Dimensioning and Tolerancing

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Tolerancing

l No manufacturing process can produce parts with

exact dimensions
l Allowable variations or tolerances must be
specified by the designer, with two objectives:
– ensure fit and function
– minimize manufacturing cost

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Example - shaft in hole fit

l Shaft in hole fits are very common

l Both shaft and hole diameter vary
l Dimensions and tolerances must be specified to
guarantee the desired fit

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Shaft in Hole

Tolerance

Minimum
clearance

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Types of Fit

l Clearance fit
– largest shaft diameter is smaller than smallest hole
diameter
– there is always clearance
l Interference
– smallest shaft diameter is larger than largest hole
diameter
– there is always interference
l Transition
– there could be either interference or clearance

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Clearance Fits

l Loose running
– lots of play, where accuracy is not important
l Free running
– less play, good for moving parts
l Close running
– close fit for moving parts, high accuracy required

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Transition Fits

l Used to accurately locate parts during assembly

l Tradeoff between ease of assembly/disassembly
and accuracy of location
l Example: locating dowels or pins

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Interference Fits

l Used for force or press fits

l Results in permanent assembly without need for
fasteners or other joining operations
l High locational accuracy

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Multiple holes and shafts

l Often parts are assembled with multiple shafts

mating with multiple holes
l Examples?

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Objectives

l Close fit with no play and good locational

accuracy
l High probability of parts fitting despite variations
in dimensions

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Types of Variations

l Size tolerances on hole diameters

l Size tolerances on shaft diameters
l Positional tolerances on hole locations

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Example

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Must Fit in Worst Case

l Holes at minimum size

l Shafts (e.g. bolts) at maximum size
l Holes at minimum distance on one part
l Holes at maximum distance on the other part

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Worst Case
Maximum
Smallest
hole Minimum

Largest
CAD/CAM shaft © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN
 Geometric Dimensioning and
Tolerancing (GD&T)
l GD&T symbols specify additional tolerancing
information for 3D geometry
l Used in addition to standard +/- dimensioning
l Used properly, GD&T can allow looser tolerances
to minimize manufacturing cost

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Datums

l A datum is a plane, centerline or point used as a

reference starting point for dimensions
l Often flat faces of a part or centerlines of holes
are used as datums
l There can be several datums, labeled A, B, C,
etc.

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Maximum Material Condition (MMC)

l MMC is the condition where a feature has the

maximum volume or material
l For a hole, it is the smallest size
l For a shaft, it is the largest size

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Departure from MMC

l As a feature departs from MMC, it moves away

from the worst case
l This may permit tolerances on other dimensions
to be increased while still achieving fit
l For example, if the holes in the previous example
are larger than the minimum, the tolerance on the
spacing can be increased and the parts will still fit

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Geometric Controls

l Form controls
– compare feature to ideal geometry
l Orientation controls
– compare orientation of features to datums
l Location controls
– compare location to datums

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Form Controls

l Straightness
– compares a line or axis to a perfectly straight line
l Circularity
– compares a circular cross section to a perfect circle
l Flatness
– compares a flat surface to a perfect plane
l Cylindricity
– compares a cylindrical feature to a perfect cylinder
– includes axis straightness, circularity and taper

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Orientation Controls

l Parallelism
– a line or surface must be parallel to a datum
l Perpendicularity
– a line or surface must be perpendicular to a datum
l Angularity
– a line or surface must be at an angle to a datum
l Line profile and Surface profile
– line and surface profiles compare features to ideal
profiles

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Location Controls

l Concentricity
– controls deviation of concentric axes of cylindrical
elements
l Runout
– measures “wobble” in surface of cylindrical feature as it
is rotated about an axis
l Position
– Locates features relative to datums
– allows larger “bonus” tolerances as features depart from
MMC

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Feature Control Frames

l GD&T controls are added to drawings as feature

control frames, using standard symbols
l In I-DEAS, they are defined by completing a form

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 Tolerancing in I-DEAS

l Tolerances can be applied to constraints

l I-DEAS tolerance analysis uses variational
geometry to analyze the effect of tolerance stack-
up
l GD&T symbols can be applied as annotations in
modelling mode
l Annotations are automatically included in
drawings

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 FRONT RIGHT ISO

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN

 C
4 X R 25
C

l M
2 X Ø 24
Ø 0.3 A B D
R 40

lØ 39 X 50
Ø 0.3
`
M A B C
D

75
62.5 45°

VIEWA 35

A
SECTIONC-C
15 125
15
25 B
A

90
l M
2 X Ø 24
Ø 0.3 B A D
65

25 DETAIL B 37.5 C
200
B
1:2.50 75

CAD/CAM © Ir. ZAMBRI HARUN