Basic GD&T Symbols: Run-out
1. Run-out Controls Overview:
o "Runout controls the tolerances of cylindrical surfaces as these
features are rotated around a given datum axis."
2. Basic Runout:
o "Basic runout controls how much a particular circular element of a
feature varies with respect to a given datum when the part is
rotated around that datum's axis."
o "Runout controls the wobble of a rotating element."
o "It can be used to set limits on the cumulative effects of circularity
and coaxiality."
3. Total Runout:
o "Total runout controls how much the entire surface of a cylindrical
feature varies with respect to a given datum, when the part is
rotated around that datum's axis."
o "Total runout controls both wobble and flatness of a rotating
element."
o "It can be used to set limits on the cumulative effects of cylindricity
and coaxiality."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
GD&T Tools in CAD
1. Basic Dimensioning Tools:
o "In most popular 3D Solid modeling programs, basic dimensioning
tools can be found in the default menus and toolbars."
o "These tools allow the designer to assign dimensions to geometric
features and to find the sizes of the parts they create."
2. Precision of Dimensions:
o "In most cases, these dimensioning tools give the designer the
ability to set the precision of a given dimension, which is shown by
the number of digits to the right of the decimal point."
o "In addition to setting the precision of a dimension, a range of
tolerances can be assigned to the dimension value."
3. Introduction of GD&T Tools:
o "The addition of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
tools to 3D modeling programs is a somewhat recent
phenomenon."
o "Software commonly found in high-volume manufacturing
environments began to incorporate GD&T notation early on, in
order to meet the documentation requirements of their customers
or regulatory agencies."
4. GD&T in Less Strict Environments:
o "CAD programs found in less strictly controlled environments, like
schools or small design shops, have only recently introduced GD&T
tools into their dimensioning tool set."
5. Limitations in Certain CAD Programs:
o "Not all CAD programs are 3D Solid modeling tools."
o Example: "Programs like Rhino are very good at creating surfaces
and shapes, but Rhino does not currently support geometric
dimensioning and tolerancing notation."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
Manufacturing Design Rules
1. Online Machine Shops:
o "Online machine shops offer an easy way to get parts fabricated
from a CAD file."
o "Most shops accept CAD files from popular 3D modeling programs
in their native file format."
2. Understanding Capabilities and Tolerances:
o "Before sending a part to an online machine shop for fabrication,
it's important to find and understand the machine shop's
capabilities and tolerances."
o "You may need to adjust your part tolerances and evaluate whether
your parts will fit and function after manufacturing."
3. Types of Fabrication Services:
o "There are many online machine shops that provide additive
fabrication services, subtractive fabrication services, and bending or
forming services."
4. Plethora:
o "Plethora is an online machine shop service that offers a
manufacturability analysis plugin compatible with several major
CAD programs."
o "This plugin highlights any features that can't be manufactured
using Plethora's processes."
o "The Capabilities page lists standard tolerances for metals (+/-
5/1,000 of an inch) and plastics (+/- 8/1,000 of an inch). Under
certain circumstances, Plethora can provide tolerances down to +/-
1/1,000 of an inch."
5. Xometry:
o "Xometry is a quoting platform that connects designers to machine
shops across the country."
o "Their Manufacturing Standards page lists tolerances for multiple
manufacturing processes and materials."
o "Their Design Guide page provides information on how to design
parts that can be successfully manufactured with specific materials
and processes."
6. eMachineShop:
o "eMachineShop encourages users to download their proprietary
CAD software, which incorporates manufacturing constraints
specific to their tools."
o "The software ensures parts designed with it can be manufactured
by eMachineShop."
o "Tolerances for two-dimensional machined parts are +/- 1/100 of
an inch for overall sizes and positions, +/- 5/1,000 of an inch for
cutouts, and +/- 2/1,000 of an inch for diameters."
o "For three-dimensional machined parts, the tolerances are +/-
5/1,000 of an inch for overall part size and +/- 1/1,000 of an inch for
other features."
7. Fictiv:
o "Fictiv is a quoting platform that connects designers to machine
shops."
o "Their website provides an extensive list of materials and
tolerances under the Capabilities subheading in the Resources tab."
o "Fictiv also offers a hardware guide to help with part design to meet
customer specifications."
