TAMIL: an integrated fixture design system for prismatic parts

In this paper, a fixture design system called TAMIL ( Towards A Manufacturing Integration Link) is discussed. The focus of this paper is on an automated methodology to perform support and location design in an integrated manner. In the Preliminary Design phase, a preliminary analysis of the product geometry ( shape and size), and topology ( features & surfaces) is performed. In the subsequent phase, the machining set-up configurations and Support/Location aspects of fixture design are determined. In location design, the focus is to position a given workpiece correctly with respect to a machine tool by selecting the appropriate location surfaces or features and their respective modular locator elements. In support design, the most feasible support surfaces during machining are identified and the corresponding modular support elements are selected.