Computer-Aided Fixture Design Verification. Part 3. Stability Analysis

In fixture design, a workpiece is required to remain stable throughout the fixturing and machining processes in order to achieve safety and machining accuracy. This requirement is verified by a function of the computer-aided fixture design verification (CAFDV) system. This paper presents the methodologies of fixturing stability analysis in CAFDV. A kinetic fixture model is created to formulate the stability problem, and a fixture stiffness matrix (FSM) is derived to solve the problem. This approach not only verifies fixturing stability, but also finds the minimum clamping forces, fixture deformation, and fixture reaction forces. The clamping sequence can also be verified with this approach.     

Fixture Clamping Force Optimisation and its Impact on Workpiece Location Accuracy

Workpiece motion arising from localised elastic deformation at fixture-workpiece contacts owing to clamping and machining forces is known to affect significantly the workpiece location accuracy and, hence, the final part quality. This effect can be minimised through fixture design optimisation. The clamping force is a critical design variable that can be optimised to reduce the workpiece motion. This paper presents a new method for determining the optimun clamping forces for a multiple clamp fixture subjected to quasu-static machining forces. The method uses elastic contact mechanics models to represent the fixture-workpiece contact and involves the formulation and solution of a multi-objective constrained oprimisation model. The impact of clamping force optimisation on workpiece location accuracy is analysed through examples involving a 3-2-1 type milling fixture.     

The Application of Chip Removal and Frictional Contact Analysis for Workpiece–Fixture Layout Verification

In this paper, a workpiece–fixture layout verification approach with the application of frictional contact and chip removal effects using a finite-element technique, is presented. The objective of the proposed system is to overcome the deficiencies of existing fixture design approaches. Workpiece–fixture layout verification analysis is carried out for time varying machining forces to ensure that the workpiece will be held against the cutting and clamping forces. The chip removal effect and frictional contact between the workpiece and the fixture elements are taken into account using a material removal approach based on element death technique and nonlinear finite-element analysis. A case study illustrates the application of the proposed approach. ID="A1"Correspondance and offprint requests to: Professor F. ?ztürk, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mühendislik-Mimarlik Fakültesi, G?r¨kle Kampusu, Bursa 16059, Turkey. E-mail: ferruh@uladag.edu.tr     

基于遗传算法的夹具布局和夹紧力同步优化

夹具设计是机械加工中一个重要步骤。夹具优化旨在得到最合理的夹具布局和夹紧力。为了弥补分步优化夹具布局和夹紧力以及应用传统优化算法而存在的不足,本文提出了应用遗传算法同步优化夹具布局和夹紧力的方法。使用该方法进行夹具优化的算例结果表明优化得到的设计优于经验设计,该方法是一种有效的夹具优化方法。     

Optimal Fixture Design Accounting for the Effect of Workpiece Dynamics

This paper presents a fixture layout and clamping force optimal synthesis approach that accounts for workpiece dynamics during machining. The dynamic model is based on the Newton– Euler equations of motion, with each fixture–workpiece contact modelled as an elastic half-space subjected to distributed nor-mal and tangential loads. The fixture design objective in this paper is to minimise the maximum positional error at the machining point during machining. An iterative fixture layout and clamping force optimisation algorithm that yields the "best" improvement in the objective function value is presented. Simulation results show that the proposed optimis-ation approach produces significant improvement in the work-piece location accuracy. Additionally, the method is found to be insensitive to the initial fixture layout and clamping forces.     

A literature survey of fixturedesign automation

This paper gives a review of fixture-design research, most of it done in the 1980s. The major topics of the review are the fixturing principles (supporting, locating and clamping), automated fixture design (configuration, assembly and verification), and fixture hardware design (dedicated, modular and electric/magnetic types).     

Development of a novel coordinate transposing fixture system

A novel quick action flexible fixture for two-dimensional clamping is fitted with sensors for automatically measuring the positions of the clamping surfaces and the vice opening. An algorithm is proposed to determine the location and orientation of the workpiece on the fixture. The NC codes preprogrammed with a given origin and orientation can then be modified with these data to appropriately transposed coordinates, which can then be downloaded to the NC controller for NC machining. With this system, the time and cost of fixturing will be greatly reduced.     

Development of Automated Fixture Planning Systems

Fixturing is an important manufacturing activity. The computeraided fixture design technique is being rapidly developed to reduce the lead time involved in manufacturing planning. An automated fixture configuration design system has been developed to select automatically modular fixture components and place them in position with satisfactory assembly relationships In this paper, an automated fixturing planning system is presented in which fixturing surfaces and points are automatically determined based on workpiece geometry and operational information. Fixturing surface accessibility, feature accuracy, and fixturing stability are the main concerns in the fixture planning. The system development, the fixture planning decision procedure, and an implementation example are presented in the paper.     

