Design

Sigmetrix launches EZtol: New 1D tolerance stackup analysis software democratizes GD&T

Sigmetrix is an engineering software and services provider with world-leading expertise in GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) and mechanical variation. Its flagship product, CETOL 6σ, is tolerance analysis software that gives product development teams the insight required to confidently release designs to manufacturing. Through precise calculation of surface sensitivities, the software identifies those dimensions in a product assembly that are critical to quality. Using advanced mathematical techniques and algorithms, CETOL 6σ accelerates optimization to achieve robust designs ready for manufacturing.

Now Sigmetrix is expanding its software product portfolio with EZtol, a new 1D software solution designed to let designers and engineers quickly understand the impact of part and assembly variation on fit and performance of their product designs.

EZtol user interface.

1D tolerance analysis application aimed at engineers currently using often unrevealing hand or spreadsheet calculations

Why introduce a 1D analysis application when CETOL 6σ is a more robust tool, capable of predicting the impact of complex 3D interactions that occur in production? Because, Sigmetrix explains, engineers often use hand calculations or spreadsheets to conduct tolerance stackup analyses, but unless they are specifically considering complex interactions such as rotation of surfaces, those manual calculations may fail to fully account for all the variation that can occur in the design’s critical functional requirements.

EZtol not only performs those 1D stackup analyses far more efficiently than manual methods, but can also detect many scenarios where 1D treatment may be insufficient. When such scenarios are identified, a caution symbol appears on the software’s results row, as well as a note that warns the calculated 1D results may underestimate the actual variation that the design will undergo during production. Users can then decide whether or not to use a more advanced tool such as CETOL 6σ to get a better understanding of how the design will actually behave. No other solution available today combines EZtol’s ease of use with visual indication of the limitations of 1D treatment of the tolerance stackup, according to Sigmetrix.

“We are delighted to be able to expand our software offerings to include EZtol” said Sigmetrix president and CEO Chris Wilkes. “We are recognized globally for providing tolerance analysis and GD&T software solutions as well as industry-leading training and consulting services, and this really rounds out our product portfolio. EZtol really bridges the gap between manual tolerance stackups and an advanced tool like CETOL 6σ quite nicely.”

Key capabilities

EZtol has been designed to make it easier to create, manage and report upon multiple 1D tolerance analyses in an assembly. It works with files from most major CAD systems, without having to utilize a CAD license to work with those models.

More capabilities:

  • Builds the analysis on top of the 3D design model:
    • Uses the actual nominal distances between surfaces/features from the design.
    • Helps to ensure all components in the loop are included.
    • Shows the optimum dimensioning scheme for the single analysis.
  • Automatically calculates the worst-case, RSS and statistical results of the analysis. Metrics for statistical results can be reported as Cpk, Sigma, DPMO or % Yield.
  • Lists of contributors sorted from largest to smallest.
  • Defines multiple tolerance stackup analyses on the same model.
  • Provides a summary table showing the objectives and results of each stackup analysis along with a visual indication of whether the requirement has been met.
  • Stores the dimensions, with tolerances, defined for each part so that the user doesn’t have to re-enter them for each loop. This also allows automatic updating of all analyses when a user modifies a tolerance used in multiple analyses.
  • Generates a detailed report with graphical view of the dimension loop over the models involved, and a graphical presentation of results and the top contributors.
  • Provides an indication that the tolerance stackup may not be 1D in nature, including a note that the results provided may underestimate the actual variation that will occur during production.

EZtol will be released May 1, 2017, and will be available as a monthly or annual subscription at www.eztol.com.

Prospective users can download a free early preview now to review and provide feedback at http://www.eztol.com/buy-now/.