Technical Field

The invention in general is related to a magnetic modular fixture (fixation) system and a method thereof which enables processing/ manufacturing mechanical work pieces which comprises precise geometrical elements with a high accuracy.

The invention is particularly related to a magnetic modular fixture (fixation) system which enables processing/ manufacturing said parts by means of preventing thermal and mechanical stress on the work pieces with precise geometry and a method thereof.

State of the Art

In the conventional work piece fixation systems (clamp, vacuum table, magnetic table etc.) used today, work pieces are fixed from excessive number of points (over constrain) and this situations leads to thermal and mechanical stress on the work pieces. Said thermal and mechanical stress allows for the occurrence of deformations over work pieces.

In the patent application No TR 2014/15721 within the present state of the art, a mirror (A) which enables fixation process before machining operation of work pieces (through hole turning, through hole stoning) is disclosed. Said mirror (A) consists of a body (10), flange (20), pusher (20), 1 ^st centering bush (40), 2 ^nd centering bush (50), centering (60), jaw group (70), nut (80), bolt (90) and fixing bolt (100). Vertical fixation of the work piece can be enabled by moving the jaw group (70) which is engaged within the movement gap (11) of its body (10) by means of operating pusher (30) and motion shaft (71) in a forward and backward manner. However in this invention there is no such a magnetic fixation process which prevents formation of thermal and mechanical stress on the work piece.

In the application with publication No GB2356291 B within the present state of the art, a method for keeping a magnetic compression system and a work piece (6) in a laser cutting or drilling machine is disclosed. The system comprises at least one magnet (9), a fixture structure (7) attached to a machine tool where the work piece (6) is mounted and at least one clamp element (11). Work piece (6) is compressed by means of a magnetic force between a clamp element (11) and a magnet (9). However in said invention, a structure which enables fixing the work piece suitable for each shape.

In the application with publication No ES2188327 within the present state of the art, in order to support irregular parts, a flexible and a programmable relative positioning system is disclosed. In order to support the irregular parts for the mechanisms, the flexible and programmable relative positioning system in such a type which comprises a plurality of columns on which top ends of the bars are fixed or activator, is characterized in that there is a plurality of bridges (1) which are related to each other. However in said invention, a magnetic fixation process which prevents formation of thermal and mechanical stress is not known. Also, said bars are positioned in an outwardly protruding manner from the base plane such that it limits the variety of the work piece to be used and there is no distance adjustment function for any work piece.

Furthermore in all of the abovementioned inventions and within the present state of the art, work pieces are fixed from many points (over constrain) and this condition leads to thermal and mechanical stresses on the work pieces.

In conclusion, an improvement in the technical field has been required due to the aforementioned disadvantages and the inadequacy of the existing solutions related to the issue.

Purpose of the Invention

The invention aims to solve the above mentioned disadvantages by means of being inspired from the current conditions.

The main purpose of the invention is to provide a magnetic modular fixture (fixation) system and a method thereof which provides processing/ manufacturing mechanical work pieces having precise geometrical aspects with high accuracy.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a magnetic modular fixture (fixation) system and a method thereof which provides processing/ manufacturing mechanical work pieces having precise geometrical aspects with high accuracy by preventing formation of mechanical and thermal stresses via fixation of the mechanical work pieces with precise geometry from 6 points in a kinematical manner and thus enabling precision losses in the work piece.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a magnetic modular fixture (fixation) system and a method thereof which enables increasing the flexibility of the system by means of the proposed modular connection element.

