An automated design and assembly of interference-free modular fixture setup

This paper describes an automated modular fixture design system developed using a CAD-based methodology and implemented on a 3-D CAD/CAM software package. The developed automated fixture design (AFD) system automates the fixturing points determination and is integrated on top of the previously developed interactive and semi-automated fixture design systems. The determination of fixturing points is implemented in compliance with the fixturing principles that are formulated as heuristics rules to generate candidate list of points and then select the exact points from the list. Apart from determining the fixturing points automatically, the system is capable of producing cutting tool collision-free fixture design using its machining interference detection sub-module. The machining interference detection is accomplished through the use of cutter swept solid based on cutter swept volume approach. Therefore, using the developed AFD, an interference-free fixture design and assembly can be achieved in the possible shortest design lead-time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.