Patent ID: 8370118

Claim:
A casting tolerance proofing tool stored in a memory of a computer system, the computer system having a processor, the memory storing a CAD object of an apparatus to be manufactured with a casting process, the tool comprising: a criteria selector operable to prompt for and receive a type of casting process for the apparatus to be manufactured with; an extractor operable to determine a nominal dimension and a related tolerance from the CAD object; a rule module operable to obtain a first data value from the memory, the first obtained data value being based on the specified type of casting process, obtain a second data value from the memory, the second obtained data value being based on the specified type of casting process, obtain a function having a variable, determine a first threshold based on the function, the first obtained data value and the nominal dimension, the first threshold corresponding to a commercial tolerance threshold, and determine a second threshold based on the function, the second obtained data value, and the nominal dimension, the second threshold corresponding to a minimum tolerance threshold; a comparator operable to compare the tolerance with the first threshold and the second threshold; and a tagging module operable to tag the CAD object based on the comparisons.