GD&T Inspection

A practical course bridging the gap between drawing requirements and effective inspection practices.

The GD&T Inspection course provides a practical understanding of inspection considerations based on the drawing requirements. It focuses on real-world applications, bridging manual inspection methods with digital equipment such as CMM inspections. Participants will learn the GD&T inspection mindset - how to simulate part setups, measure parts using metrology equipment, and report inspection results.

And, GD&T Inspection isn't just for inspectors; it's designed for anyone involved in the lifecycle of a manufactured part. Understanding how a part is inspected is critical for making the right decisions as a machinist, design engineer, or manager.

Flexible Learning Options

Learn however is most convenient for you

Online Course

Self-paced learning with quizzes and on-demand videos – great for individuals or teams

Take the Course Online

Public Training

Live instructor-led public learning – in-person or virtually through live video conferencing

Join a Public Class

Custom Company Training

Customized training for your company – on-site at your facility or virtually through live video

Train Your Team

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Perform the GD&T inspection process; setup, measure, & report
Understand reality of metrology and measurement uncertainty
Recognize essential manual tools for inspection
Check size dimensions according to standards
Learn how to physically setup and simulate part datum features
Analyze inspection results and compare to drawing requirements
Measure and calculate bonus tolerance based on size and position
Apply standardized reporting methods for both CMM and manual results
Transition from physical setups to digital setups using CMM

Who it is for

Those involved in the inspection process, including:

CMM Programmers
Quality Assurance Professionals
Inspection Planners
Machinists
New Quality Hires
Supplier/Customer Quality

Additionally, this course is designed for those outside of the measurement process who impact the part inspection, including:

Design Engineers
Gage Designers
Tooling Engineers
Managers
Manufacturing Engineers
Quoting/Sales Personnel

Pre-Requisites

Participants should have a basic understanding of print reading and must have completed GD&T Fundamentals (or equivalent) as a prerequisite. This course focuses on inspection techniques and builds upon the students’ existing fundamental understanding of GD&T concepts.

Explore the GD&T Inspection Course Content

Our GD&T Inspection course provides a practical understanding of inspection considerations based on drawing requirements

Section 1: Course Introduction

Course overview, goals, and course objectives.

Section 2: Inspection Mindset

Considerations for measurement uncertainty and the decision process for specification conformance.

Section 3: Metrology Equipment

Understanding & uses for common hand-tools, gaging, and an introduction to CMMs and other digital equipment.

Section 4: Measuring Size and Rule #1

How to use hand tools to inspect local sizes and translating to CMM inspections for sizes and envelopes.

Section 5: Datum Simulation

Review of datums, and how to set up datums for both manual and CMM use.

Section 6: Datum Reference Frames

Review of DRFs and the set up requirements for the DRF of an entire part.

Section 7: Feature Inspection Framework

3 step, easy to follow process for inspecting any feature control frame.

Section 8: Position Control

Setup, inspection and reporting of cylindrical features, width features, bolt hole patterns, coaxial diameters, & tapped holes.

Section 9: Material Modifiers

Determine conformance with bonus tolerance from MMC modifier & LMC modifier.

Section 10: Profile Controls

Setup, inspection and reporting of all different types of surfaces and how to correctly report profile measurement.

Section 11: Orientation Controls

Set up, inspection, and reporting of perpendicularity, parallelism, and angularity for surfaces and FOS.

Section 12: Form Controls

Set up, inspection, and reporting for flatness, straightness, circularity and cylindricity.

Section 13: Runout Controls

Set up, inspection, and reporting for circular runout and total runout.

Section 14: Concentricity and Symmetry

Set up, inspection, and reporting for concentricity and symmetry.

Section 15: Full Inspection Example

Discuss considerations for inspection plans.
Applying characteristic identifiers to a drawing (balloons).
Creating inspection report for drawing based on inspection plan.
Inspect & report values for FOS with rule #1.
Inspect datum features with geometric controls.
Set up, inspect, and report position, profile of a surface & various controls.

Watch a Sample Lesson from the Online Course

Feedback from Our GD&T Inspection Trainings

Aaron R.

Test Technician I

Kevin R.

Sr. Quality Engineer

Robert S.

QC Inspection / Team Member II

Austin F.

Technical Learning Specialist II

Dennis H.

QC / Technician II

Eric S.

Quality Inspector

GD&T Inspection Course - FAQs

Why do I need the GD&T Fundamentals prerequisite before taking the GD&T Inspection course?

The GD&T Inspection course expands upon the concepts taught in the GD&T Fundamentals course, and explores the translation of GD&T interpretation into tangible physical inspections. Understanding how to interpret GD&T (covered in Fundamentals) is crucial; without it, inspecting GD&T becomes challenging. It's essential to first understand the requirements indicated by GD&T callouts on the drawing to effectively evaluate if a part meets those specifications.
How does this course differ from the GD&T Fundamentals course?

While the Fundamentals course explores the "what & why" of GD&T, the GD&T Inspection course focuses on the real-world "how" from an inspector's perspective. The act of interpreting GD&T significantly differs from the inspection of GD&T. Techniques related to inspection methods and reporting criteria are not taught in Fundamentals.
Is the course content updated to reflect the latest industry standards and practices?

The course is structured based on the ASME Y14.45 Measurement Data Reporting standard, with an objective to provide a standardized procedure for reporting a feature's compliance. However, as stated in our GD&T Fundamentals course, the interpretation of the fundamentals of GD&T remains the same, regardless of the chosen standard (ISO or ASME). Equally important is the fact that none of these standards dictate HOW we verify that a part meets the specifications of GD&T. Part conformance is left up to the professional’s discretion and the processes they choose.
Are there any hands-on exercises, simulations, or real-world examples included in the course?

Our lessons utilize real world drawing examples and have high quality animations, graphics, and videos of metrology equipment and setups to give a very real world experience that you can take back to your job the very next day.
What kind of support is available beyond course completion?

All of our live instructor training programs come with direct instructor support – access to our email support provides tailored answers directly from our professional certified GD&T instructors. Additionally, all users will receive 90-day access to our online platform – including our bonus learning content. You’ll receive access to our library of previously recorded webinars and bonus video content.
How does the course content translate to real-world application? Will it be relevant to my current job or future career?

This course equips learners with bare minimum requirements to check a feature to see if it meets the GD&T requirements using common hand tools. We then expand upon that and help the students to extrapolate that to more applicable scenarios that learners encounter during their daily inspections. The experience gained in comprehending how manual inspections verify specifications empowers students to easily transition to other inspection procedures for any given part or feature.