Design and Development of Clamping Fixture for Drilling of Boiler Tube Plate

Abstract

Present invention provides special design of clamping fixture for drilling of boiler tube plate. This clamping fixture is necessary in order to self centre the boiler tube plate. This self- centering can be done by using rack and pinion mechanism. This fixture was designed and built to hold, support and locate fire tube boiler plate to ensure that it is drilled with accuracy. The fixture set up for component is done manually. For that more cycle time required for loading and unloading the material so, there was a need to develop a system which can help in improving productivity and time. Fixtures reduce operation time and increase productivity and high quality of operation is possible. Self-centering clamping fixture with rack and pinion mechanism reduces cycle time from 1 hour to 15 minutes. Hydraulic clampers provide vibration-free operation, increasing drilling accuracy and productivity. This automation reduced the human effort and hence don't need a person to adjust the plate for drilling. This design also enabled vibration free operation which increased the quality of drill to the plate.