Automated design of fixtures based on FEM simulations

Abstract

With the aim of improving the availability and performance of machine tools, gentelligent® components for machine tools are developed at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW), Germany, starting with a fixturing system. Being the interface between the machine tool and the workpiece, these systems allow a first evaluation of the potentials of a gentelligent production system. This paper presents an approach for the design of the fixturing as a component of a sensing machine tool on the basis of finite elements simulations. The fixture design is adapted to the workpiece geometry and properties as well as to the loads resulting from the machining process. This is achieved by minimising the deformation of the workpiece and thus increasing the accuracy. The method developed comprises five stages: the analysis of fixture elements, the preprocessing of input (G-code), reduction of input data for the sake of computation time, computation of subconfigurations and assessment and comparison of all subconfigurations.