Advanced Fixture Design for FMS

Providing a systematic introduction to the selection and design of fixturing systems, this study describes fixture design as an inseparable part of process planning. A new method of tolerance analysis is examined, which can be used to check the suitability of location surfaces.

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Fixtures are crucial to new manufacturing techniques and largely dictate the level of flexibility a manufacturing system can achieve. This study provides a systematic basis for the selection and design of fixturing systems. It gives a review of the current state-of-the-art of flexible and reconfigurable fixturing systems. Recent developments in design methodology using CAD are analyzed in depth. The primary objective of a fixture system is to ensure that the part being manufactured can be made consistently within the tolerance specified in the design. A new method of tolerance analysis, used to check the suitability of location surfaces and the sequence of operations, is explained in detail.