CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 OVERVIEW OF FIXTURE

A fixture's primary purpose is to create a secure mounting point for a work piece,
allowing for support during operation and increased accuracy, precision, reliability, and
interchangeability in the finished parts. It also serves to reduce working time by allowing
quick set-up, and by smoothing the transition from part to part. It frequently reduces the
complexity of a process, allowing for unskilled workers to perform it and effectively
transferring the skill of the tool maker to the unskilled worker. Fixtures also allow for a
higher degree of operator safety by reducing the concentration and effort required to
hold a piece steady.

Economically speaking the most valuable function of a fixture is to reduce labor

costs. Without a fixture, operating a machine or process may require two or more
operators; using a fixture can eliminate one of the operators by securing the work piece.

The correct relationship and alignment between the components to be

assembled must be maintained in the welding fixture. To do this, a fixture is designed
and built to hold, support and locate work piece to ensure that each component is joined
within the specified limits. A fixture should be securely and rigidly clamp the component
against the rest pads and locator upon which the work is done.

Fixtures vary in design from relatively simple tools to expensive, complicated

devices. Fixtures also help to simplify metalworking operations performed on special
equipments.

1.2 FIXTURE DEFINITION

A fixture is a work-holding or support device used in the manufacturing industry.

Fixtures are used to securely locate (position in a specific location or orientation) and
support the work, ensuring that all parts produced using the fixture will maintain
conformity and interchangeability. Using a fixture improves the economy of production
by allowing smooth operation and quick transition from part to part, reducing the
requirement for skilled labor by simplifying how work pieces are mounted, and
increasing conformity across a production run.

A fixture differs from a jig in that when a fixture is used, the tool must move
relative to the work piece; a jig moves the piece while the tool remains stationary.

1.3 DESIGN OF FIXTURE:

Fixtures must always be designed with economics in mind; the purpose of these
devices is to reduce costs, and so they must be designed in such a way that the cost
reduction outweighs the cost of implementing the fixture. It is usually better, from an
economic standpoint, for a fixture to result in a small cost reduction for a process in
constant use, than for a large cost reduction for a process used only occasionally.

Most fixtures have a solid component, affixed to the floor or to the body of the
machine and considered immovable relative to the motion of the machining bit, and one
or more movable components known as clamps. These clamps (which may be operated
by many different mechanical means) allow work pieces to be easily placed in the
machine or removed, and yet stay secure during operation. Many are also adjustable,
allowing for work pieces of different sizes to be used for different operations. Fixtures
must be designed such that the pressure or motion of the machining operation (usually
known as the feed) is directed primarily against the solid component of the fixture. This
reduces the likelihood that the fixture will fail, interrupting the operation and potentially
causing damage to infrastructure, components, or operators.

Fixtures may also be designed for very general or simple uses. These multi-use
fixtures tend to be very simple themselves, often relying on the precision and ingenuity
of the operator, as well as surfaces and components already present in the workshop,
to provide the same benefits of a specially-designed fixture. Examples include workshop
vises, adjustable clamps, and improvised devices such as weights and furniture.

Each component of a fixture is designed for one of two purposes: location or

support.

The below shown diagram fig 1.1 identifies the vise-jaw fixture which is used to
reduces the complexity of a process by using secure mounting point for a work piece

Fig.1.1 Vise-jaw fixture.

1.4 TYPES OF FIXTURES:

Though fixtures are predominantly used in milling operation it is used in other

operations like turning, boring, welding and grinding.
Fixtures are also made for inspection and assembly works. Moreover fixtures
are used for castings and forgings which are rough and irregular in shape. With the
use of locators and proper clamps, handling of those jobs will be made easy in
fixtures than any other standard work holding devices.

ADJUSTABLE FIXTURE:

An adjustable fixture is one which is used in lathe where different cutting tools
could be accommodated in one set up, to turn work pieces of different shape and
length. The position of the cutting tool is adjusted by different gages.

