SERVICES
CAD by Ken, Inc uses the latest in 3D coordination software to aide in the process of ductwork shop drawings and coordination drawings. This state of the art software allows for collision checking with mechanical, plumbing, structural members, and electrical components that we draw. We are also able to coordinate with 3D objects from other trades.
Simplifying the Process
What can we do for your company? Simplify the installation process. With the tight labor pool it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get workers that can think on their feet. We have also seen a change on the engineering side that is troubling. Some engineers are putting less on paper because they do not want to be tied to it. Unfortunately this leaves the solution up to your company. To solve these problems, we combine our experiences on the engineering side with the real world of the construction side. Most problem areas are worked out before you get our drawings. If there is an omission, it is either taken care of or a note is put on the drawings with a cloud around it. We also will provide a letter, usually in email format, that will address any areas with questions, concerns, or that might have an impact your project price. We are not in the business to change the engineer’s design but we will rework something if it is better for our contractor.
On the rare occasion that we are not able to find a solution to a problem, we will notify our client and suggest possible solutions to be reviewed by the contractor’s team and the design team.
CAD by Ken, Inc uses a 3D program which is based on Autodesk’s AutoCAD and AutoCAD MEP programs. We have seen this as the way of the future with many benefits to the contractor, sheetmetal fabricator, suppliers, engineers, and architects. For the ductwork and piping trades, mechanical room sections, building sections, isometrics, and individual ductwork fitting details are provided. Of course, all items can be collision checked along with the structural steel. Once the drawings have been approved by the engineer and architect, a complete list of fabricated pieces along with all bought items (air devices, fire damper, etc) will be printed out. No more time-consuming takeoffs for you or your suppliers.
Once the drawings have been accepted by the contractors and engineers, a cad file in the DWF or CADduct specific ESJ format can be published and made available for download. This file can be easily viewed by anyone who does not have AutoCAD on their system by the way of a free DWF or free ESJ viewing program respectively.
Services Provided
Here is a list for some of the services that we will provide:
- Ductwork submittal drawings including dimension locations of ductwork, elevations and sizes of ductwork, connections to equipment, equipment pad locations, and more. Sometimes, the dimension drawings and equipment pad locations are located on separate drawings for clarity.
- Piping drawings, either mechanical or plumbing, also include elevations
- Where possible: dampers, mechanical equipment, etc are relocated into accessible ceiling spaces. When this is not possible an access door is shown.
- Connection sizes shown to all equipment.
- Piece marked fittings can be provided. Usually two sets of drawings are produced; one with piece marks the other without. The drawings without piece marks provide a clearer picture for contractors and their subs as well as engineers and architects.
- Complete parts list. Items that are purchased via vendors are scheduled on the drawings. Any items that were not included on the original drawings such as fire dampers are noted in the schedule as an addition to the project.
- Minimum of 2 sections through each mechanical room.
- Location of all structural members.
- A list of areas of concern. Engineering/architectural issues will be noted on the drawings. We have found that this method produces the best results when communicating concerns to the design team.
- Prints are uploaded via CAD by Ken, Inc’s FTP site in PDF format. The login information will be sent to you once the uploading is completed.
- CAD files are also uploaded to the FTP site. The 3D drawings can get quite large so emailing them generally exceeds some email account maximums.
Options
- Penetration drawings – concrete wall, slab, or tilt-up wall.
- Location of thermostats, coordinated with architectural and other trades.
- Hanger locations and types per specifications.
- Reports for air leakage tests
- Air balancing information – includes equipment air quantities for test and balance
- Engineering checks
- Velocity (fpm) check – to verify ductwork sizes. Larger sizes can be made up in change orders which might pay for service. The total cfm and velocities will be shown for each size of ductwork.
- NC levels in air devices.
- Velocity check on louver sizes.
- Verify cfm totals on drawings add up to equipment (AHUs, fans, etc.) supplied .
- Verify electrical requirements correspond between electrical drawings/submittals/engineer’s drawings.
- Plots on 11x17 paper for field installers.
- Color coordinated plots to match labels from ductwork fabricator.
- Color composite drawings showing different trades.
In need of refresher training in CADmep+ or just simply want an overview of the program? We can help with your needs. We tailor the class to your needs, making sure the concepts are understood before moving to the next topic.
Are you ready to take CADmep+ to the next level? We can help with setting up custom button icons, AutoCAD scripts, CADmep+ scripts, or even good old AutoCAD lisp. We have some exciting things that we are working on, details soon.