The invention relates to a retaining device for disassembling a bladed wheel of a turbine engine.

The invention is characterized in that the retaining device (100) includes: an inter-blade ring sector (101), a plurality of retaining clips (105), each retaining clip (105) cooperating with one of the damping elements (40), the retaining clips (105) extending radially while being attached circumferentially to the ring sector (101).

A fixture for locating a straight edge of a curved surface of a part and holding the part in a fixed position during performance of a machining operation on the straight edge is described. The fixture includes: one or more supports for seating a convex curved surface of the part, one or more detachable end stops arranged to extend in a plane orthogonal to that in which the supports sit and against which, in use, the straight edge can be aligned, and a clamp arranged, in use, to push the convex curved surface against the supports such that the straight edge contacts the supports without obstruction of the straight edge.

A workholding apparatus for components having complex geometries or surfaces, which components are difficult constrain for the purpose of inspection, addresses the problem of adequately constraining such components in a convenient and cost-effective manner so that they do not move during inspection, while also making all or most critical features accessible to the inspection instruments being used. A method teaches how to eliminate setup changes between different components through the use of inexpensive modular attachments. These attachments are in the form of a single piece thermoplastic part which is affixed to each component having also reference features that can be interlocked into a common base fixture for more efficient inspection operations.

A method for cutting machining of turbine blades (1) on a multi-axis machine tool, the turbine blade (1) is held by a rotatable blade-root clamping device and a rotatable blade-tip clamping device (2) and is machined by means of a tool which is chucked in a tool spindle. A first profile section (4) which is adjacent to the blade tip is first of all machined by the tool and the tool is then removed. The tool spindle then grabs an already horizontal additional clamping device (5) which has clamping jaws (6.1, 6.2) adapted to the first profile section (4). The additional clamping device (5) is positioned on the blade-tip clamping device (2) in such a way that the clamping jaws (6.1, 6.2) rest in the first profile section (4). The tool spindle then grabs a tool and machines the remaining profile section with it.

An EDM machine includes a machine head, a wire guide, a machining wire extending from the wire guide to the machine head, a rotary table mounted to a first surface and a fixed table mounted to the rotary table, and a fixture mounted to the fixed table. The fixture includes a mounting portion substantially circumscribing the fixture. The mounting portion further includes a mounting surface. The mounting surface is closer to a first surface than an upper surface of the fixed table.

A flay assembly for separating a workpiece from a manufacturing fixture has a horizontal beam assembly and a pair of vertical beam assemblies. The horizontal beam assembly includes a horizontal beam having a horizontal drive motor. Each vertical beam assembly includes a vertical beam operably engaged to the horizontal drive motor and has a workpiece attachment assembly operably engaged to a vertical drive motor. The workpiece attachment assembly has an attachment mechanism attachable to the workpiece. The horizontal drive motor and the vertical drive motors are operable in a manner to move the vertical beams away from each other along a horizontal drive axis while simultaneously moving each workpiece attachment assembly along a vertical drive axis to cause the attachment mechanisms to pull the workpiece side portions away from the manufacturing fixture while a center support of the horizontal beam maintains a workpiece crown in contact with the manufacturing fixture.

A zero clamp force fixture assembly may comprise a body comprising a locating surface and a side, a neck extending away from the side of the body, a zero force clamp coupled to the neck, and a universal locating feature coupled to the locating surface. The neck may taper towards an interface with the zero force clamp. The zero force clamp may comprise an upper jaw and a lower jaw.

A method and system temporarily holds a workpiece, most suitably an aero engine turbine blade element during manufacture. The workholding system includes a support body with a contoured body surface, complementary to a workpiece surface, formed of a transparent material to define a bonding zone. The support body is supported by a base to form a workpiece shuttle, and a bond station receives the workpiece shuttle. Complementary zero-point locating elements on the shuttle and station assure accurate positioning. The bond station further has workpiece locating elements configured to accurately position the workpiece on the shuttle in a predetermined position relative to the zero-point locating elements of the shuttle, thereby compensating for shuttle-to-shuttle variance. An adhesive, such as a UV curable adhesive, is applied to the bonding zone and cured by UV through the transparent material, thereby fixing the workpiece in the predetermined position.

A segment of a fixture, the fixture being comprised of a number of such segments arranged to form a fixture ring, the segment comprising a carrier segment and a cap segment.

A device for stabilizing a workpiece, in particular a thin-walled workpiece mounted in a machine tool, comprises at least one base; and a plurality of stabilizing elements. The stabilizing elements protrude away from one surface of the base, wherein the stabilizing element comprises a cylinder and a rod arranged therein and the rod can be driven hydraulically to move in the axial direction of the stabilizing element such that the rod of at least two of the stabilizing elements can be brought into contact with one surface of the workpiece.