Advanced Computer-Aided Fixture Design

Book excerpt: Fixtures--the component or assembly that holds a part undergoing machining--must be designed to fit the shape of that part and the type of machining being done. This book discusses the fundamentals of Computer-Aided Fixture Design (CAFD) techniques and covers fixture planning, fixture design (both modular and dedicated fixtures), fixture design verifications, and the overall integration with CAD/CAM. The book shows how CAFD may lead to a significant reduction of product and process development time and production cost, and how CAFD can increase quality assurance through simulation and science-based technical specification and cost estimation in business quoting, especially in current supplier-based manufacturing. It also provides case study examples. - This book provides a total solution of CAFD, including planning, design, and design verification - Practical and comprehensive theoretical analysis of fixturing from real industrial application projects - Introduces the integration of fixture design and analysis with CAD/CAM so that detailed geometric information can be processed and complex fixture designs can be designed and analyzed