Manufacturing-ready drawings that don't come back with questions.
Senior mechanical draftsman with 30+ years in aerospace, defence and scientific instruments. Available remotely for contract work.
I turn engineering intent into manufacturing-ready drawings that don't come back with questions.
Over three decades I've detailed and drafted for projects where precision wasn't optional: rocket and launch systems at Houwteq (Denel), propellant and munitions plant at Somchem, and the Southern African Large Telescope at Sutherland. That kind of work teaches you to think about tolerances, fits, GD&T and the person on the shop floor before you draw a line.
I work in AutoCAD 2D and Autodesk Inventor, with earlier years in SolidWorks and Siemens NX, and slot into an existing team's standards and templates from day one. Typical engagements: detailing assemblies from engineering models, converting legacy 2D to 3D, shop drawings and BOMs, revision packages under deadline, and overflow capacity when your in-house drafters are buried.
Based in South Africa, working remotely with firms in Australia, the UK, Europe and locally. Fixed-price or hourly.
Projects where a drawing error had consequences
-
Houwteq
Denel. Rocket and launch systems.
Role Contract design draftsman, 1992 to 1993
Detailing and drafting for launch system hardware, where every part is made once, to the drawing, with no room for a second reading.
Why it mattered: a dimension that can be read two ways on launch hardware is not a query, it is a failure.
-
Somchem
Denel. Propellant and munitions plant.
Role Freelance design draftsman for Rheinmetall Denel
Plant and equipment drawings for a propellant and munitions facility, produced against strict standards and revision control.
Why it mattered: process plant handling energetic materials leaves no margin for a drawing that is almost right.
-
SALT
Southern African Large Telescope, Sutherland.
Role Freelance design draftsman, optical jigs and fixtures
Drafting and detailing for one of the largest optical telescopes in the southern hemisphere, a scientific instrument built to fine tolerances.
Why it mattered: instrument-grade fits and tolerances have to survive the trip from model to machine shop intact.
- Simera Aerospace
- Dragonfly Aerospace
- Spaceteq
- SKAO radio telescope
- CSIR Defencetek
- John Thompson
- Flightscope
- Galvatech
- SA Breweries
- Appletiser
- Two-a-Day
- Kromco
- SA Nylon Spinners
- Hosaf Fibres
- Dorbyl Marine
- Rheinmetall Denel
- SALT telescope
Assembly models from contract work
Shown as models only, without drawings, dimensions or client names. Click any model to enlarge it.
What I do
Detailing from engineering models
Fully dimensioned part and assembly drawings from your 3D models, ready for the shop.
Legacy 2D to 3D conversion
Old 2D drawing sets rebuilt as clean parametric models with current drawings.
Shop drawings and BOMs
Fabrication drawings, weldments, sheet metal flats and accurate bills of materials.
Revision packages under deadline
Controlled revisions across a drawing set, with the change tracked and the numbering intact.
Overflow capacity
Extra senior hands when your in-house drafters are buried and the schedule is not moving.
Standards compliance and GD&T
Drawings to your standards and templates, with geometric tolerancing applied where it earns its place.
A senior contractor versus adding headcount or an offshore team
What hiring or offshoring usually costs you
- Hiring a drafter
- Drafter roles commonly take 90 to 120 days to fill, and the work is waiting now.
- Fixed cost
- A permanent salary is carried through the quiet months as well as the busy ones.
- Rework
- Drawings that come back with questions cost shop time, engineer time and schedule.
Software and standards
Software
Standards
Scope
How to engage
- Pricing
- Scope first, then a quote: fixed-price per package, or hourly for open-ended work.
- Location
- Remote from South Africa (SAST, UTC+2). Same working day as the UK and Europe, morning overlap with Australia and New Zealand.
- Confidentiality
- NDA-friendly. Your templates, standards and title blocks, your file naming.
- Start
- Start date agreed with the quote. Overflow work can usually begin at short notice.
Questions engineering managers ask first
Do you work with firms outside South Africa?
Yes. Most of the work is remote for engineering teams in Australia, the UK, Europe, New Zealand and South Africa. Files, models and reviews move over your normal channels, and the time zone gives a full working-day overlap with the UK and Europe and a morning overlap with Australia and New Zealand.
Which software do you draw in?
AutoCAD 2D and Autodesk Inventor. Earlier work was in SolidWorks and Siemens NX, so models from those systems are familiar territory when a job involves converting or re-detailing them.
Will you work to our drawing standards and templates?
That is the normal arrangement. Your title blocks, templates, numbering, layer or style standards and GD&T conventions apply from the first drawing, so the set looks like it came from your own office.
How do you charge?
Scope first, then a quote. Fixed price per package where the scope is clear, or hourly for open-ended detailing and overflow work. A short description of the work is enough to start.
Can you sign an NDA before we share models?
Yes. NDAs are routine on this kind of work, and nothing from a client's models or drawings is ever shown publicly.
Discuss a project
If your projects are stalling because you can't find experienced drafters, let's talk. A short description of the work is enough to start.
WhatsApp Wouter on 083 454 1408LinkedIn Wouter Lochner on LinkedIn