8. Protocase:
o "Protocase focuses on manufacturing custom sheet metal and CNC-
machined electronic enclosures."
o "They provide extensive information regarding acceptable
tolerance limits for sheet metal parts under the Resources tab."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
Other Verbal and Written Communication
1. Determine if the Manufacturer Uses GD&T:
o "First, it's important to find out whether or not they use Geometric
Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) practices."
o "Manufacturers that use Plus and Minus Tolerancing may be able to
fabricate your parts, but extra work will be required to ensure the
quality and consistency of those parts."
2. Get a List of Manufacturing Tolerances:
o "Second, it's important to get a list of the manufacturing tolerances
available from your machine shop."
3. Verify Part Geometry After Manufacturing:
o "Third, it's important to know how your part geometry will be
verified after manufacturing and how precise that verification
process is."
4. Confirm Tolerances and Design Intent:
o "If you are new to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, you
may not have completely defined the geometric dimensions and
tolerances of your part."
o "Confirm with your shop that they understand your tolerances and
your design intent."
5. Review the Verification Process:
o "It is helpful if you can review the verification process with a
machine shop as well."
o "If anything is unclear about the CAD geometry or the verification
steps, clarify these items with the shop before proceeding."
6. Successfully Implementing GD&T:
o "If you have successfully implemented GD&T standards, your
dimensioned part contains all the information required for it to be
manufactured to your specification."
o "The manufacturer should fully understand the manufacturing
constraints and design intent without further annotation or notes."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
Intro to GD&T for Machine Shops
1. Improving Existing Tolerancing Methods:
o "Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) practices build
upon and improve existing tolerancing methods."
2. Understanding GD&T Symbols:
o "While some symbols may be new and unfamiliar at first, learning
how to read GD&T notation will make it easier to understand how
much dimensional error can be tolerated before a part fails
inspection."
3. Benefits for Machine Operators:
o "With that knowledge, a machine operator can minimize cost and
maximize efficiency."
4. Learning Curve Involved:
o "There is some learning curve involved to begin using GD&T
notation."
5. Valuable Benefits:
o "The time invested to learn GD&T has valuable benefits in terms of
quality and efficiency for a shop."
6. Increasing Demand from Engineers:
o "Engineers will increasingly require their suppliers to use GD&T
notations."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
Interpreting GD&T in CAD Models
1. Steps for Understanding GD&T Notation:
o "Several simple steps will help you gain an understanding of the
meaning of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
notation."
o "A good place to start is by reviewing the geometric control
symbols and understanding the geometry they control."
o "Next, understanding the use of datum as reference points will help
with fixturing parts for manufacturing and verification."
o "Finally, it is important to understand how to read feature control
frames and interpret modifier symbols."
2. Resources for Learning GD&T:
o "There are many websites and reference guides that can serve as
useful in-depth resources for this information."
3. Difference Between GD&T and Traditional Plus/Minus Tolerancing:
o "When learning how to read GD&T symbols, it can be useful to
understand how they differ from traditional plus/minus
tolerancing."
4. Example of Traditional Plus/Minus Tolerancing:
o "In the simple example shown here, a 75 millimeter hole is
positioned in a plate."
o "The diameter of the hole can vary between 74 millimeters and 76
millimeters."
o "The position of the hole can vary between 99.5 and 100.5
millimeters in one direction and 109.5 and 110.5 millimeters in the
other direction."
o "This position variation creates a tolerance zone that is a one-
millimeter square."
o
5. Example of GD&T Tolerancing:
o "The same hole, when toleranced using GD&T rules, has a center
located exactly 100 millimeters from one side and 110 millimeters
from the other side of the plate."
o "However, the center of the physical hole can vary from the ideal
location anywhere within a one millimeter diameter zone."
o "In this example, the ideal position of the hole is represented by the
100 millimeter and 110 millimeter position dimensions, and the
tolerance of the hole position is defined by the feature control
frame."
o
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:29 PM
Understanding the Tolerance Limits of Your Shop
1. Factors Affecting Tolerance Limits:
o "There are a number of basic factors that will affect the tolerance
limits of your shop."
2. Machine Design Tolerances:
o "Any given piece of machinery, like a lathe, mill, or 3D printer, will
have a design tolerance specified by its manufacturer."
o "These tolerances are listed in the specifications or documentation
for that product."
o "This design tolerance will typically be the primary tolerance limit
for your shop."
3. Machine Setup and Maintenance:
o "Once you've purchased a machine, the setup, tuning, and
maintenance of that machine can impact how likely you are to
maintain the factory tolerance."
