Fixture

• Location
• Clamping
• Tool Setting Block
• Tenon
 Fixture
•  Jigs & fixtures are made basically the same way as far
as locators and positioners are concerned
•  The main construction difference is mass (Fixtures
are built stronger and heavier
•  Much-wider scope of application than jigs.
•  Can be used in almost any operation that requires a
precise relationship in the position of a tool to a
workpiece.
•  Classified by the type of machine on which they are
used: milling fixtures, lathe fixtures, sawing fixtures,
grinding fixtures, or more specific: straddle milling
fixture, lathe-radius fixture.
Applications of Fixtures
EXTERNAL-MACHINING
APPLICATIONS:
Flat-Surface Machining
• Milling fixtures
• Surface-grinding fixtures
• Planing fixtures
• Shaping fixtures
INTERNAL-MACHINING
Cylindrical-Surface Machining APPLICATIONS:
• Lathe fixtures Cylindrical- and Irregular-Hole Machining
• Cylindrical-grinding fixtures • Electrical-discharge-machining
fixtures
Irregular-Surface Machining • Punching fixtures
• Band-sawing fixtures • Internal-broaching fixtures
• External-broaching fixtures
Applications of Fixtures
NON-MACHINING APPLICATIONS:
Assembly
• Welding fixtures
• Mechanical-assembly fixtures
(Riveting, stapling, stitching, pinning, etc.)
• Soldering fixtures

Inspection
• Mechanical-inspection fixtures
• Optical-inspection fixtures
• Electronic-inspection fixtures

Finishing
• Painting fixtures
• Plating fixtures
• Polishing fixtures
• Lapping fixtures
• Honing fixtures
Miscellaneous
• Layout templates
• Testing fixtures
• Heat-treating fixtures
 Permanent and Temporary
Workholder
•  Jigs and fixtures are most often found where parts are produced
in large quantities, or produced to complex specifications for a
moderate quantity.
•  The major difference between permanent and temporary
workholders is the cost/benefit relationship between the
workholder and the process.
•  Some applications require jigs and fixtures solely for speed;
others require less speed and higher precision.
•  The requirements of the application have a direct impact on the
type of jig or fixture built and, consequently, the cost.
 Type of Workholder
1
Permanent Fixturing
(Special purpose)

1 3
2
2
Modular Fixturing

3
General Purpose
(Vises, Chucks,
Subplates & table-
mounted clamps)
 Permanent Workholder
•  Workholders for high-volume production are usually
permanent tools.
•  These permanent jigs and fixtures are most often intended for
a single operation on one particular part.
benefits in
Increased reduced operator
improved
complexity decision-making
productivity

Spending more The tool will have lower

time and money average cost per unit or
can be justified per run
 Example
•  In the case of hydraulic or pneumatic fixtures, inherent design advantages can
dramatically improve productivity and, hence, reduce per-unit costs even
further, even though the initial cost to construct these fixtures is the most
expensive of all fixture alternatives.

A hydraulic fixture A pneumatic fixture

 Permanent Workholder
•  Permanent jigs and fixtures are typically constructed from
standard tooling components and custom-made parts. This
figure shows a typical permanent workholder for a drilling
operation.
Low-volume runs and ones with
fewer critical dimensions are often
produced with throwaway jigs and
fixtures.
These tools would typically be one-
time-use items constructed from basic
materials at hand and discarded after
production is complete.
Although throwaway jigs and fixtures
are technically permanent
workholders, in effect they are actually
temporary.
 General-Purpose Workholders
•  These workholders are adaptable to different machines and many different
parts, such as a vise, collet, or chuck.
•  Since they are not part-specific, their versatility allows for repeated use on a
variety of different or limited-production runs.
•  The cost of these workholders would usually be averaged over years and
might not even be a factor in job-cost calculations.
•  They need a higher level of operator care and attention to maintain
consistency and accuracy.
•  For these reasons, general-purpose workholders are not preferred for lengthy
Tool designer!
production runs.
 Modular Fixtures
•  Modular fixtures achieve many of the advantages of a permanent
tool using only a temporary setup.
•  These workholders combine ideas and elements of permanent and
general-purpose workholding.
 Modular Fixtures
The primary advantage of modular fixtures is
that a tool with the benefits of permanent
tooling (setup reduction, durability,
productivity improvements, and reduced
operator decision-making) can be built from
a set of standard components.
The fixture can be disassembled when the run
is complete, to allow the reuse of the
components in a different fixture.
At a later time the original can be readily
reconstructed from drawings, instructions,
and photographic records.
This reuse enables the construction of a
complex, high-precision tool without
requiring the corresponding dedication of
the fixture components.
 Modular Fixturing

