ABSTRACT
Parts are not ideal. Designers and machinists cope with variation in part shape by specifying tolerance zones around a nominal part geometry: all parts that fit within the zone form a tolerance class. In this paper we consider the issue of shape tolerance in two contexts. First, we consider the problem of feeding (orienting) convex polygonal parts on a conveyor belt with a partspecific sequence of fence angles /4]· Second, we con sider the problem of fixturing convex polygonal parts using a right angle fixture and one clamp [15]. The challenge is to define appropriate tolerance classes and to argue that a solution - a feeding strategy or a fixture - is guaranteed for all parts in the tolerance class.
