Flexible Fixtures for CNC Machining Centers in Multiproduct Manufacturing

Abstract

In modern manufacturing engineering, a major challenge is the contradiction between the need to reduce the time required to design and manufacture the products and the increasing complexity of product design. Today's market requires more varieties of products, and consequently the equipment and processes should be more flexible. Fixtures play an essential role in production of high-quality and competitive products in multiproduct manufacturing. The paper describes the ways of increasing of machining efficiency of parts. The principally new constructions of functional modules of modular adjustable fixtures for locating and clamping of workpieces are introduced. Use of the proposed fixtures with the possibility of automatized adjustment ensures the spreading of technological capabilities of CNC metal-cutting equipment, decreasing of preparatory time and setup time, and therefore, assists improving of the efficiency of production planning.