When measuring accuracy becomes a science.
Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, or GD&T for short, is a symbolic language that’s used by engineers and world-class manufacturers to control and articulate variances in a finished product from that of the CAD model design.
Manufactured items often differ at least minutely in size and dimensions from the original model due to variations in the manufacturing processes and even atmospheric conditions; provided these are undecipherable then they are irrelevant; however, if there’s a variation that impacts performance, structure, or useability then, of course, it becomes a huge issue.
There are several standards available worldwide that describe the symbols and define the rules used in GD&T, with specialist auto plastic injectionmolding manufacturers such as European-based NS KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK - CZ opting to follow the global ISO standard.
Understanding the GD&T terminology, as well as learning the best application techniques is key to obtaining the best-quality manufactured parts. The system spans the measurements across five key areas and sets out the margin for error, or variance for each step. This critical information can then be used across the steps of production to ensure that exceptional quality is continually delivered.
The five key areas include Form controls which specify the shape of features, things like straightness or circularity which are quite straightforward to measure; Profile controls describe the three-dimensional tolerance zone around a surface and Location control measures symmetry for example. Orientation and Runout control complement the set.
Certified by the Lloyd's Register of Quality Assurance, and holders of the ISO 9001 certificate for over 15 years, adding ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001:2015 in the past decade, NS-K are true advocates of GD&T, and delivering outstanding quality across every aspect of their production.
If you’re in the world of automotive, get in touch to learn more about how you too can guarantee to receive perfect quality parts for every single order sales@ns-k.cz.