In order to fulfill the abovementioned purposes, the invention is a magnetic modular fixture system which provides processing/ manufacturing said work pieces by means of preventing formation of mechanical and thermal stresses on work pieces with precise geometry, comprising the following elements;

• at least one perforated table on which work piece to be processed and/or to be manufactured and the other elements of the system are positioned,

• cubic fixture elements which are fixed on said perforated table, have same hole configuration on all surfaces with different angles,

• totally at least six locators, namely at least three which fixes said work piece from the bottom portion by means of being positioned on said perforated table, at least two which fixes said work piece laterally by means of being positioned on the holes of said cubic fixture element along one edge of said work piece in horizontal plane and at least one which fixes said work piece from the other side by means of being positioned on the holes on the surfaces of said cubic fixture elements along the other edge of said work piece in the horizontal plane,

• totally at least three magnets, namely at least one which enables continuous contact of said work piece from the bottom with said locator by means of magnetic effect by being positioned on said perforated table, at least one which enables continuous contact of said work piece with said locator in a lateral manner by means of the magnetic effect by being positioned on the holes on the surfaces of said cubic fixture element along one edge of said work piece in horizontal plain and which enables continuous contact of said work piece with said locator from the other side by means of the magnetic effect by being positioned on the holes on surfaces of said cubic fixture element along the other edge of said work piece in horizontal plain,

• at least one adjusting element which adjusts the distance of the locator and/or the magnet to the work piece by means of adjusting the depth of the gap within the holes on which said locator and/or the magnet is fixed on said cubic fixture element,

• connection element which enables connection of said cubic fixture element to said perforated table and in cases where a plurality of cubic fixture elements are required to be used in connection with the sizes and geometry of the work piece, enables connection of cubic fixture elements to each other.

Furthermore, In order to fulfill the abovementioned aims, the invention is a magnetic modular fixture method which enables processing/ manufacturing said work pieces by means of preventing formation of mechanical and thermal stresses on the work pieces with precise geometry, comprising the following process steps;

• placing three locators and at least one magnet on a perforated table,

• placing the cubic fixture elements on one side of said work piece in a horizontal plain in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece,

• placing two locators and at least one magnet to placed cubic fixture elements by means of the holes on their surfaces,

• placing cubic fixture elements on the other side of said work piece in the horizontal plane in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece,

• placing one locator and at least one magnet by means of the holes on the surfaces of placed cubic fixture elements,

• fixing said work piece by means of magnet forces which is positioned such that it is in contact with the three locator, two locators on the lateral surface and one locator on the other side surface respectively. The structural and characteristic features of the present invention will be understood clearly by the following drawings and the detailed description made with reference to these drawings and therefore the evaluation shall be made by taking these figures and the detailed description into consideration.

Figures Clarifying the Invention

Figure 1, is an isometric view of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 2, is another isometric view of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 3, is a top view of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 4, is a side view of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 5, is an isometric view of the cubic fixture element used in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 6, is a front view of the cubic fixture element used in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 7, is a side view of the cubic fixture element used in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 8, is an isometric view of the cubic fixture elements used in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system in an assembled manner.

Figure 9, is an isometric view of the non-ferromagnetic work pieces in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system in an assembled manner.

Figure 10, is a side view of the non-ferromagnetic work pieces in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system in an assembled manner.

Figure 11, is an isometric view of the magnet used in the inventive magnetic modular fixture system.

Figure 12, is a schematic flow chart of the process steps of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system. Description of Part References

1. Perforated table

2. Cubic fixture element

3. Locator

4. Magnet

5. Adjusting element

6. Work piece

7. Connection element

8. Ferromagnetic part

9. Adhesive material

1001. placing three locators (3) and at least one magnet (4) on a perforated table (1),

1002. placing the cubic fixture elements (2) on one side of said work piece (6) in a horizontal plain in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece,

1003. placing two locators (3) and at least one magnet (4) to placed cubic fixture elements (2) by means of the holes on their surfaces,

1004. placing cubic fixture elements (2) on the other side of said work piece (6) in the horizontal plane in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece,

1005. placing one locator (3) and at least one magnet (4) by means of the holes on the surfaces of placed cubic fixture elements (2),

1006. fixing said work piece (6) by means of magnet (4) forces which is positioned such that it is in contact with the three locator (3), two locators (3) on the lateral surface and one locator (3) on the other side surface respectively. Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, preferred embodiments of the inventive magnetic modular fixture system and method is described only in a manner such that to clarify the subject matter and in no way to create a limiting effect.

