Reconfigurable Fixturing System for Aircraft Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional 'bed of nails' fixtures for large workpieces, such as aircraft components, are not efficiently reconfigurable, leading to excessive unused support points and increased costs due to limited horizontal movement and reconfigurability.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable fixturing system comprising elongate members with slideable support assemblies, pivot assemblies, and transverse guide rails that allow movement in the x-y plane, enabling flexible positioning and orientation of support members to accommodate various workpieces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional bed of nails fixtures are used to support large workpieces, then the workpiece can be rigidly supported at multiple contact points, but the fixture cannot be efficiently reconfigured for different workpieces, leading to excessive unused support points and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The support posts are made dynamically reconfigurable through telescopic mechanisms that allow both vertical and horizontal movement. Each support post can extend/retract vertically and slide horizontally along the fixture base, enabling the same physical support points to serve different workpiece configurations. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by maintaining rigid support when needed while enabling efficient reconfiguration for different workpieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The support posts are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as vertical support elements and horizontal positioning elements. The same support post structure provides both vertical elevation and horizontal relocation capabilities, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms. This universal design allows a single fixture to accommodate multiple different workpiece types and configurations, resolving the adaptability issue while maintaining support reliability.
2Reliability
If traditional bed of nails fixtures include many support posts for various locations, then large non-planar workpieces can be supported, but most support posts remain unused in any given setup, increasing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having many fixed support posts where most remain unused, the invention employs fewer support posts that can dynamically relocate horizontally to contact different points on the workpiece. The telescopic mechanism allows each support post to slide along the fixture base and position itself at the required location, reducing the total number of support posts needed while maintaining comprehensive workpiece support capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support posts incorporate variable parameters through telescopic mechanisms that enable both vertical height adjustment and horizontal position adjustment. This parameter variability allows a smaller number of support posts to replace a larger number of fixed support posts, as each post can adapt its position and orientation to match the specific requirements of different workpiece configurations, thereby reducing overall fixture complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If support posts are fixed in position, then the structure is simple, but the fixture cannot be reconfigured to accommodate various different workpieces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic movement capabilities to otherwise simple support post structures. Each support post incorporates a telescopic mechanism with vertical and horizontal movement capabilities, allowing the same simple structural form to achieve complex reconfiguration functionality. This maintains ease of manufacture through standardized simple components while adding adaptability through controlled movement mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The support post structure is segmented into movable sections with independent vertical and horizontal movement capabilities. This segmentation allows each support post to be controlled independently, enabling precise positioning for different workpiece configurations. The segmented design maintains structural simplicity through modular components while achieving high reconfigurability through coordinated movement of the segments.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable fixturing assembly including an elongate member defining a longitudinal axis, a support assembly slideably connected to the elongate member, the support assembly including a support member extending therefrom, a plurality of pivot assemblies slideably connected to the elongate member, each pivot assembly defining a pivot axis, and a plurality of transverse guide rails, wherein each transverse guide rail defines a guide rail axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the elongate member, and wherein each transverse guide rail is slideably connected to an associated pivot assembly.