The rapid development of manufacturing in recent years has led to a significant expansion of the technological capabilities of modern metal-cutting equipment. Therefore, the modern approach to intensifying production requires an advanced fixture design. Design and manufacture of flexible fixtures capable of machining similar shapes and sizes of complex geometry parts reduce setup time. The article aims to design flexible fixtures for parts such as one-piece connecting rods under incomplete locating conditions. The advantages are the minimum number of parts and tool availability for multi-axis machining connecting rods in one setup. This approach, combined with up-to-date machining centers and industrial robots, can increase the production efficiency of manufacturing non-removable connecting rods. This effectiveness is in a decrease in the number of operations by 5–7 times, fixtures—by 3–4 times, and machine tools—by 3–5 times, depending on the type of a non-removable connecting rod and its design features. The numerical simulation results of the proposed fixture design confirmed the comprehensive technological capabilities and dynamic characteristics. Particularly, a decrease in displacements and oscillation amplitudes up to 7% compared to the full-basing locating chart was provided. It is determined that the system “fixture–workpiece” entirely meets all the strength, accuracy, and rigidity parameters, which allows you to perform machining with intensive cutting modes. The amplitudes of oscillations do not exceed the tolerances on the dimensions of these surfaces, established by requirements for non-removable connecting rods, and all displacements are elastic. During numerical simulation, the workpiece position remained stable at all machining steps.

The work is new due to the type of process used—ultrasonic precision machining—to determine the possible effect of spindle heating (long-term machining) on the precision of the flat surface. It was carried out on a precise ultrasonic machining machine, and the material of workpiece was ceramic Al₂O₃. A flat surface was machined. Such an experiment has not been feasible until now. The experiment was divided into two days. On the first day, the machining time was 4 h. It is a long enough time to create a temperature-steady state. On the second day, with a cold tool and cold machine tool, we continued where we left off on the first day. This is how we monitored the accuracy of the dimensions of the workpiece on the plane surface. We have achieved the following: The average interface depth achieved values of 0.007089 mm and 0.003667 mm for cold and heated spindles, respectively. It means that when the spindle is not heated, the depth of the interface is higher by 93% (almost double the depth). The average standard deviation of the interface depth is 0.001683 mm and 0.000997 mm for cold and heated spindles, respectively. It means that when the spindle is not heated, the process is not as stable, and the standard deviation is higher by 69%.

In the conditions of the increase in the range of products in the automobile and aircraft industry, there is a tendency to increase the scope of application of flexible fixtures. Thus, in the current article, it was proposed to consider a new concept of a flexible fixture for location parts of a complex shape. The stress and deflection of the steering knuckle elements were calculated using finite element modeling. During the experiment on the static loading, the deflection of the steering knuckle elements was measured, and the results of finite element modeling were validated. It was determined that the stiffness of the proposed flexible fixture ensures compliance with the tolerances of the mutual location of the surfaces of the part, making it reasonable for feature research the novel flexible fixture design during milling.

This open access book offers a guide to core principles and practices of manufacturing engineering. It covers the design of, together with technological and measurement issues for, technical systems. Locating charts and setup schemes describing different machining processes are included. Concepts of product quality, with a focus on accuracy indicators, machining accuracy, roughness, and the impact of surface quality on exploitation properties are also explained. Furthermore, key machining methods, including turning, milling, hole machining, grinding, and gear machining, are analyzed in depth, covering their principles, applications, and techniques. The book is enriched by QR codes, linking to a mobile application presenting additional information about the content, for an interactive and extended learning experience. It also uses illustrations visualized with digital tools to promote a better understanding of the concepts. Overall, this book provides students, educators, and practitioners in manufacturing engineering with a comprehensive, accessible and interactive resource .