An object has six degrees of freedom in space. In other words, a work piece (6) has three axial and three rotational freedoms of motion. When said work piece (6) is consider to move in (+) or (-) directions, twelve different motion of the work piece (6) to be processed in a manufacturing operation is required to be limited. These twelve motions are namely six axial and six rotational motions of (+) and (-) directions of X, Y, and Z axes. Together with three locators (3), four rotational and one axial (for example in Z axis) can be limited. Secondly, by means of using two locators (3) in a vertical axis (for example Y axis) to said three locators (3), one axial and two rotational motions can be limited. Together with one locator (3) which is located at a third axis (for example x axis) which is vertical to both said axes, one axial motion is limited. In this manner, nine motions are limited and this method is named as 3-2-1 locating method based on the number of locators (3) at the axes. Three axial motion remains from twelve different motions can be limited by means of the forces applied from outside (for example magnets (4)).

In the invention, it is aimed to realize precise manufacturing and processing works on the work piece (6) by means of connecting thereof according to the abovementioned 3- 2-1 method, without fixing the work piece (6) from unnecessary number of points in a kinematic manner. The mechanical and thermal stresses on the work piece (6) will be prevented together with the invention and the loss of precision will be enabled by means of reducing mechanical and thermal stresses in the final operations such as thin machining.

The invention is a magnetic modular fixture system which enables processing and/or manufacturing said work pieces (6) by means of preventing thermal and mechanical stresses on the work pieces (6) with precise geometry. In the base of said fixture system, there is at least one perforated table (1) on which work piece (6) to be processed and/or to be manufactured and the other elements of the system are positioned. Cubic fixture elements (2) which have same hole configuration on all surfaces with different angles are fixed on said perforated table (1). At least three locators (3) are placed on said perforated table (1) in order to fix said work piece (6) from the bottom. (For example in Z axis) Along one side of said work piece (6) in horizontal plane, at least two locators (3) are included within the system which are located on the holes of the surfaces of the cubic fixture element (2) which are fixed to said perforated table (1) and thus enables said work piece (6) to be fixed in a lateral manner. At least one but at least six locators (3) which are fixed to said perforated table (1) along the other side of said work piece (6) in the horizontal plane (For example X axis), are located on the holes on the faces of the cubic fixture element (2) and thus enables fixing said work piece (6) from the other side. Therefore 9 motions as it is mentioned above are limited.

In the invention, there is at least one magnet (4) which enables continuous contact if said work piece (6) with said locator (3) from the bottom by means of the magnetic effect by means of being located on said perforated table (1). (For example Z axis) On one side of said work piece (6) in the horizontal plane (For example Y axis), there are totally three magnets (4) within the system, at least one which enables said work piece (6) with a continuous contact with said locator (3) laterally by means of the magnetic effect by locating thereof on the holes on the face of the cubic fixture element (2) which is fixed to said perforated table (1) and along the other side on said work piece (6) in the horizontal plane (For example X axis), at least one which enables said work piece (6) with said locator (3) from its other side in a continuous contact by means of the magnetic effect by locating thereof on the holes on the faces of the cubic fixture element (2) which is fixed to said perforate table (1). Accordingly, other 3 motion possibilities are limited too. Said work piece (6) can now be hold in a stable manner by means of the locator (3) and magnets (4).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said magnets (4) have neodimiyum feature based on their powerful tensile strength.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to adjust the distance to the work piece (6) in a precise manner by means of bolt step, at least one magnet (4) which has a bolt at the bottom portion where it is fixed to said cubic fixture element (2). It can be mounted not only to the cubic fixture element (2) but also to the perforated table (1) by means of said bolt. In addition to this, on said cubic fixture elements (2) subject to the invention, there is at least one adjusting element (5) which adjusts the distance of the locator (3) and/or the magnet (4) to the work piece (6) by means of adjusting the depth of the gap within the holes on which said locator (3) and/or the magnet (4) is fixed on said cubic fixture element (2).

