Title: MODULAR FIXTURE
1SEMINAR ON
2MODULAR FIXTURE
- Introduction to modular fixture
- -components
- Advantage of modular fixture
- Application
- Conclusion
3fixture
-
- A fixture is primarily a holding device. A
fixture anchors the workpiece firmly in place for
the machining operation, but it does not form a
guide for the tool. -
- The jig is a guiding device.
- The fixture is a holding device.
4Components of modular fixture
5What is Modular Fixturing?
- A modular fixturing system is composted of
standardized components that allow for flexible
arrangement and interchangeability between
different applications. The versatility of the
components makes it a viable alternative to
traditional fixturing methods because a single
modular fixture system is capable of doing the
same work as numerous dedicated fixturing
systems.
6Modular Fixturing Components
- Tooling Plates and Blocks
- The fundamental components
- of a workholding or modular fixturing system
are the tooling plates or tooling blocks, which
are commonly referred to as fixture plates, grid
blocks, or tombstones
7Tooling Plates Blocks
- The fundamental components of a workholding
or modular fixturing system are the tooling
plates or tooling blocks, which are commonly
referred to as fixture plates, grid blocks, or
tombstones. The multipurpose holes (MTP holes) on
both the tooling plates and blocks allow for
accurate aligning or fastening of other
components in a number of locations. - Flex plates offer the ability to work on any
given fixture away from the machine, free from
any space constraints. A flex base plate resides
on a machining center pallet and will accept
other flex tooling plates or blocks to be
fastened onto it, which allows for fast
changeover between applications. The two tapered
pins allow for accurate and consistent locating
when mounting other flex plates to the base. - A few of the immediate benefits from using a flex
plate modular fixturing system include
- Fast and accurate changeover -
Flexible mounting of a single fixture on
different machines - Machining a part
from 5 sides on a single pallet - Reduced
setup time compared to other conventional
methods
8Flexible tooling plate bases
Flex plates offer the ability to work on any
given fixture away from the machine, free from
any space constraints
9Flexible Tooling Plates and Bases
- Flexible tooling plates (called flex plates for
short) expand even further on modular style
tooling plates. Essentially, the flex plate is a
special tooling plate designed to independently
fasten to a flex tooling base. The ability to
change out an entire tooling plate between
dissimilar jobs, as opposed to reworking fixtures
on a dedicated tooling plate, reduces machine
downtime due to fixture set up. Multiple fixtures
can be arranged independently from the machine
pallet and quickly changed out. - The flex tooling base is designed with two
locating pins, which are used to accurately
position the flex tooling plate. The locating
pins ensure accurate locating repeatability.
Additionally, flex plates also utilize the grid
of locating holes, which gives it the flexibility
to mount other modular components to correctly
position and hold a work piece.
10Modular clamp and accessories
- Modular clamps and accessories
- are extremely versatile and flexible,
- which allows them to be used in a
- wide variety of workholding
- applications.
11Modular Clamps Accessories
- The standard modular clamp is designed to
exert a downward clamping force on the work
piece, similar to that of a strap clamp. Balanced
and level clamping is maintained with the use of
a socket toggle screw a threaded bolt with a
swiveling contact pad on its end. Standard
modular clamps can also be fastened to a sliding
mount unit, which then allows the clamp to be
positioned in the proper location. - The high-rise modular clamp is comprised of a
clamp assembly with any number of modular risers.
The primary difference is that multiple modular
risers can be quickly and easily stacked on top
of one another to accommodate any variable
clamping height needed in a particular
application. When assembled, the modular risers
and clamp assembly are held together by
tightening the lock nut on top. This pulls the
couplers upward into the devices which hold the
corresponding lock buttons tightly and securely,
preventing movement or disassembly.
12Advantage of modular fixture
- It reduce the setup time
- It reduces storage space
- A very high degree of accuracy can be achived
- Support from various service provider
- It is very flexible
13Time saving
- There are three options to choose from when you
get a new part to run. One can build an open
setup which eats up a lot of machine time and may
be difficult to repeat otherwise build a
dedicated fixture which eats up a lot of lead
time (average 6 weeks). Or build a modular
fixture in 4 hours or less and accurately repeat
the setup any time you want. For short runs, the
choice is easy modular fixturing wins, hands down
14Accuracy
- Machining fixtures need to be both rugged and
accurate to meet the demands of today's machining
centers. Bluco's modular fixturing offers the
best of both worlds. All baseplates, cubes and
angles are made of cast iron for excellent
vibration dampening. Each element of the system
has an alternating pattern of tapped holes and
accurately located precision steel bushings. The
bushings are located /-0.0018 over 12".
