A03 · Reference edition 2026.11
Locators and supports — Comparison and alternatives
A locator establishes a reference; a support resists movement under a load. One component can perform both roles, but its role must be recorded.
Scope and purpose
Compare alternatives using the same question and context. A difference in wording, layout or scale is not automatically a difference in performance. Keep the original observations available and explain which differences are meaningful for this comparison.
Working notes
This reference collection concerns light, offline dimensional-inspection layouts. It brings locating concepts, component descriptions and revision records together without substituting for an engineered fixture design. The drawings are original explanatory diagrams. Reference IDs identify documents, not commercially tested products. Read the scope and limitations alongside each example, and keep the actual part drawing and inspection requirements available when reviewing a proposed layout.
Practical example
Show the contact normal and the intended direction of restraint separately in the layout.
| Reference record | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| A03 | Locators and supports |
| Scope and purpose | A locator establishes a reference; a support resists movement under a load. One component can perform both roles, but its role must be recorded. |
| Limits and interpretation | Do not infer the number of restrained degrees of freedom from the number of components. |
Review checklist
State the comparison question; align context and labels; list common features separately from differences; leave unsupported conclusions open.