Modular Fixturing for Assembly and Welding Applications

Researchers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have developed new modular fixtures for holding metal in place during the assembly and welding of cylindrical and conical sections of rocket bodies. Previous methods required time-consuming design, fabrication, and assembly of expensive, project-specific fixtures, which often required up to six months of lead time and cost millions of dollars to complete. NASA’s modular fixtures are designed to be adjustable and to easily form different fixture body configurations for rocket sections with various diameters and heights. This improved setup efficiency allows for a more rapid shift from one project to the next, reducing the time a newly designed fixture body takes to complete, allowing welding to begin in a matter of weeks rather than months. NASA is currently seeking licensees that may benefit from modular fixtures in large-scale manufacturing.