FUNCTIONAL TOLERANCING - A DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING METHODOLOGY

The problem addressed in this paper is the development of a physico-ma thematical basis for mechanical tolerances. The lack of such a basis h as fostered a decoupling of design (function) and manufacturing. The g roundwork for a tolerancing methodology is laid by a model of profile errors, whose components are justified by physical reasoning and estim ated using mathematical tools. The methodology is then presented as an evolutionary procedure that harnesses the various tools, as required, to analyze profiles in terms of a minimum set of profile parameters a nd to re-generate them from the parameters. This equips the designer w ith a rational means for estimating performance prior to manufacturing , hence integrating design and manufacturing. The utility of the funct ional tolerancing methodology is demonstrated with performance simulat ions of a lathe-head-stock design, focusing on gear transmission with synthesized errors.