Active fixturing: literature review and future research directions

Fixtures are used to fixate, position and support workpieces and represent a crucial tool in manufacturing. Their performance determines the result of the whole manufacturing process of a product. There is a vast amount of research done on automatic fixture layout synthesis and optimisation and fixture design verification. Most of this work considers fixture mechanics to be static and the fixture elements to be passive. However, a new generation of fixtures has emerged that has actuated fixture elements for active control of the part–fixture system during manufacturing operations to increase the end product quality. This paper analyses the latest studies in the field of active fixture design and its relationship with flexible and reconfigurable fixturing systems. First, a brief introduction is given on the importance of research of fixturing systems. Secondly, the basics of workholding and fixture design are visited, after which the state-of-the-art in active fixturing and related concepts is presented. Fourthly, part–fixture dynamics and design strategies which take these into account are discussed. Fifthly, the control strategies used in active fixturing systems are examined. Finally, some final conclusions and prospective future research directions are presented

Increasing the Efficiency of the Production Process Due to Using Methods of Industrial Engineering

The thesis deals with the increase of production productivity using industrial engineering methods. Application of lean methods in production process and logistics. (predicate should be added). In the theoretical part of this thesis the knowledge (information in this case is better) drawn from technical literature in the field of industrial engineering is presented. In particular the problem of balancing the production line is described here. The right production cycle is a basic requirement for serial production. Process analysis and the right detail analysis of production operations is the main indicator for batching of the production cycle and the detection of bottlenecks. In the analytical part, an approach to resolving changes on the production line is described. Time analysis of layout changes and decision analysis are described. Narrow spots have been removed by various principles. There has been a change in the layout of the production line and the application of new technology in the control room. The entire study shows the practical verification of the acquired knowledge in the field of industrial engineering and subsequent application in real operation. The project was built on the REFA methodology that was important for balancing manufacturing operations. In order to achieve the optimum production cycle, the layout had to be changed. The new layout contained a decision analysis to determine the right solution. The whole study shows a systematic approach to applying the above methods. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020