4. Verifying Tolerances:
o "It's important to check that parts are machined to the proper
tolerance specifications."
o "To verify the dimensions of a part, you need measuring tools that
have a greater precision than the tolerance being evaluated."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:30 PM
Communicating Your Tolerance Capabilities to Potential Customers
1. Understanding Machinery Capabilities:
o "Once you understand the capabilities of your machinery, you need
to decide what tolerances you want to offer as a standard service."
2. Challenges with High Tolerances:
o "Manufacturing parts with tolerances close to the limits of your
machine's capabilities may result in a greater number of rejected
parts."
o "It may also require more time-consuming work to verify that a part
meets the customer's specifications."
3. Charging for Higher Tolerances:
o "Ultimately, you may want to charge more for maintaining higher
tolerances."
4. Sharing Tolerance Information:
o "Once you decide what tolerances you want to offer to your
customers, listing that information on a website or in a design guide
will provide a quick and effective means to share your standard
tolerance information with your customers."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:37 PM
CAM vs. Reality
1. CAD Designs vs. Manufactured Parts:
o "CAD designs represent the ideal geometry of a part."
o "When that part is manufactured, the reality of machine physics
and material properties will impact how closely the manufactured
part matches the CAD design."
2. Role of CAM Software:
o "Computer-aided machining (CAM) software translates the CAD
design into instructions that can be sent to a CNC machine tool to
control how that machine fabricates a part."
o "These instructions correspond to a list of movements that the
machine will be commanded to make."
3. Tool Paths and Movements:
o "Although the surface of a physical object may form continuous
lines and curves, the tool paths generated by CAM software are
made up of a collection of points that the machine will move
through."
o "The more points used in a tool path, the smoother the profile of
the movement will be, but the slower the machine will move."
4. Trade-Off Between Speed and Precision:
o "This represents a trade-off between speed and precision."
5. Operator's Role in Tolerances:
o "Since the tool path and machine control instructions generated by
the CAM software may not incorporate information about expected
tolerances, it is up to the operator to understand how tool paths
and feed rates may impact the tolerances of the final manufactured
part."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:38 PM
CNC Limitations
1. Conflict Between Speed and Precision:
o"Speed and precision are frequently in conflict in manufacturing
processes."
o "Any movement requires acceleration, and accelerations generate
force. These forces cause machines to deflect, which reduces the
ability of a machine to maintain its manufacturing tolerance."
2. Deflections and Machine Types:
o "These deflections affect many types of machines, from 3D printers
to water jet cutters to CNC mills."
o "Any vibration in a machine, whether from motor energy or cutting
forces during machining, will add to these deflections."
3. Tool Wear in Subtractive Processes:
o "For subtractive processes like milling or turning, tool bits wear
over time."
o "CNC machines can compensate for tool wear up to a point, as long
as the tool bit is still effectively removing material."
4. Challenges with Temperature Changes:
o "It is much more difficult for CNC equipment to compensate for
uneven temperature changes of a part during manufacturing."
o "Heating, from things like cutting forces or 3D printer nozzles, can
cause parts to expand and deform."
o "Material may be removed or added in ways that violate dimension
tolerances."
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
7:38 PM
Verification and Validation of Final Part Specs
1. Simple Surface Verification with Dial Indicator:
o "For simple surfaces, geometric tolerances can sometimes be
evaluated with a dial indicator."
o Flatness Example: "The flatness of a surface can be indicated by
mounting a dial indicator above a surface plate and moving it
parallel to what the perfect surface should be, while the part is held
fixtured to that surface plate."
2. Challenges with Complex Parts:
o "This technique can prove difficult for more complex parts, so other
methods should be considered."
3. Go/No-Go Gauges for Tolerance Verification:
o "One of the most direct methods to verify the tolerance of a part is
through the fabrication and use of a go gauge or a no-go gauge."
o "The go/no-go gauge is designed to mate with the manufactured
part."
o "Any feature of the part that is outside the specified tolerance zone
will prevent mating with the gauge."
o "The gauge must be fabricated more precisely than the part being
evaluated, with gauge tolerances typically set to 10% of the
tolerance given for the part being evaluated."
4. Coordinate-Measuring Machine (CMM):
o "Another common method for verifying the geometry of a part is
the use of a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM)."
o "CMM devices are mounted on a rigid base and have an articulated
arm with a probe tip attached."
o "The probe tip is moved around the surface of the part, and the
coordinates of the probe tip are recorded."
o "These recorded points are compared against the ideal geometry of
the part."
"Any point coordinate outside the desired geometry more than the tolerance
specification allows will cause the part to be rejected."
