Development of fixture devices for thin and compliant workpieces

Fixturing of thin and compliant workpieces is in many ways technically more demanding than fixturing of stiff workpieces. Nowadays, thin and compliant workpieces, e.g., electrical parts containing semiconductor substrates must be supported with uniform contact force in order to assure high positioning accuracy. In particular, workpiece supporters must suppress workpiece deformation during machining. This study presents new fixture devices that can support thin and compliant workpieces securely and minimize the deformation due to the machining force. A low melting temperature alloy was used in the support structure to fulfill the required functions with simple structure.