U.S.-Singapore Cooperative Research on Automatic Fixturing

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9215993 King This award provides funds to permit Dr. Lucy Siu-Bik King, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, GMI Engineering and Management Institute, and Dr. Kingman E. Yee, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lawrence Technological University, to pursue with Dr. Beng Siong Lim, GINTIC Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Nanyang Technological Institute, Singapore, for a period of 24 months, a program of research on automatic fixturing. Their research will be directed toward two major goals, namely, (1) the theoretical formulation of an optimization model for finding the positions of fixturing elements for a given workpart geometry and (2) comparing the fixturing element with fixture components using the MOFDEX expert support system, the Block Jig System, and Modular Fixturing System. In the PI's previous research, an optimization model has been developed to generate a fixturing configuration design for prismatic objects. This research will be extended to non- prismatic workparts such as the sphere, cylinder, tetrahedron and parallelpiped taking into account assembly operations and fixturing element types. Dr. Lim has developed expert systems for the practical portion of the second goal. Manual methods of fixturing, still prevalent in the manufacturing environment, may result in delays of three to six weeks in an automotive plant. Concurrent engineering and flexible manufacturing requires faster turn around time for fixturing design. Automatic fixturing configuration offers a partial solution to such a demand. The expert support system generated from this collaboration will be especially useful for computer- aided fixturing in industries that use CAD (Computer Assisted Design) systems. The collaborators have complementary expertise which will be mutually beneficial in this research. This project is relevant to the objectives of the Division of International Programs which seeks to increase the level of coopera tion between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in developing countries through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit. This project adds an international cooperative dimension to the Dr. King's research under NSF Grants No. DDM-9196231 and DDM-9215362. ***