Computer-assisted gripper and fixture customization using rapid-prototyping technology

In support of rapid-response manufacturing, we propose a new technique for automated design and fabrication of fixture and gripper tooling for mechanical assembly. Our technique uses geometric computations on CAD part descriptions to derive form and frictional form closure tooling. In addition, we invoke rapid prototyping technology to fabricate the computed tooling directly from the derived CAD descriptions. This paper introduces the concepts of our approach to automatic tooling generation, illustrates initial results, and surveys the additional work to be done to further exploit the technique.