A CAD-Based hierarchical approach to interference detection among fixture modules in a reconfigurable fixturing system

A reconfigurable fixturing system has been developed for a computer-integrated assembly environment. The fixturing system employs a number of fixture modules which are set-up, adjusted and changed automatically by the assembly robot. A dedicated software program has been developed for the design, analysis, and verification of the fixture layout. The software program has been integrated with a commercially available computer-aided design (CAD) package to provide a user-friendly platform for modeling and display purposes. The robot program for setting up, adjusting, and dismantling the designed fixture is generated automatically. Interference between fixture modules during the fixture construction may arise due to incorrect selection of the fixture contact points at the design stage. The objective of the work described here is to develop a hierarchical approach for calculation of interference between fixture modules in a reconfigurable fixturing system. The formulation for the interference detection employs geometrical constraints as the basis. The approach does not require detailed simulation of the fixture construction for interference detection.