n  3 benefits of Modular

fixturing:
- Reduced lead time,
- Reusability,
- Versatility.

•  This figure shows how modular

fixturing fits into the hierarchy of
workholding options, ranking
below permanent fixturing yet
above general-purpose
workholders.
 Total quantity over tooling lifetime
•  For applications where large numbers of parts are run on a regular basis,
special purpose workholders (or dedicated workholders) should be used.
•  Where a moderate to small number of parts are run on a irregular basis,
modular workholders may be the better choice.
•  For small runs or one-of-a-kind simple parts, general-purpose or temporary
workholders (vises, collets, chucks) may be the most economical.
 Design of a Fixture
•  The following issues need to considered
before starting the design
–  Dimensional data of the machine
–  Distance between the T-Slots
–  Milling machine tool dimensions
–  Length of travel of the tool
•  Two cutters are used
and they are to be
positioned relative to
one another
•  This is used when two
faces are to be
machine
simultaneously
•  Two or more cutters
are used
•  Several workpieces
can be machined in a
single pass
•  This is called
Pendulum Milling
•  This requires an
indexing fixture
•  One part is machined
at a time
•  Two parts are
machined at a time
•  Two fixtures are used
•  Loading is done on
one fixture while the
machining is carried
on the other fixture
•  Special purpose rotary
table is used for
increasing the
productivity
•  Profile plate is used
for duplicating the
profiles on the parts
•  Profile plate is used as
a guide
 Tenons
•  Tee bolt does not locate
•  Location of the fixture on
the based plate is done by
the tenons
•  Two tenon must be used
and they must be on a
single slot only
•  Tenons are a part of the
fixture assembly and must
be placed as far apart as
possible
 Setting Block
•  Setting block is used
for setting the cutter
with respect to the
workpiece
•  Feeler gauges are used
for setting the cutter
•  Special vices are used
for complex shapes
•  Locators are used fro
proper guiding
 Test yourself!
•  What are the differences between a permanent fixture and
a modular fixture?
In many ways modular fixturing is just
like permanent fixturing, except for a
few key differences.
n  First, modular fixtures can be
assembled entirely from reusable
off-the-shelf components, without
machining.
n  Next, many modular components
are adjustable and universal.
n  Finally, specially designed tooling
plates and blocks, with a standard
grid pattern, are the foundation of
a good modular system.
 Problem ?!

A tool designer is requested to design a fixture to

locate a workpiece (shown below) for milling the
top surface.
He decided to choose two strap clamps to hold the two
edges of the workpiece.

n  When the clamps were tightened, the

clamping action actually deformed
the basic shape of the part!
n  After machining, when the part was
released, it returned to its unclamped
shape, resulting in a machined
surface that is concave rather than
flat!
n  What could be the solution for this
problem?
 How to avoid the distortion in the
part
•  Modular workholding components are designed for optimal clamping of parts
with the least possible distortion using ball pads to support the workpiece.
These ball pads are flexible and align themselves to the contour of the
workpiece. The clamping bars also have ball pads; therefore, distortion of the
part is practically eliminated.

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