Engineer Essentials

What’s the difference between Circularity and Cylindricity?

Both are form controls, but while Circularity controls individual cross sections of a feature, Cylindricity is a 3D tolerance that controls the overall form of a cylindrical feature.

What does the Cylindricity tolerance zone look like? How is it inspected? And when would you use Cylindricity instead of Circularity?

Jason has been working behind the scenes, refreshing our GD&T Symbols pages to add even more helpful content. Learn all about cylindricity here:
https://hubs.la/Q04xGFlb0

No CAD model, no chill

Have you visited our GD&T Symbols pages lately?

Jason has been working behind the scenes to make these resources even more helpful by adding more examples, improving visuals, and linking related content.

This week’s featured symbol: Circularity
The circularity symbol is used to describe how close any given cross section of a feature should be to a true circle. So, how is it actually applied on an engineering drawing? What does the tolerance zone look like? How is it inspected?

Check out our refreshed Circularity page to learn more, see examples, and better understand how this symbol is used.
👉 https://hubs.la/Q04xzMyg0

Some GD&T callouts just hit different in the shop. 😂 Which one gets the biggest reaction from your machinists?

Thinking about getting ASME GD&T certified? With the new 2018 GDTP exams now available, you may be wondering which exam is right for you.

We’ve updated our ASME GD&T Exam Certification Guide to help you navigate your options and understand what’s changed.

In the updated guide, we cover:
• The differences between the 2009 and 2018 exams
• The Technologist and Senior certification levels
• How to determine which exam best fits your experience and goals

Not sure which exam to take? Start here.
https://hubs.la/Q04x8NJR0

You know what the GD&T symbols mean and can read GD&T drawings. But can you take a 3D model and turn it into a drawing that works?

Knowing GD&T is one thing, but knowing how to use it to design real parts is another.

Our GD&T Design course bridges this gap. It teaches you how to run tolerance stack-up calculations and assign tolerances that reflect how your part actually functions. You'll learn to select datums, dimensions, and tolerances based on real manufacturing and assembly conditions, including the stack-up math needed to keep mating parts fitting together every time.

GD&T Design walks you through a practical, end-to-end design process, taking you from interpretation to decision-making.

Our online GD&T Design course is now live. Start learning today!
https://hubs.la/Q04xp1p30

We’re guessing a few of you have stories about this one. 👀
What’s the biggest GD&T misunderstanding you’ve encountered with a supplier?

Tom and Brandon just wrapped their session at the International Manufacturing Technology Show— "Inspection Isn't the Villain" — and the room was full of people who clearly had thoughts on this topic. (Good ones.)

The big takeaway: most inspection problems are actually design problems showing up downstream. And fixing them doesn't require more inspection training — it’s about better communication upstream.

If you missed it and want the cliff notes, drop a comment or DM us—we’re happy to share the key points.

Thanks to everyone who showed up. We’re at Booth 134034 through Saturday if you want to continue the conversation.

TOMORROW. 11am. Room W192-C.

Tom and Brandon are making the case that inspection isn't the villain—that most problems start long before inspection ever gets involved. They’ll also share practical ways to fix them.

“Inspection Isn't the Villain: Why Inspection Gets Blamed—and Where Problems Really Start”
📅 Thursday, September 17
🕚 11:00–11:55 AM
📍 Room W192-C | McCormick Place, Chicago

If you're at the International Manufacturing Technology Show, come hang. It's going to be a good one.

You can also find us all week at Booth 134034, East Building Level 3.

Basic dimensions are essential to GD&T, but they sometimes cause confusion when it comes to inspection.
Check out this video to understand their purpose, whey they are NOT recorded on an inspection report, and what should be documented instead.
https://hubs.la/Q04wKrwl0