceable; the description does not establish who owns this customer's design or give a supplier authority to change it. The contract and customer's release process still need to answer those questions.

Offer a clarification and a bounded paid scope

Suggested RFQ response: ‘Drawing BR-42 revision B gives 3.25-inch hole spacing, while the edge dimensions produce 3.00 inches. Please confirm the controlling dimensions and issue a corrected revision. We can instead prepare a proposed replacement drawing for your review for $220, covering one part and one consolidated review cycle. No manufacturing release is included until you approve the final definition.’

If the buyer needs a budget immediately, provide separately labeled alternatives with their assumptions and say neither releases production. Do not hide an unresolved design decision in a general tolerance note. State whether the engineering fee remains payable if the manufacturing order goes elsewhere, and identify the file formats the fee buys.

Release the right files to the floor

After approval, retain the incoming print, your discrepancy list, the authorized response and the released revision. Replace obsolete copies in the traveler, programming folder and inspection package together. Check the model too: repairing a PDF while programming from an older STEP file recreates the original ambiguity.

The next action is a short question list, not a full unpaid redraw. Ask the customer to resolve functional dimensions first; then estimate the documentation work that remains. Keep dimensional approval separate from commercial approval so a PO for drawing assistance cannot accidentally become permission to cut material to an unfinished design.

• Resolve a PDF and model mismatch
• Price engineering assistance separately