Design-for-Tolerancing

This is one of OSE tenets - designing for allowing for maximum tolerances without diminishing performance.

Tolerance in design - [1]

Principles

1. Tolerancing is the Precision and Accuracy with which parts are built to allow for parts fit in assembly, to guarantee the desired function.
2. Tolerancing depends on the tradeoff between manufacturability and functionality. The more precise and accurate the build, the higher the cost. The more precise and accurate a build - it may or may not achieve better functionality. There is a sweet spot where there is sufficient accuracy/precision, beyond which no performance improvement is achieved. Thus - effective design seeks to minimize cost and maximize performance. Effective production is achieved by having sufficient accuracy/precision (let's call it quality), but not excessive - as that is just a waste of effort and money.
3. Tolerence requirement can be designed into the product being built - and when extensive effort is given to designing for lower tolerances - ease of build can increase and cost can decrease dramatically. That is what we have achieved in OSE's methods of Extreme Manufacturing
4. Design for tolerancing is the art of designing for the minimum accuracy/precision requirements - without decreasing performance. This means retaining Robustness. This is not the same as Value Engineering]
5. Design for Tolerancing depends completely on the function and purpose of the design in question.