Datum Target(s)
In GD&T, a datum target may be used to specify a point, line, or area on a part to
establish a datum. This is sometimes necessary when a part feature is too large or
naturally irregular to create a datum. Parts that are cast, forged, or molded often
benefit from the use of datum targets.
In cases where a surface will be used to establish a datum, the designer may
designate either points or areas of contact on a surface as datum targets. The
figure below demonstrates datum target points. The targets are numbered and
are assigned the same letter as the datum – A1, A2, and A3 will establish datum
A. Three points are required to create a plane, so three targets are shown on the
drawing. Dimensions are specified to locate the datum target positions and note
that these dimensions do not have tolerances – they are subject only to the
accuracy of the measurement equipment. These three points represent the
locations where the measurement equipment will touch the part to create datum
A.
Below, three datum targets are still used to establish datum A. This time,
however, areas of contact are designated as the datum targets. Note that the
datum target circles now have a dimension in the top half indicating the size of
the target area, and the X’s from the previous figures are replaced with circular
phantom areas to show the targets on the part drawing. In this case the
measuring equipment could contact the part anywhere within the three circular
areas to establish the datum, or use the entire circular areas if necessary.
