NAME=Column
Cylindrical flexible fixturing devices placed on CMM table tops. These columnssupport and hold parts with low stiffness such as sheetmetal panels, bumpers, carupholstery, windshields, dashboards, etc, allowing more accurate measurement.
NAME=Effector
Is an artifact placed against the part to hold it stationary in at least one axis.Typically this is a sphere with a defined diameter. Spheres are used because theywill only contact the part at a single location.
NAME=Fixture Definition
This is a file listing points in part coordinates and requested modules that correspond to those specific points. The fixture definition is machine and system independent so it can be ported to any machine and any fixture system(manual or DCC). There is no relation with the fixture definition and any machine. The Fixture Definition could be on a central computer that is accessed by severaldifferent Fixture Servers. Deleting the definition from within the fixture server,will only delete the definition, and will not affect the status of the machine.
NAME=Fixture Instance
This is the specific instance of the Fixture Definition on a given Fixture System. This element only exists in memory long enough to load or unload a given fixture definition. This links the generic Fixture Definition to a specificFixture System. The Fixture Instance is not saved but recreated every time a fixture is executed, either for load or unload. Part program commands only affect the system when they are executed.
NAME=Fixture System
Consists of the CMM, and columns and modules of the DCC or Manual fixturing system. The rack systems and the number of columns vary depending on the needed configuration. The Fixture System doesn't really concern itself with specific fixtures, rather with the components that make up its system.
