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TEQ Training & Consulting GmbH | Dr.-Ing. Gunter Effenberger| October 2011

Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) – an

Incomplete Survey

Preface
Due to the hard work of ISO-TC 213 “Dimensional and geometrical product specifications and
verification”, a total of 33 (!) new or revised standards were adopted in 2010 and 2011. It seems like
you will need a navigation system to find your way through the maze of standards in order to reach
the standard applying to your individual situation. This article starts to give an overview and illustrates
some major changes in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. You have to face this topic against
the background of different capability indices including specification limits available in manufacturing
(creation of characteristics) and in quality inspections (conformity assessment). Product developers
and design engineers are even more affected by the field of geometrical product specifications. They
use these standards to evaluate whether component geometry meets all functional requirements
correctly. With the help of the information the standards provide, they avoid the risk of misinterpretation
and are able to assess parts independent of where they are manufactured or where quality evaluation
takes place.

General overview
The following diagram offers a first overview of the standards for geometric dimensioning and
tolerancing.

As the title of the new global standard ISO 8015 already indicates, it provides fundamental assumptions
for the reading of specifications on drawings. 13 principles help to relate the concept of the GPS
standard to a company’s individual drawings and define fundamental rules for the interpretation of
drawings. Some examples are that dimensions and tolerances are valid at 20°C, each workpiece is
rigid or the tolerances of single geometrical characteristics apply independently. The duality principle
brings together the specification of functional requirements, also referred to as specification operators,
and the definition of the measurement and thus evaluation of the function (verification operator). You
have to be acquainted with this global standard in order to understand the concept of geometrical
product specifications and their single elements.

Overview of dimensional tolerancing

Some standards describe different sizes, tolerance specifications and code systems for tolerances
(specific or unspecific to the respective manufacturing process) as the following diagram shows.

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Henceforth, sizes are defined as two-point sizes of cylinders, balls, cones and prisms with two parallel
opposite planes (ISO 14405-1). In addition to these local sizes spreading over the entire size of the
real workpiece, you may also agree upon and tolerate global sizes. They include least squares size,
minimum circumscribed size and maximum inscribed size. The term “tolerance zone” mentioned in
previous standards frequently referred to a two-dimensional tolerance field for fits but has now been
reduced to a one-dimensional tolerance interval (ISO 286-1). And from now on, even fits are generally
understood as two-point sizes.

Traditionally established general tolerances are grouped in classes according to manufacturing

accuracy. They facilitate the tolerancing process and thus lead to a clearly arranged graphic. The
interpretation of general tolerances is also based on a local two-point size provided that the respective
standard about general tolerances does not offer any particular specifications.

ISO 14405 part 2 has a rather unconventional name. What does “dimensions other than linear
sizes” mean? This standard tries to close a gap in the interpretation of centre distances, sizes with
non-opposite planes, angles and radiuses. It contains a collection of examples showing you how to
use geometric tolerancing to avoid ambiguities in the specification of function and verification in case
of dimensions other than linear sizes. Time will tell how convinced design engineers will be. One thing
is for sure: Complex dimensioning by plotting dimension lines, auxiliary lines and arrow head on a
drawing will be a thing of the past.

Overview of geometric tolerancing

Indications and symbols dimensioning form and location of geometrical characteristics have been
introduced for decades by means of tolerances of form and location. An overview of all standards
about form and location of geometrical characteristics is necessary since many industry-specific
standards support ISO 1101 as the following diagram shows.

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ISO 1101 specifies technical drawing indications for tolerances of form and location and defines the
tolerance zone including the characteristic tolerance value T the designer selects individually. Terms
and statistics for form features of general elements of a workpiece (straight lines, planes, circles
and cylinders) are defined in the respective part 1 of the listed 12xxx standards. These definitions
help you assess deviations. The components the complete specification operator (electrical filtering
conditions, type of touch probing, reference elements applied to quantify deviations) has to provide
for a reproducible quality inspection are given in the respective part 2 of the listed 12xxx standards.
All this information provides the basis for assessing form deviations and comparing it to the tolerance
value T.

This concept consisting of defined terms and statistics and necessary drawing indications (specification
operators) is not complete yet. You still have to add tolerances of location and combined tolerances
of form and location.

It is important to underline the meaning of the current standard for datums and datum systems
(ISO 5459). The target of technical product documentation is to create a clear system of reference
elements for each workpiece clarifying aspects such as function, manufacturing and inspection.
The standard provides important tools to describe datums or datum systems with considerably less
ambiguity than before.

However, all standards about general tolerances of form and location have the same flaw: They do
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not include the symbols of ISO 1101 and they are thus not able to limit the huge variety of different
tolerance combinations. These standards cannot even provide clear specifications for the selection
of datums. General tolerances are always a means to an end. They define the accuracy required on
the shop floor or in the manufacturing process and are thus a sheet anchor in order to assess obvious
deviations affecting functionality. Based on these standards, you are able to reject a workpiece and
keep the clarity of the drawing.

Overview of the relationship between size, form and location

Geometric tolerancing also looks back on a long history. It was characterized by terms such as
independency principle, envelope principle, maximum material principle and Taylor’s dimensional
analysis, as the last diagram shows.

The independency principle has been an internationally established approach for geometric tolerancing
since 1985. However, DIN 7167 was its most opposing standard, especially in Germany. Without
considering any specific drawing indication, the DIN standard defined the envelope requirements for
any element (cylinder, ball and two parallel plane surfaces) on a drawing. After the withdrawal of this
standard in November 2011, many engineering departments of German companies had no choice
but to act. The preface of ISO 14405-1 provides some information on how to handle this decisive
change in drawing practice.

The option to extend the tolerance range by applying the principles rooted in ISO 2692 and thus to
build reserves in manufacturing is only taken by some companies and most of them adopt a very
complex approach. The state of knowledge differs widely and many companies lack the courage
to authorize the gauging of size, form and location since it is opposed to drawing indications, even
though it is frequently used in practice.

Conclusion
The new standard filled the toolbox of unambiguous geometric tolerancing. This overview of available
options invites you to read some of the standards mentioned before or even to go into more detail in
order draw reasonable conclusions for their application in practice.

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TEQ Training & Consulting GmbH Interested in this topic?
Eisleber Str. 2 www.teq.de
69469 Weinheim / Germany Contact the author
+ 49 6201 3941-15 gunter.effenberger@teq.de

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TEQ Training & Consulting GmbH | Geometrical Product Specifications - an Incomplete Survey