Abstract
Many factors such as process planning and fixture design contribute to the machining quality of products. Based on the determined operating sequences and the corresponding cutting path and force distribution, fixture design and analysis are proceeded. Further, the result of fixture design and analysis can provide additional information or constraints to be fed-back to the process planning so that the process can be further improved. In this paper, fixture planning of a truck differential carrier is taken as a case study to illustrate how the fixture design and process planning act interactively. By finite element analysis and loading-strain experiments, we explore the effects of fixture system and the dimensional variation of workparts on machining accuracy. The deformation effects of fixturing force are analyzed so that the process planning can be modified for more accurate machining. Moreover, in fixture hardware design, the functional behavior of fixture is verified to ensure the functional requirements are satisfied. Combining the computer-aided engineering (CAE) with experimental verification, this paper presents a systematic approach of fixture design to ensure the workholding accuracy and reliability.