A RECONFIGURABLE MODULAR FIXTURING SYSTEM FOR THIN-WALLED FLEXIBLE OBJECTS

This paper presents a novel reconfigurable modular system for the fixt uring of thin-walled flexible objects subject to a discrete number of point forces. The paper comprises two parts. description of the concep tual design of our new reconfigurable fracture, and a brief review of our earlier work on the optimal reconfiguration of the object-support locations. During the mechanical design phase of the fixture , a consc ientious effort was made to develop a robust and low-cost system. The primary components of the fixture are: a baseplate, support locators a nd clamps. A novel tiltable support-surface design, through which the height of the surface can be maintained constant, is used for the loca tors and the clamps. A fixture reconfiguration method is proposed to p lace these locators, underneath the object, as an optimal support wall . Potential surface deflections due to external forces are minimised d uring the optimisation process.