Design of Fixture Systems in Automotive Manufacturing and Assembly

Abstract

Fixture systems have a great importance in modern manufacturing and assembly because of the high number of scenarios in which they are used. Fixture design is a complex task since the system effectiveness depends both on position and type of locators. Several authors deal with the problem of determine the most suitable design for fixture systems but their investigation is commonly limited to the evaluation of the effects due to the locators position. In the present work a design method is proposed to evaluate the fixture systems considering also the locators type. Since it is possible to model the fixtures as multi-performance systems, the comparison is performed by introducing appropriate sensitivity indexes. The effectiveness of the design method is proved through the application to an automotive case study.

Ensuring economic efficiency of flexible fixtures in multiproduct manufacturing

“…Meanwhile, Qin et al (2010) presented a literature review on existing fixture systems, their functionality, design features, and sufficient use. Ansaloni et al (2013) and Matteo et al (2013) noted that when designing the manufacturing process of machining parts for the automotive industry with CNC machines, it is crucial to strive to intensify machining processes, increase the flexibility of equipment and processes, and productivity levels. Son and Park (1987) stated that productivity, quality, and flexibility were key indicators of production efficiency integrated into the model for evaluating manufacturing systems used to justify investment in manufacturing systems.…”