Automated Fixture Planning in Milling Processes: A Systematic Literature Review

The preciseness of milling or drilling processes heavily relies on proper fixture system. In recent years, there is a noticeable upward trend towards loading robots in milling operations. For an automated end-to-end process from raw material to finished part, an automated fixture planning process is necessary. The automation on the shopfloor is increasing, whereas there is no known tool for an automated fixture planning. The current lack of tools for planning the fixture system hinders the full potential of utilizing loading robots in milling operations with small batch sizes. To address this challenge, a faster and effortless fixture planning method needs to be established. This research paper aims to evaluate existing methods that could be integrated into the established CAD/CAM/CNC chain. Through a systematic literature review, five research questions were proposed to explore the feasibility of integrating such methods. The findings indicate that the established approaches have limitations in selecting appropriate clamping devices to create an optimal fixture system. Nonetheless, significant progress has been achieved in evaluating and optimize fixture systems through simulation.