This website and blog naturally focus on GD&T, but it’s a good time to discuss the importance of simple print-reading skills as a prerequisite to learning GD&T. As I travel around teaching classes on GD&T, you’d be surprised how many people don’t fully understand some of the simple rules of drafting, view layouts, and notation […]
Out there in the GD&T world, there is often confusion about parts that have irregular shape. We are told that the theory of GD&T requires datums to be 90º to one another. Sure, that’s great in a textbook where the examples are nice, rectangular, flat plates! But what about those other shapes?
It’s actually very easy. […]
In a GD&T class, I often talk about (and sketch) how a sample part can be held in a fixture — this helps people understand the concept of datums, particularly if datum targets are involved.
This does not imply that an inspector must use a customized fixture to check a part. I refer […]
When I teach a GD&T class, I have to presume that eveyone is “green” about the topic. Even if some folks have been using GD&T regularly, I find it best to start from the beginning. This ensures that everyone is on the same page, and it sets the stage for presenting the various GD&T topics […]
Nobody has to tell you that training is a valuable tool to help improve your skills and that of an entire group. But so often, a desire to implement training is thwarted by roadblocks. These roadblocks come in different forms. Here are a few, and ways to avoid or work around them:
“We don’t have time.” […]
In the geometric tolerancing system, basic dimensions are used to override general tolerances (sometimes called title block tolerances). But let’s investigate these general tolerances a little more closely. A sample tolerance block is shown below, as taken from a drawing using metric (millimeters). First, notice that the tolerance allowed depends on the number of digits […]
Instead of discussing some technical point this time, let’s take a brief look back at the history of GD&T. Some people may think that GD&T is “just the latest fad” (I actually heard someone refer to it that way) and therefore they are implying that it’s not worth learning, since it may soon go away. […]
SAE International (the Society of Automotive Engineers) has recently announced its winners for this year’s awards, and among them is John-Paul Belanger, from Geometric Learning Systems. Mr. Belanger is receiving the Forest R. McFarland Award for outstanding contributions toward the work of the SAE Engineering Meetings Board in the planning, development, and dissemination of technical […]
Here’s an interesting tolerance question: Have you ever seen a plus/plus tolerance? (or minus/minus?) The ASME standard does not mention this, so a purist would say that it is illegal (see paragraphs 2.2 and 2.3 of the Y14.5 standard). But I’ve seen examples such as a hole dimensioned with:
The real problem is that, with a casual glance, you […]
