Inspecting a Prismatic Part

A number of instruments have the right amount of sensitivity required to inspect most prismatic parts, but a CMM is often the most accurate. Inspection starts by measuring each size dimension in two ways: the cross-sectional dimension, or actual local size, and, sometimes, the actual mating envelope (AME). Prismatic parts are also routinely inspected for certain geometric tolerances, including straightness, flatness, profile of a line, profile of a surface, angularity, perpendicularity, parallelism, and position. The ways in which a part must be inspected is based largely upon its shape, so proper inspection of a prismatic part requires an understanding of its basic dimensions and tolerances. After taking this class, users will be able to describe best practices for inspecting the complete layout of a prismatic part.