Corine said:
Hi,
I would like to understand the basics of a check fixture (how to build it and are its dimensions the same as the part?)
Thank you for your help.
Corine.
First, let me join my colleagues in welcoming you to the Cove!
For the sake of the folks in the peanut gallery who may not have seen or used the term, a "check fixture" may have slightly different definitions, depending on who is using it, but the essence is that the piece part being checked fits into or on top of the fixture (male or female fit) exactly, to readily check arcs, spherical surfaces, or other difficult-to-measure aspects of the finished piece (or to check a piece at an intermediate step.)
The check fixture concept is often used in the sheet metal industry.
My guess would be the direct answer to your question is the check feature is the exact mate to the features on the piece part which need to be checked. Smart fixture makers include a kind of mistake proofing in the design to assure the piece part can only be put into the fixture the correct way.
You've run smack dab into the closing weekend of summer and the Cove will probably have very little activity until Tuesday to get you more responses to your query. Check back with us Tuesday and add a new post to the thread to "bump" it to the top of the 24-hour cycle.
Keep the email alert this message brings you and you can click on the link in the message for direct connection to the thread.
If you have more information to give us about the reasons for asking and your specific industry or part under consideration, it will help us focus on a more specific response.
The folks who make these fixtures are usually pros, either in-house or specialty jig and fixture makers. A side concern is that the fixture may show you where the piece part does not conform, but not "Why."
A check fixture differs from a "jig" in that the jig is essentially a holding device to hold the piece part while work or inspection is performed; the "check fixture" is a form of gage.