Tighter tolerances can sound like better engineering. But tighter isn’t automatically better.
Every dimension on a part serves a purpose. When tolerances are significantly tighter than the application actually requires, they can increase manufacturing complexity, inspection requirements, scrap risk and cost without delivering a meaningful performance benefit.
That can be especially important with composite components, where the material and manufacturing process behave differently than machined metal. Applying familiar tolerances without considering the process can create unnecessary challenges.
The better question isn’t, “How tight can we make this?” It’s, “How tight does this feature need to be for the part to function as intended?”
At GP&C, our engineers work with customers to evaluate part requirements alongside the realities of the manufacturing process. If you’re developing or refining a component, contact our team to discuss where tolerances matter most and where there may be room to simplify.
