Fixture layout design for curved workpieces

In this paper, we propose an approach to design a proper fixture layout for a 3D curved workpiece. The problem is tackled in a point set domain by discretizing the exterior surface of the workpiece into a dense collection of candidate fixturing points and then searching for a small proper set of fixturing points that satisfies the total restraint of the workpiece and reduces the workpiece positioning error. The algorithm first randomly selects an initial set of seven fixturing points and then iteratively improves it by exchanging with the other candidate points through a best-first strategy and a randomized motion. Finally, the algorithm has been implemented and its efficiency has been ascertained by two examples