1.2 Adjustable Fixture.

GRINDING FIXTURES:

When extreme accuracy is required for grinding parts like connecting rods, valve
faces or bevel gears, grinding fixtures are used and they hold parts without any
distortion. The positioning of the parts in the fixture is very important and the clamping
should be designed to cover the parts for which machining is not required.
 1.3. Grinding fixture.
WELDING FIXTURE:
Welding fixtures are used to hold the parts in the required shape and is used from
smaller parts to larger parts of a plane. Before welding the parts are placed and
positioned for the required shape. After clamping the parts welding work will be carried
out.

1.4. Welding fixture.

ASSEMBLY FIXTURE:
Large components in airplanes are usually assembled with assembly fixtures.
Pipelines and other frames which are so lengthy will be placed in the fixture and
assembled. As the use of fixture will be more with lengthy or large components the
fixture material has to be stiffer to avoid deflection. Some parts are required to have
simple operations like drilling or welding, after aligning with the adjacent parts. An
assembly fixture should have to be constructed to accommodate such situations.

1.5. Assembly Fixture.

INSPECTION FIXTURES:
The parts after getting finished with the manufacturing operation have to be
checked for its accuracy in shape or in dimension. That will be performed with
inspection fixtures and they are extensively used in automotive industries. The fixture
will be the master in shape and every part will be compared for its shape conformity. For
checking the dimension, the fixture is prepared in such a way that it could accommodate
the correct dimensioned parts only.

1.6. Inspection Fixture.

MILLING FIXTURES:

The use of fixture is oriented mostly with milling operation and there are different
types of fixtures available with milling operation.

1.7. Milling Fixture.

FORM MILLING FIXTURE:

For milling ordinary contours like taking a slot or milling a side of a plate form
milling fixture is used. More than one component will be fixed in a row and the operation
could be done in a single stroke. The work should always be secured in such a way the
thrust of the cutter is taken by the solid part of the fixture.

RECIPROCATING FIXTURE:

In a reciprocating milling fixture twin fixtures are mounted on a sliding table with its
base fastened to the milling machine. It facilitates the operator to unload or reload one
work piece while the other one will be under machining by moving the sliding table in a
straight line. The table movement will be achieved either by compressed air or hydraulic
fluid.

1.8. Reciprocating Milling Fixture.

STRADDLE MILLING FIXTURE:

Straddle milling fixture is used where milling operation is required simultaneously
on either side of a component. This assures the parallelism of the component. Also in
taking heavy cuts during the roughing operation two components could be loaded so
that this set up will save time.

1.9. Straddle Milling Fixture.

INDEXING FIXTURES:
When the milling operation is required to fall on a circular path indexing fixtures are
used. For milling gears indexing fixtures are used. With multiple indexing head more
than one job can be milled at the same time.

1.10. Indexing Fixture.

MULTIPLE MILLING FIXTURES:

When milling two or more surfaces of a same part which are in relation with each
other multiple head fixture are used. This is one type of the special milling fixtures and is
used in machining two cylinder faces of a V-engine cylinder block at a same time
thereby saving more production time.

1.11. Multiple Milling Fixtures.

 CHAPTER 1

LITERATURE REVIEW

To begin with, imperfections in manufacturing processes induce machining

errors in components. Machining errors are introduced, transformed and
accumulated when the work piece is being machined.

2.1. LITERATURE SURVEY:

Sheldon Levine [1], highlighted the importance of the rigidity of fixture.

The paper of addresses the vibration response of the fixture, to get fixture as rigid
as possible within the allowable weight limits & fixture should therefore have no
resonances within the frequency range. That is, the first resonant frequency should
be above the maximum specified tested frequencies.
Necmettin Kaya [2], in his paper proposed that clamping is very important
in the fixture design to get rigidity of the fixture. In his paper he also concluded
that use of ANSYS FOR THE finite element analysis of fixture.
Yi Zheng [3], establishes the finite element model of fixture unit stiffness
and develops the experimental approaches to identify contact stiffness. Based on
this study, the database of fixture stiffness can be built up, and further used in
CAFD. Further in this report, he proposed mathematical calculation approach of
finite element analysis.

