A computer-based design system for lightweight grippers in the automotive industry

• This paper presents the development as well as the architecture of a computer-aided dedicated fixture design system intended to support the design of lightweight (carbon fiber composite) grippers for a major truck company. Lightweight grippers were required due to the increasing production rates in the automotive industry. The current robotic equipment was facing diverse problems during transportation and aligning of the parts, problems related to mass inertia, accuracy and stability. Moreover, the increased demands for truck customization and fast release of new product versions required a computer-based support for the design of the appropriate fixtures. This application is believed to be of interest for fixture research because the design of such complex fixtures is likely to appear more and more often. Specifically, such fixtures are subject to specific requirements that necessitate a systematic requirement elicitation method; they also require extensive conceptual design work as well as careful analysis activity planning. The main steps requisite for the development of the design system are reported: setup planning, fixture planning, conceptual design of the gripper. The architecture, the process and the constituent elements of the design system are also described and illustrated.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Annan maskinteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Other Mechanical Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

grippers

design analysis

KBE

machine design

maskinkonstruktion

Automotive industry

Publication and Content Type

kon (subject category)

ref (subject category)