Automated Fixture Design using an Imprint-based Design Approach and Optimisation in Simulation

Object aligning and holding fixtures for robotic assembly tasks are important in industry in order to successfully complete an assembly. However, the designing of a fixture is usually done manually which can be a long and tedious process including many iterations, even for experienced engineers. This paper presents a method to design fixtures automatically for use in robotic assemblies and pick-and-place tasks. To achieve this, a new automated method to design the cut-out for a fixture is introduced. The method uses a parameterized version of the object's imprint to design the cut-out. The fixtures generated using this method are optimized in simulations to determine their final parameters for a specific application. Dynamic simulations are used to evaluate each iteration of the cut-out. Lastly, the method is applied to a use-case from the industry to design a fixture for use in a robotic assembly task.