A comparison of the tolerance analysis methods in the open-loop assembly

Dimensional and geometric tolerances affect both the cost and the functionali‐ ty of a given product. Finding the acceptable trade‐off between the two is among the common engineering tasks. Thus, many tolerance analysis meth‐ ods are developed to help engineers and assist in the decision‐making pro‐ cess. In this article, the authors have assessed four tolerance analysis methods by applying them to the open‐loop assembly. The results obtained by the tolerance chart (worst‐case) method, Monte‐Carlo simulation, vector‐loop analysis, and the Unified Jacobian‐torsor model were analysed and compared. Additionally, the overview and application guidelines are included for each of the methods, aiming to help both researchers and practitioners. The results have confirmed that there are significant variations in the outputs across the observed methods, implying the need for informed method selection. © 2020 CPE, University of Maribor. All rights reserved.