AUTOMATED MODULAR FIXTURE PLANNING - GEOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Attendant Processes such as fixture and die design are often a necessa ry but time-consuming and expensive component of a production cycle. C oupling such attendant processes to product design via feature-based C AD will lead to more responsive and affordable product design and rede sign. In the context of on-going research in automating fixture config uration design, this paper presents a fundamental study of automated f ixture planning with a focus on geometric analysis. The initial condit ions for modular fixture assembly are established together with geomet ric relationships between fixture components and the workpiece to be a nalyzed. Of particular focus is the design of alternative locating poi nts and components, together with examples of 3-D fixture designs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.