A full set of clamp blocks for every fixture plate in an automated assembly cell, so changeovers no longer mean moving clamps from plate to plate.
PROBLEM
The clamp blocks hold a part onto a fixture plate while it is assembled in an automated assembly cell. The customer had five different fixture plates but only one set of clamps (four clamps in all), so every time a part change called for a different fixture plate the clamps had to come off one plate and go onto the next. Changeovers were long.
SOLUTION
Custom Concepts was asked to produce a set of clamps for each fixture plate. The existing clamps were reverse engineered, with some changes to the geometry and to some of the components so they would be more efficient to manufacture and could use off-the-shelf hardware. Custom Concepts machined the blocks, supplied all of the hardware, and finished and assembled them.
Outcome
The customer received 20 clamp blocks. That’s a full set for every fixture plate. When a fixture plate is changed out its clamps are already on it, so there’s no lengthy changeover. Because the design now uses off-the-shelf hardware, replacement parts are easy to get.
