Title: Design of a flexible centring tooling system

Authors: Laine Mears, Francis M. Kolarits, Michael Thompson, Thomas R. Kurfess

Addresses: International Center for Automotive Research, Clemson University, 244 Fluor Daniel Building, Clemson, SC 29634-0921, USA. ' International Center for Automotive Research, Clemson University, 244 Fluor Daniel Building, Clemson, SC 29634-0921, USA. ' International Center for Automotive Research, Clemson University, 244 Fluor Daniel Building, Clemson, SC 29634-0921, USA. ' International Center for Automotive Research, Clemson University, 244 Fluor Daniel Building, Clemson, SC 29634-0921, USA

Abstract: Precise machining of bearing rings is integral to finished bearing assembly quality. The output accuracy of centre-based machining systems relates directly to the precision of part centring before machining. Traditional tooling is subject to wear, dimensional inaccuracy and human error. A flexible tooling system for initial part centring is proposed based on a single measurement system and actuator. In this system, the part is rotated and measured to identify centre of geometry offset from centre of rotation, then moved by a series of pushes to align the centres. The actuation algorithm is self-modifying based on residual error. This tooling control architecture is based on a real-time version of LabVIEW and employs only a single fixed pusher tip. This enables the system to be readily adaptable to a range of part sizes with only internal variable changes. Such a flexible tooling system can be readily integrated into existing manufacturing equipment.

Keywords: flexible tooling; flexible manufacturing; precision metrology; part centring; tooling control; labVIEW; bearing rings.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2007.012331

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2007 Vol.28 No.1, pp.52 - 62

Published online: 06 Feb 2007 *

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