Applying RBR and CBR to develop a VR based integrated system for machining fixture design

A fixture is a special tool used to accurately and stably locate the workpiece during machining process. Proper fixture design improves the quality and production of parts and also facilitates the interchangeability of parts that is prevalent in much of modern manufacturing. This study combines the rule-based reasoning (RBR) and case-based reasoning (CBR) method for machining fixture design in a VR based integrated system. In this paper, an approach combines the RBR and fuzzy comprehensive judgment method is proposed for reasoning suitable locating schemes and locating features. Based on the reasoning results, a CBR method for machining fixture design is then presented. This method could help designers, by referencing previous design cases, to make a conceptual fixturing solution quickly. Finally, the implementation of proposed system is outlined and cases study has been used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.