Accordingly, the work piece (6) is located on three locators (3) and it contacts with the locators (3) in the other two planes which are vertical to this plane. (Figure 1 and Figure 2) Magnets (4) which are placed on the bottom and two side surfaces of the part are located in order to fix the work piece (6) and to keep thereof with continuous contact with the locators (3). (Figure 3) Said magnets (4) will enable contact of the work piece (6) and the locators (3). The distance of magnets (4) to the work piece (7) can be adjusted by means of the adjusting element (5) at the connection portion. (Figure 4) In this manner, the force applied to the work piece (6) can be changed possibly.

Finally in the inventive system, connection element (7) which enables connection of said cubic fixture element (2) to said perforated table (1) and in cases where a plurality of cubic fixture elements (2) are required to be used in connection with the sizes and geometry of the work piece (6), enables connection of cubic fixture elements (2) to each other. There is a threaded structure in the holes of said perforated table (1) and in the holes which enable mounting cubic fixture elements (2) to each other. In addition to this, appropriate threaded holes for connecting the locator (3) and the magnet (4) to each other on again said cubic fixture elements (2) are present in a manner such that they have different angles on each face. (Figure 5 and Figure 6) In addition to this, the locator (3) can be fixed to the threaded holes of said cubic fixture elements (2) and the perforated table (1) by means of its outer threaded structure. Creating different configurations can be possible by means of mounting a required number of cubic fixture elements (2) to each other. (Figure 8) This situation facilitates the connection of pieces with different geometries. In the proposed system, a fixture system is formed to which the work piece (6) will be connected only by using the cubic fixture element (2) and the standard connection element (7).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said connection element (7) can be a pin or a bolt.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in case said work piece (6) is not ferromagnetic, in order to keep the work piece (6) in a stable manner by means of said magnet (4), there is at least one adhesive material (9) which is adhered on the sections of said work piece (6) which correspond to said magnet (4). Also in this case, there is at least one ferromagnetic part (8) which is again adhered on said adhesive material (9) and by means of adhering with the adhesive material (9) adhered onto said work piece (6) with each other enables keeping the work piece (6) stable with the magnetic effect of said magnet (4).

In order to fix pieces such as aluminum which is not ferromagnetic by means of magnet (4), first of all adhesive material (9) is adhered on the regions where magnet (4) will come on the work piece (6). (Figure 1 , Figure 9 and Figure 10) The ferromagnetic part (8) on which an adhesive material is adhered will be adhered from the region of the adhesive material (9) to the work piece (6) by means of a powerful standard adhesive and the part will be fixed from the same region by means of the magnet (4).

Said work piece (6) is shown in a representative manner in the figures. Since the cubic fixture element (2) can be mounted on said perforated table (1) and onto each other, work piece appropriate to any geometry can be fixed to the system. Processing different work pieces in the modular fixture system is aimed.

Furthermore the invention comprises a magnetic modular fixture method which enables processing and/or manufacturing said work pieces (6) by means of preventing formation of thermal and mechanical stresses on the work pieces with precise geometry (6). Said method comprises the following process steps;

• placing (1001) three locators (3) and at least one magnet (4) on a perforated table (1),

• placing (1002) the cubic fixture elements (2) on one side of said work piece (6) in a horizontal plain in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece,

• placing (1003) two locators (3) and at least one magnet (4) to placed cubic fixture elements (2) by means of the holes on their surfaces,

• placing (1004) cubic fixture elements (2) on the other side of said work piece (6) in the horizontal plane in a proper manner with the geometry of the work piece, • placing (1005) one locator (3) and at least one magnet (4) by means of the holes on the surfaces of placed cubic fixture elements (2),

• fixing (1006) said work piece (6) by means of magnet (4) forces which is positioned such that it is in contact with the three locator (3), two locators (3) on the lateral surface and one locator (3) on the other side surface respectively.

In the inventive method, after fixation process, the distance can be adjustable for compressing the work piece by means of said locators (3) and for the force applied by means of said magnets (4) to the work piece.