薄板冲压件焊装夹具设计方法

由于薄板冲压件的易变形性和制造误差特征 ,薄板焊装夹具设计显著区别于普通机械加工工件定位夹具。本文首先介绍了夹具设计的形闭合与力闭合概念、螺旋理论的发展 ,给出了确切定位和完全夹紧条件 ;然后 ,重点阐述了面向薄板冲压件焊装夹具设计的“N- 2 - 1”定位原理和夹具的优化设计方法 ;最后分析了夹具的稳健性设计方法。可以预料 ,采用该方法可有效地减少和控制定位误差的影响。     

A Clamping Design Approach for Automated Fixture Design

In this paper, an innovative clamping design approach is described in the context of computer-aided fixture design activities. The clamping design approach involves identification of clamping surfaces and clamp points on a given workpiece. This approach can be applied in conjunction with a locator design approach to hold and support the workpiece during machining and to position the workpiece correctly with respect to the cutting tool. Detailed steps are given for automated clamp design. Geometric reasoning techniques are used to determine feasible clamp faces and positions. The required inputs include CAD model specifications, features identified onthe finished workpiece, locator points and elements.     

Design and optimization of machining fixture layout using ANN and DOE

In machining fixtures, minimizing workpiece deformation due to clamping and cutting forces is essential to maintain the machining accuracy. This can be achieved by selecting the optimal location of fixturing elements such as locators and clamps. Many researches in the past decades described more efficient algorithms for fixture layout optimization. In this paper, artificial neural networks (ANN)-based algorithm with design of experiments (DOE) is proposed to design an optimum fixture layout in order to reduce the maximum elastic deformation of the workpiece caused by the clamping and machining forces acting on the workpiece while machining. Finite element method (FEM) is used to find out the maximum deformation of the workpiece for various fixture layouts. ANN is used as an optimization tool to find the optimal location of the locators and clamps. To train the ANN, sufficient sets of input and output are fed to the ANN system. The input includes the position of the locators and clamps. The output includes the maximum deformation of the workpiece for the corresponding fixture layout under the machining condition. In the testing phase, the ANN results are compared with the FEM results. After the testing process, the trained ANN is used to predict the maximum deformation for the possible fixture layouts. DOE is introduced as another optimization tool to find the solution region for all design variables to minimum deformation of the work piece. The maximum deformations of all possible fixture layouts within the solution region are predicted by ANN. Finally, the layout which shows the minimum deformation is selected as optimal fixture layout.     

An Integrated Model of a Fixture-Workpiece System for Surface Quality Prediction

Surface quality is a major factor affecting the performance of a component. The machined surface quality is strongly influenced by the external loads during the fixturing and machining processes. In machining process development, it is highly desirable to predict the quality of a machined surface. For this purpose, an integrated finite element analysis (FEA) model of the entire fixture–workpiece system is developed to investigate the influence of clamping preload and machining force on the surface quality of the machined workpiece. The effects of fixture and machine table compliance (from experimental data), and the workpiece and its locators/clamps contact interaction, and forced vibration, on the machined surface quality are taken into account. This simulation model provides a better understanding of the causes of surface error and a more realistic prediction of the machined surface quality. The deck face of a V-type engine block subjected to fixture clamping and a face milling operation is given as an example. A comparison between the simulation result and experimental data shows a reasonable agreement.     

多目标的装夹方案优化及变夹紧力优化

夹具布局和夹紧力大小影响切削变形的大小和分布.基于遗传算法和有限元方法,提出一种夹具布局和夹紧力优化设计方法.该方法将同步优化夹具布局和夹紧力大小以及施加变夹紧力相结合,首先以加工变形最小化和变形分布最均匀为目标同步优化夹具布局和夹紧力大小,然后在优化后的夹具布局的基础上求解使得加工变形最小的变夹紧力大小.使用该方法进行底座薄壁零件的夹具优化设计,结果表明优化得到的设计优于经验设计和多目标优化方法,该方法有效地降低了加工过程中工件的变形,提高变形均匀度.     

Automated fixture configuration using projective geometry approach

The geometric and topological specification of a workpiece boundary is usually represented in a specific data format in a CAD database. To retrieve a set of workpiece data, to analyse its shape in addition to the machining requirements, and to determine the proper fixture configuration accordingly, are not trivial tasks when a part has a complicated shape. The real challenge is to recognise and synthesise the shape of a workpiece from its data representation. Consequently, the decision for fixturing can be made when the shape of a workpiece and the relationship of the shape and the fixturing configuration can be derived by a systematic methodology. In this paper, a projective spatial occupancy enumeration (PSOE) approach is applied as a representational and manipulating scheme for developing algorithms in automatic fixture configuration. The workpiece is projected onto the working plane of the fixture baseplate. A 2D projection is defined as a matrix of cells which can represent a workpiece with an arbitrary shape. Using a discrete search based upon the matrix of cells, the fixture types and their locations are generated according to a set of heuristic algorithms. This work is a generalisation and extension of previous works for prismatic parts. The same methodology is equally applicable in general robot grasping.     

