This is a transmission case for an automotive manufacturer. This is one
part per fixture. It again is an integral pallet and fixture design,
using Continuous Pressure Hydraulics. But the unique thing about this
particular fixture is this: You can see in the picture that this
fixture is about halfway between the load position and the final
machining position. The load position is horizontal out to the sheet
metal that you see in front of the machine. The operator would slide
this part, they call it a slide tray, these parts were part of a lean
manufacturing system where the operators would grab hold of the parts
and slide them down this tray, basically walk them from the load
station to Machine 1, to Machine 2, to Machine 3, all the time just
sliding them along this sheet metal slide tray. The fixture would be in
its position with that large arbor that you see going through the
housing there. That arbor would be horizontal where the operator could
then just slide the part director directly onto that arbor. It would
snap, the operator would snap it onto the fixture, the fixture would
then tilt 90 degrees 'till that arbor was vertical for the machining
operation, the part would clamp, we'd go through the machining
sequence, and then the fixture would then swing back, laying the part
back on top of the slide tray that you see, and the operator was able
to pull it off and slide it down to the next station. So the use of
Continuous Pressure Hydraulics allowed us to have this lift-and-rotate
mechanism that gave the operator the flexibility he needed to operate
this in a lean manufacturing system.






