Fixture apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789542-B2
Application number	US-201514865921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Fixture Apparatus and methods of manufacturing fixture apparatus. Fixture apparatus comprising: a first body to at least partially support an object, the first body including a structure having variable stiffness along at least a first axis of the first body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Fixture apparatus comprising:
a first body to at least partially support an object, the first body including a structure having variable stiffness along at least a first axis of the first body,
wherein the structure comprises a plurality of support members, at least one characteristic of the plurality of support members varies along at least the first axis of the first body to provide the variable stiffness,
wherein the structure includes a plurality of elongate members, and the plurality of support members form a plurality of cross links that extend between adjacent ones of the plurality of elongate members,
wherein at least some of the plurality of elongate members have a serpentine configuration and are arranged to define a plurality of adjacent columns, and
wherein a first portion of the support members extend between adjacent columns in a first dimension, and a second portion of the support members extend between adjacent elongate members within a column in a second dimension.

2. The fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the plurality of support members is one of: length of the support members; a thickness of the support members; density of the support members; and material of the support members.

3. The fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support members extend perpendicularly to the first axis of the first body.

4. The fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structure of the first body includes at least one rigid member to enable the object to be positioned relative to the fixture apparatus at a predetermined location.

5. The fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structure of the first body has variable stiffness along a second axis of the first body.

6. The fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first body further comprises at least one sensor in the structure.

7. Apparatus comprising:
the fixture apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ; and
an object supported by the fixture apparatus.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixture apparatus is printed on the object and has a connecting interface with the object.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixture apparatus and the object are printed together and are integral to one another.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixture apparatus comprises a dissolvable material.

11. A method of manufacturing fixture apparatus, the method comprising:
providing a first body to at least partially support an object, the first body including a structure having variable stiffness along at least a first axis of the first body, the structure comprising a plurality of support members and a plurality of elongate members, at least one characteristic of the plurality of support members varying along at least the first axis of the first body to provide the variable stiffness, the plurality of support members forming a plurality of cross links that extend between adjacent ones of the plurality of elongate members,
wherein at least some of the plurality of elongate members have a serpentine configuration and are arranged to define a plurality of adjacent columns, and
wherein a first portion of the support members extend between adjacent columns in a first dimension, and a second portion of the support members extend between adjacent elongate members within a column in a second dimension.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising providing at least one sensor in the structure.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fixture apparatus is provided by printing the fixture apparatus on the object, the fixture apparatus and the object having a connecting interface.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fixture apparatus is provided by printing the object and the fixture apparatus together so that they are integral to one another.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fixture apparatus comprises a dissolvable material and the method further comprises dissolving the fixture apparatus.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Lowth Stewart
• Axinte Dragos A
• Raffles Mark H
• Kolluru Kiran

Classifications

• B23Q1/032 Primary

  characterised by properties of the support surface · CPC title

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B22F10/62

  by chemical means · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B25B11/00

  Work holders not covered by any preceding group in the subclass, e.g. magnetic work holders, vacuum work holders (for holding or positioning work for welding, soldering, or cutting by applying heat locally B23K37/04; specially adapted to machine tools B23Q3/00) · CPC title