This thesis represents a systematic approach to the development of fixturing rules, both quantitative and qualitative, for concentric, rotational components. A generic fixturing model which will enable the user to make decisions on the type of flexible fixture to use for symmetric, rotational components is formulated.;The proposed convention allows the user to store size, shape and geometric tolerance information from a CAD data base such that it can be accessed by manufacturing software and also be transferred between CAD data bases. The convention imposes constraints on a user, but enhances feature extraction from the data base. An algorithm for the extraction of features relevant to fixturing concentric, rotational parts has also been developed. Thus, human interaction from the CAD phase to Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) will be minimized insofar as fixturing decisions are concerned.;This is implemented in the form of a rule-based software package. The software developed is unique in that the input to the model comes directly from a computer aided design (CAD) data base and a computer aided process planning (CAPP) package. To achieve this, a convention for engineering drawings on CAD wireframe systems is proposed.
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