Citation
(1998), "Fixture for car parts", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.03318aaf.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
Fixture for car parts
Fixture for car parts
As part of routine quality assurance, Roctel Manufacturing Ltd, a manufacturer of car parts in Guelph, Ontario, uses a co-ordinate measuring machine to find the dimensions of various parts. For the measurements to be valid, the part needs to be held in place precisely. The company accomplishes this by using a large steel fixture. The fixtures are relatively expensive, typically between $4,000 and $5,000 a cost that is hard to justify for prototypes of parts still in development. Because Roctel might go through up to seven or eight prototypes for a particular part, developing a holding fixture for each one is prohibitively expensive. The company a division of Linamar Corp solved this problem by purchasing the EZ-Tool modular component fixture from ICA International Inc. in Colorado Springs. The system, which is designed around slotted rails, allows exact placement of parts and fixturing attachments. The standard size of the T-slot rail base is 18 × 18 inches, with two adjustable slides that can be manoeuvred anywhere within the fixturing grid. An optional mounting package contains various fixturing components. A key component of the system is a precision jaw clamp used to mount components securely that would otherwise be difficult to measure. The clamp is designed to offer both high and low clamping with firmness for larger, more rigid parts and finesse for a more gentle hold on finer, less-structural components. Roctel uses the modular fixture to hold the various prototypes. Once the design of a part is finalized, the company has a hard fixture manufactured for that part, and it then uses the modular fixture for another project. "The cost saving has been substantial," said Jeffrey Reed of Roctel's Quality Department. "I've used the modular fixture for about a half dozen projects so far, and I've probably saved $30,000 to $40,000".