ASME Y14.41 is a standard published by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) which establishes requirements and reference documents applicable to the preparation and revision of digital product definition data (also known as

model-based definition Model-based definition (MBD), sometimes called digital product definition (DPD), is the practice of using 3D models (such as solid models, 3D PMI and associated metadata) within 3D CAD software to define (provide specifications for) individual ...

), which pertains to CAD software and those who use CAD software to create the product definition within the 3D model. ASME issued the first version of this industrial standard on Aug 15, 2003 as ASME Y14.41-2003. It was immediately adopted by several industrial organizations, as well as the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

(DOD). The latest revision of ASME Y14.41 was issued on Jan 23, 2019 as ASME Y14.41-2019.

History and purpose

ASME Y14.41 was born of the need to utilize Computer-aided design (CAD) data as a manufacturing and/or inspection source. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, solid modeling and CAD were becoming important tools for engineers looking to create and define increasingly complex

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ...

. For example,

ergonomic Human factors and ergonomics (commonly referred to as human factors) is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. Four primary goals of human factors learnin ...

and

aerodynamic Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

contoured surfaces were extremely difficult to define on

engineering drawings An engineering drawing is a type of technical drawing that is used to convey information about an object. A common use is to specify the geometry necessary for the construction of a component and is called a detail drawing. Usually, a number o ...

. In response to requests from various segments of the industry, a new subcommittee began development of the standard in 1998. Since various companies in industries including aerospace, automotive, agricultural, and heavy equipment had already begun utilizing the CAD data for industrial purposes without a standard, several definitions needed to be established as the universal interpretation. The standard was written to be independent of any specific CAD software implementation. ASME Y14.41 served the basis for the international standard ''

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

16792:2006 Technical product documentation — Digital product definition data practices''. Both standards focus on the presentation of Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) together with the geometry of the product. The material in the 2012 revision was reorganized to locate all of the information on a topic together in the text. This allows the reader to find all of the requirements for a functional area in one location. In addition, ASME Y14.41 was revised to incorporate changes based on the needs of industry and to reflect changes made to "ASME Y14.5-2009 Dimensioning and Tolerancing". A definition of data set classifications was developed to describe the combinations of model and drawing graphics sheets that might be required by a customer. This material is being included in "ASME Y14.100 Engineering Drawing Practices", as it has broader applicability than is appropriate for ASME Y14.41.

Methods

The standard addresses how to organize and present product definition data using CAD based data. Two methods are described.

Annotated Model Method

These portions cover the practices, requirements, and interpretation of the CAD data when there is no engineering drawing graphic sheet. All design requirements are indicated in 3D space and are associated to the model geometry.

Model and Drawing Graphic Sheet Method

These portions cover cases when both a CAD model and an engineering drawing graphic sheet are both used. Design requirements generally are indicated on the drawing graphic sheet. Refer to data set classifications in ASME Y14.100.

Intended use

The ASME Y14.41 Standard is for any company with

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

, or inspection practices that contain or utilize CAD data. If a company designs or creates mock-ups in 3D, then ASME Y14.41 is the standard of choice for universal interpretation and industrial practices. If a company employs CAD, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) or

computer-aided inspection Computer-aided inspection (CAI) is the use of software tools to assess manufactured objects. It is closely related to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Its primary purpose is to allow engineers to more quickly and ...

(CAI), such as coordinate measuring machine (CMM) inspection, then ASME Y14.41 is the standard of choice for universal interpretation and industrial practices.

References

External links

ASME
Website for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

A workshop teaching the ASME Y14.41-2003 Standard on Digital Product Definition Data Practices

Where to purchase the standard
Math-Based Development Processes and Y14.41
An article in ETImail: Online GD&T Newsletter from ETI
NIST MBE PMI Validation and Conformance Testing Project
Tests implementations of GD&T in CAD software {{ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers Technical drawing ASME standards Computer-aided design