Technical graphics is an integral part of the engineering design process through which engineers and drafters/designers generate new ideas and solve problems. Traditional engineering design consists of closely related steps that flow both sequentially and back and forth. Many industries in the United States are changing their design methodology from a linear/sequential activity to a team approach in which all parts of the company are working on a project simultaneously. An emerging engineering design approach, based on concurrent engineering principles, is product lifecycle management (PLM).

The engineering design process brings meaning and purpose to engineering graphics. Design is the catalyst for the creation of computer models and drawings. This chapter describes a modern approach to the engineering design process, so that you will have a better understanding of and appreciation for the need and importance of modeling and drawing. The remaining chapters in the text explain technical graphics as it relates to engineering design and production. Knowing the engineering design process and the support provided by graphics will give greater meaning to the remaining chapters in this text.