Editing Part number (section)

== Relationship of part numbers to drawing numbers ==
Another widespread tradition is using the drawing number as the root (or stem) of the part number; in this tradition, the various dash-number parts usually appear as views on the self-same drawing. For example, drawing number 12345 may show an assembly, P/N 12345-1, which comprises detail parts -2 ("dash two"), -3, -4, -8, and -11. Even drawings for which there is currently only one part definition existing will often designate that part with a part number comprising drawing number plus -1 ("dash one"). This is to provide [[extensibility]] of the part numbering system, in anticipation of a day when it might be desired to add another part definition to the family, which can then become -2 ("dash two"), followed by -3 ("dash three"), and so on.

Some corporations make no attempt to encode part numbers and drawing numbers with common encoding; they are paired arbitrarily. In other numbering schemes there is no separate drawing number, the drawing simply reuses the part number.