J.E. Akin [4], proposed that fea is the most common tool for stress and
structural analysis. Various fields of study are often related. Further he guided the
steps involved in the finite element analysis. The basic concept behind the FEM is
to replace any complex shape with the union (or summation) of a large number of
very simple shapes (like triangles) that are combined to correctly model the
original part. The smaller simpler shapes are called finite elements because each
one occupies a small but finite sub-domain of the original part.

Xiumei Kang and Qingjin Peng [5], concludes with the research trend of
computer aided fixture panning.

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a useful tool in modeling fixture work piece
interactions for the deformation analysis. The model can be parametrically built to
optimize a fixture layout and clamping forces at a minimized work piece
deformation.

David Roylance [6], proposes the FEA is now the basis of multibillion
dollar per year industry. Numerical solutions to even very complicated stress
problem can now obtained using FEA.

Haiyan Deng [7], proposed that Fixturing stability is an important concern

in machining fixture design and refers to the ability of a fixture to fully restrain a
work piece that is subjected to external forces generated by the machining
operation. The majority of prior work on fixturing stability analysis is static or
quasi-static. Early efforts in this area focused on the study of form closure and
force closure & present a systematic mathematical procedure for modeling and
analysis of the fixturing dynamic stability of an arbitrarily configured fixture-work
piece system in machining. The procedure consists of static model to calculate the
work piece contact deformation due to clamping, a dynamic model to predict the
work piece motion due to machining, a geometric model to capture the continuous
change of system geometry and inertia due to the material removal effect, and a
module to simulate the overall behavior of the fixture work piece and detect
instabilities at fixture-work piece interfaces.
 S.Ratchev, K.Phuah, G.Lammel, W.Huang [8], proposed that to reduce
the overall costs and lead-times of new fixture development, and efficient and
accurate fixture design verification methodogy would have to be developed. They
present an innovative simulation methodology that is capable of predicting the
dynamic behavior of fixture-work piece systems and is compatible with any
commercially available FEA platforms. This is through the implementation of an
innovative technique which utilizes spring and damper elements to represent every
point where the fixture is in contact with the work piece. They reports on the
experimental work to produce the required spring profiles for a range of fixture and
work piece contact scenarios. The entire experiment was planned and executed
using design of experiment (DOE) techniques, ensuring that the results can be
tested for statistical significance.

Shane P. Siebenaler, Shreyes N. Melkote [12] stated that knowledge of work piece
deformations induced by loading in a fixture-work piece system is important to
ensure quality part production. Suitable methods for accurately predicting such
deformations are essential to the design and operation of fixtures. In this regard,
finite element modeling has been widely applied by researchers and practitioners.
However, these studies generally neglect the role of compliance of the fixture body
on work piece deformation. This study uses finite element analysis (FEA) to model
a fixture-work piece system.

Peter Avitabile [9] stated that Vibration fixtures, at times, have resonant
frequencies that exist in the frequency range needed for conducting vibration tests.
These resonant frequencies can cause significant problems when running vibration
tests over ranges which include these resonances. A test engineer will attempt to
control the shaker system through a feedback accelerometer which controls the
level of vibration input into the test specimen. However, the control accelerometer
can only control the level of vibration at that point It cannot change the resonant
behavior of the vibration fixture. Some problems involving this are described in
this article along with some basic material about these phenomena.

