ABSTRACT

Fixtures were developed and widely used in manufacturing operations to locate and hold a part firmly in position so that the required manufacturing processes can be carried out according to design specifications (Hoffman, 1991). As part of manufacturing tooling, the application of dedicated fixtures has greatly contributed to the development of automated manufacturing sys­ tems, especially in the automobile industry. As in the development of tech­ nologies, flexible fixturing is desired. Currently, modular fixtures are the most widely used flexible fixtures in industry.