UCONN Management and Engineering of Manufacturing / Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Job Ticket

Sponsoring Company: AeroCision

Project Title: Clamping fixture improvement for 5 axis machining

Prime Contacts: David Shurtleff ()

The Engineering Challenge: AeroCision is a manufacturer of complex machined rings made from various high-temperature aerospace materials. Each manufacturing operation requires specific work holding (also called “Fixtures”) to properly locate and support the part during machining (see figure 1). Some of these operations are known as “Mill/Turn” incorporating a mix of turning operations and milling operations from multiple directions on 5 axis equipment. Multiple considerations must go into fixture design including clearance to all other machine tools, clamp force to withstand cutting forces, among others.

Figure 1: Current fixture

Description of Problem/Project : AeroCision produces a family of Inconel rings which require a low-profile fixture design. The current design doesn’t provide satisfactory clamping force, so it’s necessary to use a drive pin to stop rotation. This requires an additional operation to install a receiving hole for the drive pin in each and every part.

The objectives of this projectare to study the strength of the current fixture design, complete process modeling of the cutting forces, and the development of a solution which will allow the company to remove the drive pin and thus remove the extra operation.

Multiple options need to be presented, as well as a documented workflow so similar analysis can be incorporated on future product.

Expected Deliverables:

-Analysis of the current fixture in terms of clamping force versus machining force

-Develop finite element analysis protocol for the clamping fixture

-Create testing apparatus to measure the machining force

-Create testing apparatus to measure the clamping force

-Develop options for clamping force improvement

-Compare and validtate new design options

-Create and manage project plan for the implementation of the new fixture

• Project build, with knowledge of mechanical design, work instruction, and fixture design – ME/MEM

• Determine cost efficiency of the design, robustness, and work flow effectiveness of the new fixtures– MEM/ME

  • Is there a specific software package required for the projects? Y _X_ N ___

Which package (name/version) ______SOLIDWORKS 2017______

  • U.S. Citizen/Person (green card) Required? Y__X_ N ___
  • Will Export Controlled data be used in project (EAR/ITAR) Y _____N_X__
  • NDA/IP Agreements required? Y __X_ N _
  • Other considerations: