3 ms·

The stated tolerances of typical manufacturing processes seem to be off by at least an order of magnitude. Not that it does make sense to give a tolerance numbe

• adrian_b 2y ago
  Off in what direction? A tolerance of 1/8 millimeter (5 mils) can certainly be achieved by CNC machining, but not always by the cheapest tools. You mean that it is easy to achieve much smaller tolerances than this by CNC machining? Googling for "CNC machining tolerances" finds at first hit a guide that says "For CNC machining, the standard tolerance limit is set around +/-.005” (0.127 mm)." The next hits show the same 5 mils standard tolerance, but they also mention the availability of better tolerances, like 2 mils or even less, but at higher costs and subject to various constraints on the features to which they are applicable. So it appears that the tolerance written in the article is indeed typical, as claimed.
  • rmu09 2y ago
    The discussion is somewhat moot, what did bug me is that the article claims those are typical tolerances inherent in the machining / wire edm / molding processes whereas it just may be the tolerance that is applied if nothing else is agreed upon. You can achieve much tighter tolerances if needed, even in mass-produced stuff like LEGO bricks, plastic lenses, iphone / macbook cases, PCBs, etc...