Research in Tolerancing

This book provides an overview of current subjects and research areas in tolerance management, targeting researchers who are working in the field of tolerance management or who wish to enter this domain. Experts from different areas of tolerance management will provide insights into their research fields, highlighting both the current state of research and emerging challenges.

The book comprises four parts, which address different aspects of tolerance management. Part 1 is dedicated to the various interconnected tolerance management activities, the role of Key Characteristics, early tolerance management, and Robust Design. Part 2 deals with advanced tolerance analysis and tolerance synthesis methods, with a focus on tolerances in mechanisms as well as tolerance-cost optimization. In Part 3, tolerance analysis methods for non-geometrical Key Characteristics are presented, covering use cases such as rolling bearings and the validation of functional limiting positions. Finally, Part 4 deals with process- and operation-oriented tolerance management, taking a closer look at tolerance management in additive manufacturing, composite structures, and Tolerance Management 4.0. For the first time, tolerance management, its diverse subject areas, the current state of knowledge, and the upcoming challenges are brought together in such a holistic way in one edited volume. With this anthology, researchers and experts worldwide are able to gain deep insights into tolerance management and its various topics, as well as discover the most current aspects and methods of tolerancing research.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sandro Wartzack is full professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. After completing his studies in production engineering in 1994, he carried out research as a research assistant in virtual product development and was awarded a doctorate in 2000 with summa cum laude. In the subsequent industrial activity in the automotive industry, he held various management positions, most recently as head of simulation and knowledge management. In September 2009 he returned to the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg to the Chair of Engineering Design, which he has been heading ever since. His research focuses on the large field of Digital Product Development with emphasis on artificial intelligence in product development, design assistance systems, tolerance simulation and analysis with digital human models as well as machine elements and tribological coatings. Prof. Wartzack was a member of the board of directors of the Scientific Society for Product Development (WiGeP) from 2017-2023, and is an active member of the German Academy of Engineering Sciences (ACATECH) and a member of the board of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the fields of design, machine elements and product development. Furthermore, Prof. Wartzack is scientific editor of the trade journal Konstruktion, associate editor of the Design Science Journal and on the scientific committee of numerous scientific conferences.