Automated modular fixture planning: Geometric analysis

Attendant Processes such as fixture and die design are often a necessary but time-consuming and expensive component of a production cycle. Coupling such attendant processes to product design via feature-based CAD will lead to more responsive and affordable product design and redesign. In the context of on-going research in automating fixture configuration design, this paper presents a fundamental study of automated fixture planning with a focus on geometric analysis. The initial conditions for modular fixture assembly are established together with geometric relationships between fixture components and the workpiece to be analyzed. Of particular focus is the design of alternative locating points and components, together with examples of 3-D fixture designs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.