15Storage
- Floor space is at a premium in most shops. Many
fixtures are saved for spare parts. Chances are
these fixtures were built for machines long since
gone. A single modular fixturing kit neatly
organized in a few cabinet drawers can easily
replace 100's of these old fixtures saving
valuable space and precious time. When a fixture
is needed, simply pull out a setup drawing, a CAD
file or a picture and gather the modular
components. In under a half hour, your machine
will be up and running.
16support
- Along with our free training videos, on-site
training, free fixture designs and CAD database,
our trained applications engineers can help with
all aspects of your new Demmeler modular
fixturing system. And to make buying decisions
easier, all of our equipment comes with a 1-year
exchange policy allowing users to return
exchange unused components free of charge.
17Saving
Conventional Modular
How often do you have to buy a fixture? Every time you make a new part Once
How long does it take to build a fixture? 1 -2 weeks Less than a day
How easy is it to make changes to a fixture? Don't ask A matter of seconds
Where do you store these fixtures? Out back, on shelves, in trailers, on the floor On a tooling cart and in a computer (CAD)
What if a job repeats? After hours of looking, you find a fixture with missing parts Build one in minutes
18APPLICATION
Using a little creativity and a modular fixture,
this casing is setup with access to both the
front and rear bore faces. A fixture like this
will take about 90 minutes to design and build
the first time around. If the job were to repeat
some time down the road, the same fixture can be
rebuilt in under 20 minutes.
19Spindle clearance is always a concern when
working with a horizontal machining center. There
are a number of ways to raise the part off the
baseplate. As is the case with these manifolds,
4-sided precision ground consoles (yellow cubes)
are doweled and bolted to the baseplate and the
hardened locating components are dowelled and
bolted on top. Consoles can be stacked on top of
one another for taller applications.
20Spindle clearance is always a concern when
working with a horizontal machining center. There
are a number of ways to raise the part off the
baseplate. As is the case with these manifolds,
4-sided precision ground consoles (yellow cubes)
are doweled and bolted to the baseplate and the
hardened locating components are dowelled and
bolted on top. Consoles can be stacked on top of
one another for taller applications.
21Engine Room Piping Pipe shops
in the shipbuilding industry face a never-ending
demand for tubes and pipes that carry everything
from gas, steam, hydraulic fluid, oil, compressed
air, sewage, etc. Each of these pipe assemblies
has a different requirement which is why a
universal jig system is essential to have on
hand. Regardless of the complexity of pipe
weldments, there is a simple solution waiting to
be built with our modular fixturing Engine Room
piping
22- Fire Truck
- A number of emergency vehicle manufacturers use
modular fixture to build everything from doors
and ladders to cabs and chassis. The flexibility
of our work benches offers an unlimited variety
of applications for welding. Rather than using a
solid 16 x 10 table, the smaller 5 x 10 weld
table with outriggers allows easier access for
the welders.
23 Thinned walled aluminium structure
- This thin-walled electronics enclosure needs the
superior strength and rigidity of the Bluco
system to negate any chatter during machining.
With added vibration dampeners (orange handled
unit) and various top, front and side clamps, the
part remains stable during the entire machining
process.
24Automotive component
- Second operation fixtures pick up machined
locating features from the first setup. Hardened
and ground modular fixturing components with
controlled dimensions of /-0.0004" are critical
to making accurate parts.
25Prototype large and small part
- Modular fixturing is best suited for short runs.
The prototype aluminum housing and the banister
support both proved to be simple parts but
difficult to fixture. Design and build time for a
modular fixture was under an hour for each part.
26Modular Welding Fixturing Ups Outputof Armored
Vehicle Components by 40
27Designed with sports car styling, the ABI
TSV-30transit bus uses a welded stainless steel
frame andbonded composite side and roof panels.
For welding the 304 stainless steel frame
accurately, the Demmeler modular fixturing system
provides a positional accuracy of 0.0015"/ft.
28CONCLUSION
- Jigs and fixtures are essential elements of a
manufacturing system. Responsible for holding the
work accurately and securely during its
manufacture, they determine to a large extent its
relevant quality and their rate at which it can
be produced. Good design to jigs and fixture
ensure that they fullfill their fuction
economically is vital to the success of the
manufacturing system . - With use of modular fixture one can cut cost and
time both without compromising on accuracy and
quality very effectively
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