Learn the Rules for using Dowels for consistency, repeatability, and precision in weld and assembly fixtures. The Queen of Lean Machine Design at Rentapen shares what she has learned about dowels and dowel holes with CAD Drafters, beginning machine tool designers, and manufacturing engineers. A video shows the perfect "kiss" fit of a slip fit dowel.

When performance in your fixture is not consistent, maybe it is due to the inconsistency of the production parts. How do you design around large tolerances in weld fixture and product part holding fixtures? Here the weld fixture specialists and Rentapen discuss the topic of production part tolerancing and consistency and its affect on machine design and machine tool function.

The weld fixture specialists give three reasons to design adjustability in a weld fixture, part holding machine tool, or jig. Using a slide show of images and text, you can learn machine tool design at weld fixture design 101 with the Queen of Lean Machine Design

This slide show of a weld fixture shows how production parts can be held in a weld fixture and shows how purchased components can be used to adjust a fixture after it is built and during testing. Colorful and instructive, weld fixture design taught with pictures.

Three reasons to design into your part holding jig or fixture the ability to adjust. Through video lessons and text, Susan Straley, shows how precision shims in weld fixtures (jigs) can help create products that meet specifications, and testing of the fixture go smoothly.

When designing machine tooling fixtures, designers often use locating pins that fit in a hole in the product part for locating the product in the fixture. Allowing for tolerance variation from the ideal drawing of the product is what is addressed in this lesson from Rentapen's Queen of Lean Machine Design. Sign up to be notified when the next fixture design lesson is posted.

Watch this video to see how to use a simple purchased plate to locate, guide, or stop the production peice in a weld fixture or assembly fixture. It's easy with RAPid Tooling Components and RAPid Shim Packs. Free up time in your tooling department by designing in more purchased components....