Vaibhav H. Bankar [10] stated that present milling fixtures can be created
as needed during the intermediate process steps by referencing the gauge block
towards the work piece. The milling forces are predicted from the work piece
material properties, cutter parameters, tooth geometry, cutting condition and types
of milling. Modeling has been applied to model a milling fixture-work piece
system and to explore the influence of compliance of the milling fixture body on
work piece deformation. In addition, the effects of vibration on the prediction of
natural frequency are also examined. Vibration analysis is carried out to find out
the natural frequency.
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

A fixture is a production tool that locates, holds, and supports the work
securely so the required machining operations can be performed. A fixture
should be securely fastened to the table of machine upon which the work is
done. Fixtures are essential elements of production processes as they are
required in most of the automated manufacturing, inspection, and assembly
operations.

In mass production fixture have five key aspects

 Reduce the cost of production.
 Maintain consistent quality.
 Speed up production.
 Prevent or reduce improper techniques.
 Improve the overall safety to the part, operator, and machine.
Fixture planning is conceptualize by a basic fixture configuration
through analyzing all the available information regarding the specifications
of the work piece such as its shape, dimensions and tolerances, material
and geometry of the work-piece, operations required, processing
equipment for the operations, and the operator. Other factors also
influence the machining outcome including machining operations
sequence, cost considerations, direction and strength of machining forces,
capabilities and orientation of the machine tools.
Typically the design process by which such fixtures are created has
major four phases (fig.3.1) such as fixture planning, fixture layout, fixture
element design, and fixture body design.
 3.1. Phases of fixture design

The following inputs are included in the fixture plan:

 Fixture type and complexity.
 Number of work-pieces per fixture.
 Orientation of work-piece within fixture.
 Locating datum faces.
 Clamping surfaces.
 Support surfaces.

Generation of fixture layout is to represent the fixture concepts in a physical

form. The following outputs are included in the fixture layout:
 Types and Position of locators.
  Types and Position of clamps.
 Types and Positions of supports.
 Clamping forces and sequence.
Fixture element design is either to detail the design drawings committed on
paper or to create the solid models in a CAD system of the practical embodiment of
the conceptual locators, clamps and supports. It is possible to use standard designs or
proprietary components. Fixture body design is to produce a rigid structure carrying
all the individual fixture elements in their proper places.

WORK HOLDING PRINCIPLES

LOCATING PRINCIPLES:
A locator is usually a fixed component of a fixture. It is used to establish and
maintain the position of a part in the fixture by constraining the movement of the
part. For work-pieces of greater variability in shapes and surface conditions, a locator
can also be adjustable.
An unrestricted object is free to move in any twelve possible directions. Fig. 3
shows an object with three axis and planes, along which movement may occur. An
object is free to revolve around or move parallel to any axis in either direction. To
illustrate this planes have been marked X-X, Y-Y, Z-Z, The directions of movement
are numbered from one to twelve.

To restrict the movement, accurately locate a part in fixture. This is done with
locaters and clamps.
 Characteristics of good location
 Minimum locating points should be used.
 Locating points should be placed as far as apart as possible.
  Locating should be small and size.
In general, three locating forms can be considered, namely plane, concentric,
and radial. For plane locating form, locators are used to locate the work piece on any
surface such as flat, circular or irregular surfaces. For concentric locating form, pin-
hole locators are used and for radial locating form, locators restrict the work piece
movement around the concentric locators. The 3-2-1 principle is the most commonly
method used. In this method, three perpendicular surfaces of the work piece are used
to define the locating position.

CLAMPING PRINCIPLES:
As the locating is important to restrict the movement of the work piece,
clamping is also important to resist the effects of cutting forces. The direction of
clamps should be determined according to cutting force direction in order to perform
machining operations securely. Clamping forces should be in the same direction of
the machining forces which try to push the work piece down onto the locators and
supporters. The clamp should be large enough to hold the work piece and small
enough to stay away of the cutting tool path. There are some other factors that should
also be considered in use of clamps. These include machine tool vibration, loads and
stresses, damage preventing of the work piece, and improving loading/unloading
speed.

