WHAT IS FIXTURE?
The equipment that positions and holds the workpiece in the correct coordinates and orientation in the predicted position for the machine tool or welding process is called “fixture”.
CLAMP LOCATION ON WELDING TOOL?
There are basically three types of structural elements in a fixture. These are locator, clamp, and support, respectively. The positioner is the unit that is mostly fixed and restricts the freedom of movement by positioning the part in the fixture. Pin or surface abutments provide positioning of the part. Clamps form the movable part of the fixture. The forces required to hold the part are applied by the clamps. The support is the unit that is mostly fixed on the fixture and helps the workpiece to maintain its geometry against the clamp, its own weight and the thermal stresses in the welding process or the forces arising from the machining process. Support legs can be considered sub-assemblies of a general fixture assembly and contain other sub-assemblies such as movable or fixed pins, stop or clamp units.
TOOL DESIGN CLAMP APPLICATION ?
The first thing to be done in fixture design is the decision of which welding method will be applied with the fixture. Of course, the manufacturing method to be applied is also a factor in this decision. It is also known that fixture application is used in automated manufacturing systems in many applications. The next steps can be overcome correctly with fixture planning. In fixture planning, the positioning surfaces and the areas to be restrained with clamps are determined on the workpiece in order to hold it properly. These regions (pin, stop and clamp points) are often specified in the location drawings created within the manufacturing planning. Fixture design is the creation of a fixture structure as an assembly to meet various production needs, such as manufacturing volumes, machining or welding conditions. Fixture validation is the evaluation of fixture design performance that meets manufacturing needs such as proper positioning, holding tolerance ranges, fixture stability, and ease of operation. In recent years, studies on fixture verification have become dominant, especially in the field of processing technologies.
What is a welding fixture? For those who are wondering, let's continue our fixture article; In general, the apparatus that allows complex and difficult to assemble parts to be welded and tacked in series is called welding fixture. Welding fixtures, which provide convenience and practicality to the application, have started to be used quite widely in the sectors that make mass production today. In addition to known welding applications (spot, gas metal arc, manual, etc.) in practice, it is an automated welding and part.
