Computer-Aided Fixture Design – A Review and Future Trends

A fixture is a mechanism used in manufacturing to hold a workpiece, position it correctly with respect to a machine tool, and support it during machining. Typically, fixture design involves the identification of clamp, locator, and support points, and the selection of corresponding fixture elements for their respective functions. The automation of fixture design activities in manufacturing is an important research area, which must be addressed to achieve the integration of design and manufacturing. Fixture design is a complex task, which is as a critical design–manufacturing link, especially in a modern computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment [1,2]. The computer-based automation of the fixture design activities is commonly referred to as computer-automated or computer-aided fixture design (CAFD).