APPLICATION OF FIXTURES PRODUCED WITH FDM TECHNOLOGY IN THE ADHESIVE BONDING OF PARTS IN THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY
Additive manufacturing enables the production of parts with complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to produce with conventional manufacturing technologies – and with minimal waste. A more massive use of additive technologies makes it possible to shorten supply chains and reduce the need to store parts. Fixtures are essential production aids that position, hold and support workpieces, ensuring positioning accuracy, repeatability and operator safety during assembly and bonding. This paper presents how the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process can provide such fixtures for the adhesive bonding of metal parts in rail vehicle composite structures. By adapting geometry, surface properties and ergonomics to the bonding task at hand, FDM fixtures improve alignment accuracy and simplify handling.