Clearances Assessment in the Volkswagen Crafter Chassis by Means of the 3D Scan

In mechanical design, tolerance stack-up has a fundamental role to ensure mechanical coupling among assembly components. To avoid interferences, gaps between connected parts are introduced since the design phase, to compensate for possible dimensional variations. The present study aims to assess clearances in the Volkswagen Crafter chassis, by comparing the CAD model to the 3D reconstruction of the real van, obtained by means of 3D scanning. This activity has been carried out within SMART AMBULANCE project (POR FESR Toscana call), which has as its goal the realization of an advanced ambulance by implying smart technologies. Clearance analysis was performed before proceeding with the design of the interior setup of the ambulance medical compartment, since even small deviations may compromise the assembly of the covering panels. The analysis was useful not only to evaluate deviations between ideal and real geometry, but also to identify the locations of the gaps.