The technical design problem of over-constrained components and subsystems receives little attention but causes major structural compromises. The good news is that the problem can be completely avoided. Consider the following case: A baffle in an office copier, shown in Figure 1, had two large foam rolls mounted inside, and together they forced paper around a turn for delivery to the staple hopper. The baffle was fitted between the side-plates of a major frame assembly and was held in place by four mounting screws. The worst-case-long baffle had to fit between the side panels of the worst-case-narrow frame. Since worst-case extremes have a low probability of occurring together, most assemblies have considerable clearance at this interface.
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