A skeleton-retrieving technique for aiding modular-fixtures design

This paper presents a computer-aided approach to the design of modular fixtures by retrieving similar workpieces from an existing database. A database which stores previously-manufactured workpieces and their modular fixtures is assumed to be available. Each workpiece in the database is described by its skeleton and its boundary representation (BREP). The skeleton is a tree structure that describes the interior framework of a workpiece. Workpieces that have similar skeletons usually require similar fixturing configurations. For a new workpiece which requires a fixture to be designed, we first determine its skeleton and then retrieve existing workpieces with similar skeletons. The modular fixtures of these retrieved workpieces are displayed to assist engineers in designing new fixtures.