DesignIssuesinMechanicalToleranceAnalysis.docVIP

Design Issues in Mechanical Tolerance Analysis ADCATS Report No. 87-5 Reprinted from Manufacturing Review, ASME, vol 1, no 1, Mar. 1988, pp. 50-59 K. W. Chase Mechanical Engineering Department Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602 W. H. Greenwood Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, NM 87185 October 26, 1987 ABSTRACT Tolerance analysis is a valuable tool for reducing manufacturing costs by improving producibility. Several useful methods of selecting design tolerances are presented with examples. The common and more advanced tolerance analysis methods are also reviewed and evaluated. A simple new tolerance analysis model suitable for designers is described as an alternative to the advanced methods. It is much more flexible than the common engineering methods. For example, it can mix statistical and worst case components in the same assembly. Also, it includes a critical manufacturing variable that is often overlooked: nominal shifts or biased distributions. 1. Manufacturing Considerations in Engineering Design. The wise specification of dimensional tolerances for manufactured parts is becoming recognized by industry as a key element in their efforts to increase productivity. Modest efforts in this area can yield significant cost savings with little capital investment. It is a prime example of the success that results from including manufacturing considerations early in the design process. Both engineering design and manufacturing personnel are concerned with the magnitude of tolerances specified on engineering drawings, as shown in figure 1. Fig. 1. Assignment of tolerances concerns both Engineering and Manufacturing Engineers know that tolerance stacking or accumulation in assemblies controls the critical clearances and interferences in a design, such as lubrication paths or bearing mounts, and thus affects performance. Production people know that tight tolerances increase the cost of production. Tolerances also greatly influence the selection of pr