Tooling Integration Project: Laser Fixture Design and Integration

Problem Statement: New tooling was purchased by the company - specifically laser marking machines - and were to be integrated into production by Engineering. Due to the nature of the machines, new fixturing and work holding tools had to be designed and manufactured by Engineering. These fixtures had the following constraints:

• Fixtures must raise the "marking surface" of a part to a specified distance away from the lens of the laser machine. The machines have a fixed height, and therefore are non-adjustable. Considering the machine would be used for a variety of products made up of a variety of shapes, the fixtures would have to be designed in a way that the part was held in the correct focal range.

• Fixtures must use a minimal amount of material utilizing additive manufacturing (3D printing)

• Fixtures must interface with the laser machine hardware in order to properly secure the parts being lasered

• Fixtures must secure the parts in a way that they are easily inserted and removed, yet a minimal amount of movement within the fixture is expected in order for the laser marks to be repeatable and consistent

• Fixtures must allow new laser machines to mark respective parts and products in a way that matches existing graphics on each product

All fixtures were designed within SolidWorks CAD Software for easy calculation and design editing. Once the above constraints were confirmed, each respective fixture was printed using a Stratasys 3D printer, out of ABS plastic material.

On account of the volume of different products produced, approx. 50 fixtures had to be designed and tested.