A Portrait of an ISO STEP Tolerancing Standard as an Enabler of Smart Manufacturing Systems

TLDR

ISO 10303‑242, also known as STEP Application Protocol 242, is a new ISO standard that extends the STEP family to provide managed model‑based 3D engineering, including standardized tolerance models for product geometry. STEP AP 242 is intended to supply manufacturing enterprises with standardized information models that flow through a digital thread, thereby enabling smart manufacturing systems. This paper details how STEP AP 242’s tolerance‑handling capabilities support smart manufacturing by integrating product geometry tolerances into the digital thread and enabling system‑wide intelligence.

Abstract

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has just completed a major effort on a new standard ISO 10303-242 titled “Managed Model Based 3D Engineering.” It belongs to a family of standards called STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data). ISO 10303-242 is also called the STEP Application Protocol 242 (STEP AP 242, for short). The intent of STEP AP 242 is to support a manufacturing enterprise with a range of standardized information models that flow through a long and wide “digital thread” that makes the manufacturing systems in the enterprise smart. One such standardized information model is that of tolerances specified on a product’s geometry so that the product can be manufactured according to the specifications. This paper describes the attributes of smart manufacturing systems, the capabilities of STEP AP 242 in handling tolerance information associated with product geometry, and how these capabilities enable the manufacturing systems to be smart.