Drawing & CAD handoff after RFQ

Define · why one thread and three marks

A drawing without a revision letter, a unit system, or a controlling install node forces a confirm-before-quote loop. The mailto draft from Enquire / RFQ is the start of the thread — not a ticket with a UUID. Company name + date + revision is enough identity for this mailto RFQ path. Do not invent a “reference UUID” in the subject.

Put revision, units (mm preferred unless the print says otherwise), and the controlling install node in the subject or the first body block. That matches field 03 on the RFQ checklist and the install-node language on the load-path primer. Leave tolerances, finish, packing, and private-label marking blank when the print does not fix them — blanks are easier to clarify than invented callouts.

1. 01
   Open the RFQ formFill company, country, category, specs notes, qty band, and target use on contact.html. Submit opens a mailto draft — that draft is the start of the thread. If you skip the form and send a bare attachment with no company line, the reply has nowhere to route.
2. 02
   Attach the drawing in the same emailAdd PDF, DXF, DWG, STEP, or a clear phone photo of a marked sketch. Prefer one controlling revision per part family in the first send. If you start a second thread for the file, revision comments split and “which sheet is live?” returns.
3. 03
   Mark revision · units · controlling nodeState the revision letter/number, unit system (mm preferred unless the print says otherwise), and which detail on the sheet rules the fastener or bracket. If any of the three is missing, the first reply is a clarifying question, not a family match.
4. 04
   Reply in the same threadFollow-ups, revised prints, and packing notes stay on the same conversation. Company name + date + revision is enough for this mailto RFQ path. If you open a new subject for every revision, the controlling print gets lost among forks.

Discuss · files, three marks, and what stalls a quote

This section is buyer facts about when a file is enough — not a format catalog. Final family fit is confirmed in enquiry against your print.

File types — when enough / when not

PDF (vector or searchable). Enough for a first review when dimensions, revision letter/number, and the controlling detail are readable on the sheet. Not enough when every critical size lives only in a 3D model, or when the PDF is a flattened scan with no revision block and no readable callouts.

DXF / DWG. Enough when the 2D geometry drives diameter, length, hole pattern, or bracket outline and the revision is stated in the email body (file name alone is fragile). Not enough as a lone drop with no units note and no “which layer / which detail rules” line — especially when the drawing set mixes obsolete and current sheets.

STEP (or similar 3D). Enough when embedment, fixture thickness, or complex bracket solids are model-driven and 2D alone would miss a clash. Not enough without a revision and units note in the body, or when the buyer expects a 2D acceptance print and only sends the solid.

Marked sketch photo. Enough for an early explore when dimensions, revision (even handwritten), and the install-node arrow are readable in the frame. Not enough for a hard price when tolerances, coating, packing, or private-label marking are blank yet the email asks for a firm quote — and not enough when the photo crops the revision block or the scale is guesswork.

Prefer vector or searchable PDF for review; include CAD when dimensions are driven by the model. Do not send unrelated catalogs as “drawings.”

Three required marks on every send

Every controlling file in the thread should carry these three marks in the subject, body, or clearly on the sheet:

• Revision — letter or number on the live sheet. Prefer one controlling revision per part family in the first send. If two details conflict, say which revision wins.
• Units — mm preferred unless the print already locks inch or another system. Write the unit in the body even when the sheet title block shows it; mixed units across attachments are a common stall.
• Controlling install node — one arrow sentence that rules the part, in the same language as the load-path primer: e.g. stone panel → concrete backup; beam / gusset bolted joint; equipment baseplate → slab; rainscreen skin → subframe; wedge through-fix or bonded rod in concrete. Mark the detail on the print that actually drives the part.

Node callout examples on the sheet: embedment and fixture thickness for a wedge through-fix; rod diameter / length and edge distance for a bonded accessory; bolt class and coating callout for a gusset; panel thickness and backup type for a stone bracket. That note saves a round of “which sheet is live?”

Common miss items that stall a quote

• Revision letter/number missing from file name and body
• Two or more revisions mixed in one send with no “controlling = Rev X” line
• Units omitted or inch/mm mixed across attachments without a note
• No install-node arrow sentence and no detail callout on the sheet
• Tolerances, coating / finish, packing, or private-label marking left blank while the email asks for a hard price
• Unrelated catalog PDFs attached as if they were the job print

How this page links the other two desks

Do not copy whole tables from the other guides — align fields only:

• RFQ checklist field 03 (specs or drawing) expects file name + revision + controlling-node callout. This handoff page is the sequence after mailto opens.
• Load-path primer supplies substrate / load case / install-node wording for the body “node + load” block. Use that vocabulary; do not invent grades or certificates here.
• Home buyer prep and contact What happens next 01–03 stay the entry path — this page does not add a new homepage module.

Agree · subject template and body copy block

Paste into the mailto draft after the form opens. Then keep every revision on the same thread.

CTA for every revision: attach the controlling print in the same thread; reply in the same conversation when the drawing changes. Related: RFQ checklist · load-path primer · home buyer prep · contact What happens next 01–03.