Adaptable Fixtures for Flexible Manufacturing Systems
{'Code': '07030000', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'ENG', 'LongName': 'Directorate For Engineering'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'CMMI', 'LongName': 'Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'K. (Cheena) Srinivasan', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The promise of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) is that                they will enable many different parts to be produced automatically and          continuously on a single set of machines.  One major barrier to                 widespread commercial use of flexible manufacturing systems is that,            with current technology, it is difficult to create fixtures to hold             parts that are not similar in shape and size.  Thus, many flexible              manufacturing systems can produce only a limited variety of parts.  If          flexible fixtures were available, the number of parts that could be             produced in a single FMS would increase, and flexible                           manufacturing systems would be more economically attractive.                         Much of the current research in flexible fixturing has centered            around creating modular mechanical fixtures that can be                         automatically reconfigured for each part.  Other methods such as                phase-change fixtures and fluidized-bed fixtures have not received as           much attention and consequently their uses are more limited.  The               proposed research will focus on the latter class of flexible                    fixtures.  In particular, mathematical models of phase-change                   fixtures subjected to varying forces will be developed and verified.            These models will then be used in the design, fabrication, and                  testing of phase-change fixtures.  Finally, research will be                    undertaken to integrate the fixtures into flexible manufacturing                systems.  The study will encompass both authentic phase-change                  materials (those that undergo phase changes due to thermal or                   electrical pulses) and pseudo-phase-change materials (those that can be         induced to act as solid or liquid depending on an external force field).
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{'Name': 'Industrial Technology Institute', 'CityName': 'Ann Arbor', 'ZipCode': '481092075', 'PhoneNumber': '3137630524', 'StreetAddress': '2005 Baits Drive', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Michigan', 'StateCode': 'MI', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '12', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'MI12', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': None, 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': None, 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1468', 'Text': 'Manufacturing Machines & Equip'}
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