Week 3:- BiW Fixture Design Methodologies Challenges

1. Design Methodology: First Inputs should be get form the customer. The inputs are product, plant layout, weld layout, clamp layout, metric or inches unit to be used. Then the fixture design will be started based on this inputs.

2. Inputs required from the customer while start designing a fixture: a. Product drawing, b. Plant layout, c. clamp layout, d. Weld layout, e. Robot or Manual to be known.

4. Clamp plan: CLamp plan clearly gives the input like the locations of a part where a clamp shoud come. So that it will not intefere the part loading, part loading sequence, weld spots can not be overlapped by clamp unit.

5. purpose of a layout: A layout tells the front and rear side of a fixture. The loading side of the fixture. The maximum fixture size can be predicted by layout. The process flow can be known by layout.

6. Ergo data: Ergo data gives the ergonomic study of a operator who going to work. So that ther won't be any ergo problem while part loading & unloading.

7. Weld study: Weld study gives the spot layout of a product. So that gun simulations can be done using spot weld layout. We can also design the fixture without any interference with spot layout.

10. Structuring a design tree is important while designing. It is nothing but the parts should be structured based on the sequence of assembly. First a product will be created. under a product, a part will be created.

This structuring reduces the errors. Because we can easily track a part in an assembly. The corrections can be made in a particular part without any mismatch. The naming in Bill Of Materials will be easy without any confusions.

11. Units: Units are sub part of a assembly. All the units together forms a fixture.

Types of units: 1. Fixed pin units, 2. Movable pin units, 3. Clamp unit, 4. Sensor unit, 5. Resting unit

12. Fixed Pin units: Fixed pin units contain locating pin which locates the hole of a sheet metal. Fixed pin unit contains tooling pin, Pin retainer, L-Block, blade, Raiser. Here pin is fixed and will not move.

13. Differnet parts of fixed unit: Tooling pin, Pin retainer, L-Block, Blade and raiser.

14. Rest unit:Rest unit to locate the sheet metal surface. It contains mylar, blade, riser.

15.Basic fundamentals to design a sensor unit:

a. Sensor unit position to be finalised

b. Sensor size to be finalised. Ex. M8 sensors, M10 sensors

c. WE should know whether it is a part sensor, sensor for hardwares etc

16. Rough loactor: Rough locator acts as a nesting unit, and is used to load a part without any wrong loading.

While designing a rough locator, Its height should be 20 to 25 mm more than the sheet metal surface. This locator should not interfere with gun movement.

17. Base unit: A base unit is the base for all other units like pin unit,clamp unit, Rough locator. All other units are retained int this base unit. This unit contains cable tray, valve box, rough locators, Tooling hole.

19. Slide units: Slide units move up and down, TO & Fro. This slide units are actuated by cylinders.

Slide units are commonly used in movable pin units, ejectors etc.