Intelligent fixtures for the manufacturing of low rigidity components
INTEFIX aims to increase the performance of the machining processes by the use of intelligent fixture systems, allowing the monitoring, control and adaptation of the process to obtain suitable results according to precision, quality and cost requirements.
Normally the main functions of fixtures are to securely hold and accurately locate the workpiece considered as an undeformable body, but nowadays the high required precision and the need of increasing the performance of the manufacturing process drives to other important functions of the fixtures taking into account aspects like the deformations, vibrations and distortions in the workpiece during processing, as a consequence of the variations in the behavior of the machining system (machine-fixture-workpiece) along the process. The project use adaptive fixtures to control and adapt the behaviour of the machining system in order to obtain suitable results in manufacturing precision, quality and cost.
The proposed intelligent-modular fixture is a step forward to the smart manufacturing, providing new features of automation, flexibility, versatility, cost-efficiency and accuracy to the current, state of the art, manufacturing systems and equipment; solving problems of vibrations, deformations and precision positioning.
The intelligent fixture will provide sensors and active drives to obtain a suitable fix of the component modifying the force and position of active locators and clamps, in order to select the suitable static and dynamic behaviour of the machine-fixture system for improving the process (Vibration, deformation and positioning).
The experiments are divided into three scenarios oriented to obtain a solution to different problems associated to machining process: vibrations, deformation/distortions and positioning/set-up.
The developed solutions will be validated in 11 real test cases from aeronautic, railway, automotive and machine-tool sectors covering different problems and requirements in the manufacturing industry.
