Challenges to develop a robust dimensional tolerancing management process in the automotive industry

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing is a language used to describe and communicate the feature dimensional variations permitted according to the product design. The product development engineering team defines not only the tolerance, but also the symbols to be used in the dimensional specification of each component, inside the feature control frame. Every year, it becomes much more complex to define the dimensional tolerance and symbols for each feature. Failures in product specification may impact on the cost of production or require changes to the product after the launch. This paper aims to describe the challenges to develop a robust process for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, within a knowledge management approach. Furthermore, a survey is presented about the dynamics of knowledge, confidence level and application of the current tolerancing process in the automotive industry.