TPM ENGINEERING SNAPSHOT · Nº 06

READ A FEATURE CONTROL FRAME

Every GD&T callout answers five questions — left to right, in ten seconds.

True Precision Machining

The callout — position of a hole

Ø0.010 at MMC · datums A | B | C

Ø
0.010
M
A
B
C
1 WHAT'S CONTROLLED ⌖ = true position
2 ZONE SHAPE Ø = cylindrical
3 ZONE SIZE total zone — not ±
4 MODIFIER Ⓜ = at MMC
5 PRIMARY DATUM seats · 3 DOF
6 SECONDARY DATUM aligns · 2 DOF
7 TERTIARY DATUM stops · 1 DOF

READS: this hole's axis must sit inside a Ø0.010 cylindrical zone at true position — the zone grows as the hole departs MMC — located from datum A, then B, then C.

The five questions

  • What feature is controlled? The symbol. ⌖ = the position of this hole's axis.
  • What shape is the zone? Ø = a cylindrical zone centered on true position.
  • How big is the zone? 0.010 total across the zone — not ±0.010.
  • Any bonus tolerance? Ⓜ = yes. The zone grows as the hole departs MMC.
  • Measured from what? Datums A, then B, then C — the order matters.

The 14 symbols

ASME Y14.5 · 12 current + 2 legacy

Straightness
Flatness
Circularity (roundness)
Cylindricity
Parallelism
Perpendicularity
Angularity
Position (true position)
Concentricity WITHDRAWN 2018
Symmetry WITHDRAWN 2018
Circular runout
↗↗ Total runout
Profile of a line
Profile of a surface

Withdrawn ≠ gone: legacy prints still carry them; we still inspect them. On new drawings: concentricity → position or runout, symmetry → position.