A Fast Interference Checking Algorithm for Automated Fixture Design Verification

Fixtures are tooling devices used to locate, support and hold workpieces during a manufacturing process. The major purpose of a computer-aided fixture design (CAFD) system is to provide a fixture design based on fixturing principles and workpiece information. Interference checking between the machining tool and fixture units, as well as between fixture units, is one of the important functions of automated fixture design. This paper presents a fast interference checking algorithm for automated modular fixture design validation. It is based on the study of the geometric characteristics of modular fixture components and the machining tool. The fixture component model is simplified into a 2D contour model with height information. The tool-path model is represented by a moving dot for 3-axis operations, or a moving line segment in 5-axis operations, as the fixture component model is different from the popular collision detection procedure using swept volume and is more efficient for fixturing verification. Application of this method will greatly reduce the computation complexity for fixturing interference checking. The method is implemented with a CAFD system. An example is given at the end of the paper.     

Development of a finite element analysis tool for fixture design integrity verification and optimisation

Machining fixtures are used to locate and constrain a workpiece during a machining operation. To ensure that the workpiece is manufactured according to specified dimensions and tolerances, it must be appropriately located and clamped. Minimising workpiece and fixture tooling deflections due to clamping and cutting forces in machining is critical to machining accuracy. An ideal fixture design maximises locating accuracy and workpiece stability, while minimising displacements.The purpose of this research is to develop a method for modelling workpiece boundary conditions and applied loads during a machining process, analyse modular fixture tool contact area deformation and optimise support locations, using finite element analysis (FEA). The workpiece boundary conditions are defined by locators and clamps. The locators are placed in a 3-2-1 fixture configuration, constraining all degrees of freedom of the workpiece and are modelled using linear spring-gap elements. The clamps are modelled as point loads. The workpiece is loaded to model cutting forces during drilling and milling machining operations. Fixture design integrity is verified. ANSYS parametric design language code is used to develop an algorithm to automatically optimise fixture support and clamp locations, and clamping forces, to minimise workpiece deformation, subsequently increasing machining accuracy. By implementing FEA in a computer-aided-fixture-design environment, unnecessary and uneconomical “trial and error” experimentation on the shop floor is eliminated.     

薄壁件的装夹变形机理分析与控制技术

系统地提出一个分析与优选夹紧力大小、作用点以及夹紧顺序的通用方法.基于由摩擦力引起的接触力历史依赖性,定量地分析多重夹紧元件及其作用顺序对薄壁件变形的影响,并建立装夹方案的数学模型.同时提出基于最小总余能原理的有限元求解方法.另一方面,基于装夹方案的优化模型,提出装夹变形的控制技术以便获得最高的工件加工精度.以典型铝合金航空材料构件为例,模拟与分析夹紧力及夹紧顺序对其变形的影响过程.     

基于特征的夹具设计方法研究

将特征技术引入夹具设计 ,提出基于加工特征的、面向夹具设计的工艺模型和基于装夹特征的装夹模型 ,介绍了基于实例与基于规则推理相混合的装夹模型提取方法和装夹元件的选择方法     

薄壁套的加工工艺与夹具设计

根据薄壁套零件的结构特点,在进行零件的工艺分析的基础上,制订了零件的机械加工工艺.根据薄壁套零件的加工特点,设计了一种径向夹紧的车床夹具—可胀锥度套胀紧夹具.该夹具以零件的内孔定位,加工薄壁外圆,夹具结构简单、夹紧可靠、操作迅速方便.经生产实践使用证明,采用可胀锥度套胀紧夹具车削薄壁零件,既保证了加工品质,又提高了生产效率.     

A feature-based approach for optimal workpiece localization and determination of feasible clamping regions

In this paper, we present an approach for optimally selecting the locating positions of workpieces and identifying feasible clamping regions that meet the requirements of the form-closure principle for fixture layout. This approach firstly finds an optimal configuration of locating points on a set of faces of the workpiece which minimizes the error transfer from locating points to machining features. In the formulation of the optimization, the error transfer is modeled using an error transfer matrix. The eigenvalues of the matrix are used as objective functions of the optimization. Secondly, this approach computes the clamping wrench cone and its member wrench can form a form-closure fixture layout, together with the formerly selected locating points. Finally, it generates the feasible clamping regions by projecting the clamping wrench cone onto faces of the clamping feature faces. An example is included to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Compared with traditional methods in which only error transfer from the locating points to the workpiece’s mass-center is considered, the error transfer control in this approach is more effective and of greater efficiency. In addition, the clamping wrench cone projection method for the generation of feasible clamping regions is more suitable for handling cases with concave clamping faces than traditional convex-combination-based methods.