A graphical approach to assembly tolerance stack analysis: the 'Quickie GDT' method

More industries are now aware of the importance of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GDT) to their product design. The conventional method of tolerance stack analysis for GDT is tedious and time consuming. This paper presents an elegant approach by using a 'Quickie' technique of tolerance stack analysis for GDT. The proposed approach has the potential to reduce significantly the amount of work required, and computerisation is promising. Two examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the method. The 'Quickie GDT' method is applicable to all geometric characteristics. However, due to the different treatment in the various families of geometric characteristics, this paper describes the 'Quickie GDT' approach for analysing form and orientation tolerances. As for the other geometric tolerances, examples are also included in the appendices.