A clamp is a force-actuating mechanism of a fixture. The forces exerted by the

clamps hold a part securely in the fixture against all other external forces. In every
machining operation, clamping of work-pieces is an essential requirement. A clamp
can be defined as a
Device for providing an invariant location with respect to an external loading
system. In other words, the process of clamping induces a locking effect which,
through frictional or some other forms of mechanism, provides a stability of location
which cannot be changed until and unless external loading is able to overcome the
locking effect. Hence, when a cutting force is producing a load or moment on the
work-piece, it is necessary that a sufficient clamping force must be exerted to
withstand such actions.
It is also essential that the idle time involving loading, locking, unlocking
and unloading of work- pieces should be minimized as much as possible to
reduce the overall set-up and non-machining time. Clamping elements may be
either manually operated or actuated by pneumatic, hydraulic or a combination of
other power facilities. They are also classified according to the mechanism by which
a mechanical advantage is attained.

3.2. Degrees of freedom (DOF) and planes of movement.

 CHAPTER 4

MODELING OF FIXTURE

In this chapter, modelings of fixture with the help of L-Bracket were developed to
reduce the Hmc process in order to reduce the cycle time and cost of production.
Fractal geometry is used to properly simulate the topographies of the engineered
surface in the 2D finite element models.
4.1 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
 CHAPTER 5

COST REDUCTION AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION FOR FLYWHEEL FIXTURE

5.1 FIXTURE WITH L-BRACKET ASSEMBLY:

Fabrication of L-bracket fixture involves different making process which is based

on factors such as material properties, machining processes such as milling, drilling,
threading and surface finishing.

Fig.5.1 fixture with L-bracket

5.2 L-BRACKET

In mechanical engineering a bracket is any intermediate component for fixing one

part to another, usually larger, and part. What makes a bracket is that it is intermediate
between the two and fixes the one to the other? Brackets vary widely in shape, but a
prototypical bracket is the L-shaped metal piece that attaches a shelf (the smaller
component) to a wall (the larger component): its vertical arm is fixed to one (usually
large) element, and its horizontal arm protrudes outwards and holds another (usually
small) element. This shelf bracket is effectively the same as the architectural bracket: a
vertical arm mounted on the wall, and a horizontal arm projecting outwards for another
element to be attached on top of it or below it. To enable the outstretched arm to
support a greater weight, a bracket will often have a third arm running diagonally
between the horizontal and vertical arms, or the bracket may be a solid triangle. By
extension almost any object that performs this function of attaching one part to another
(usually larger) component is also called a bracket, even though it may not be obviously
L-shaped. Common examples that are often not really L-shaped at all but attach a
smaller component to a larger and are still called brackets are the components that
attach a bicycle lamp to a bicycle, and the rings that attach pipes to walls.

Fig.5.2 L-BRACKET
 CHAPTER 6

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

6.1 EXPERIMENTATION:
6.2 EXPERIMENTAL CALCULATION
6.3 EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION

6.3.1 EXISTING OPERATION PROCESSING TIME

SEQUENCE PROCESS HANDLING COST OF M/C HOUR

OF TIME TIME OPERATION RATE
OPERATION (MINS/SEC ) (MINS/SEC) (RUPEES) (RUPEES)

VMC-1 22.00 2.30 242 600

VMC-2 2.00 2.00 54 600

HMC-1 3.00 3.00 90 1800

TOTAL 386

Tab.no.6.1 Existing Operation Processing Time

6.3.2 NEW OPERATION PROCESSING TIME

SEQUENCE PROCESS HANDLING COST OF M/C HOUR

OF TIME TIME OPERATION RATE
OPERATION (MINS/SEC ) (MINS/SEC) (RUPEES) (RUPEES)

VMC-1 2.30 2.30 50 600

VMC-2 2.00 2.00 54 600

BROACHING 4.00 2.00 35 350

VMC-3 4.00 2.00 60 600

TOTAL 198 Rupees

Tab.no.6.2 New Operation Processing Time