MODULAR FIXTURE

Introduction to modular fixture◦ -components

Advantage of modular fixture

Application

Conclusion

  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.

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.

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

    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

Flex plates offer the ability to work on any given fixture away from the machine, free from any space constraints

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.

Modular clamps and accessories are extremely versatile and flexible, which allows them to be used in a wide variety of workholding applications.

        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.

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

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

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".

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For welding the 304 stainless steel frame accurately,the Demmeler modular fixturing system provides apositional accuracy of 0.0015"/ft.

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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