Our proposed nest for Fairino FR10 doing planning repeatable bracket location in a robot-loaded inspection station contacts several surfaces on a machined mounting bracket.
CAD looks tidy, but my bench samples don't all sit the same way.
Someone suggested a stronger clamp.
How do I check whether the locating scheme is fighting itself before we approve tooling?
Start by identifying the contacts that establish the required drawing datums. A map distinguishing them from supports and clamps will help interpret your rocking samples.
@LeahBrown0930 On my sketch, the mounting holes and outside wall both determine lateral position. Everything is labelled as a locator, with no stated priority between those contacts.
I got ahead of the drawing requirement there. Establish the necessary datum scheme before deciding which secondary contact can be changed to accommodate permitted variation.
The distinction is their purpose: a locator establishes position, while a support carries load without demanding an incompatible position. The contact design must make those purposes compatible.
@AnilBell0636 Did your review start with measurements of the poor-fitting samples? We've tended to set ours aside, and I suspect they may be particularly informative.
@AnilBell0636 Our inspection sheets show the awkward samples are within drawing limits. Their hole-to-wall dimensions differ within that allowance. So rejecting them would need another reason.
Those acceptable dimensional variations belong in the fixture requirements. A design based only on nominal geometry hasn't shown that it accommodates the permitted parts.
Request a sketch tracing how permitted variation is accommodated. That gives you something more concrete to review than a general assurance about sufficient clearance.
Frame it around the condition the clamp must retain: ask where the part should be located first, then how clamping maintains that position under the process loads.
@LeahBrown0930 In my separate review, drawing the intended located condition helped. It turned a vague argument about clamp strength into a discussion of the position being retained.
My next step is clear: get the required datums established and review how the nest accommodates acceptable variation.
The planning question is answered, while a fixture revision still depends on the designer's assessment.