Design Of Drill Jigs

TOOL & FIXTURE DESIGN

Introduction
Now that we are aware of the various methods of locating a work piece and clamping it, the next
task is to study the design of structures which while incorporating the location and clamping
elements, can be used in an industrial setup.

Devices that are

o
o
o
o
o

Rigid & Durable,

can produce parts Repeatedly,
within specified Tolerance always,
over Extended Usage period,
hence providing for Interchangeability.

In the ongoing session the discussion is about Drill Jigs,

i.e. devices that we use when we are dealing with circular holes.

Elementary comparison between

Jigs And Fixtures

Definition
A jig is a plate, box, or open frame for holding work and for guiding a machine tool to the work,
used especially for locating and spacing drilled holes.
o Apart from drilling holes, operation like taping, reaming, boring etc. can also be performed
with use of jigs.
o The term jigs should be used only for devices employed while drilling, reaming, or tapping
holes
o If however, operations also include milling planning, shaping etc. then name fixture should
be used
o A fixture can locate and clamp a workpiece, and position the cutting tool.
The Jig in addition to performing these operations also Guides the tool during cutting
operation.
o The Guiding part is usually obtained through the use of hardened guide bushes.

Guide Bushes
These bushes are made of tool steel hardened to RC60 to 64 in order to minimize wear due to
contact with hard, rotating tool.
Clearance with drill bit 0.01 to 0.025 mm
Bushings are surface lapped with 0.0003 in concentricity.

Inside surface is precision ground running fit (F7), while outside is made press fit (f6), precision
location fit (h6) or precision running fit (f6), based on the type of busing used.
Length of bush, in general, should be twice the diameter.
Types of Bushes

Press-Fit

Renewable

Slip

Threaded

Press Fit Bushing

o Most common type of bushing.
o These have an (p6) press fit with the corresponding hole in the Jig Plate.

o Used for batch production, where bushing outlast life of the jig.
oHeaded bushing are usually preferred than headless ones since collar provides
positive stop against jig plate. Also there is less chance of loosening of bush.
o When there is a restriction in terms of space headless bushings are preferred
o These bushings are also used as liners for other type of bushing.

Renewable Bushing
Used for continuous or large batch production.
This leads to large wear and hence periodic replacement is required.

The outside diameter has (h6) precision location fit with jig plate or the liner.
To prevent rotation of bush with drill etc. a flat on the collar is made and used in conjunction to
a screw.

Renewable bushings are installed in liner bushings. This type of bushing is used in large production runs where a
bushing will wear out over time or when multiple renewable bushings are used in one liner to provide various
sized holes. There are two types of renewable bushings: fixed and slip

Fixed renewable bushings are used in applications where the liner is meant to be used until it wears out.
Slip renewable bushings are designed to be interchangeable with a given sized liner so that two different sized
slip renewable bushings can be used in one liner bushing.
This facilitates the ability to do multiple machining operations that require different inner diameter (ID) bushings,
such as drilling and reaming. They usually have knurled heads so they can be easily removed.
Various methods to lock renewable bushings
Renewable bushings must be secured in their liner bushing, otherwise the tool can cause it to spin, which rapidly
wears out the liner, or chips can force the bushing out of the liner.
There are many different types of locking systems for renewable bushings. One system is a dog, which is a collar
that is pressed over the head of the bushing and has a long tail.
The tail may be bent at the end so it can lock around the edge of the jig plate or it may be left straight if it can
butt up against another object.
Another option to keep the renewable bushing from rotating is to pin it, either by putting a pin in the renewable
bushing and a hole in the liner or vice versa.

A more complicated version uses a hole in the bushing collar and a pin with a head; the head on the pin holds the
edge of the collar down, but for removal the bushing can be rotated so that the hole lines up with the pin.

Slip Bushing
For a given hole the size of drill, reamer, tap used differ.
Viz. for a M10 hole, a drill of size 8.5mm is first used and then a tap of size 10mm.

Hence the size of bushing required for such situations need to be different.
Slip bush are used in such a case. And are made so that easy and rapid, loading and unloading of
bush is facilitated.
Many other design of bushings are possible.

Threaded Bushings
o These are used only when it becomes necessary to clamp
the workpiece using the bush itself, rather than any other method.

o In this case external thread are provided on the bush.

o Since there is always a play in case of threads,

another plain guiding diameter is required to

ensure the accurate location of the bush.
o A collar is provided here in order to bear the axial forces,

further it is made flat so as to prevent rotation of bush.

Special Bushings

A jig's primary purpose is to provide repeatability, accuracy, and interchangeability in

the manufacturing of products

Types of Jigs
oVarious kind difficult to classify into standard
systems
oMost common types: leaf, box, tumble, template,
plate, indexing, universal, vice jig amongst
others
oThere are several types it limited to imagination of
tool designer

Leaf Jig

Limitations of leaf Jig

No mechanism of chip removal, hence the may accumulate inside
Bushing are fitted in the leaf, play in the hinges may affect the accuracy.

Plate Jig

Limitations
o Only one surface can be drill at one loading
o Drilling force directed towards the clamping

Box and Tumble Jig

Template Jig

This is simple type used for locating hole patterns on large work pieces

It contains locating device, measurement, provision of clamping

Indexing Jig

Universal or Pump Jig

Vise Jig
Constructed by attaching special inserts to the jaws of regular machine shops
Used for low volume and short production runs and long production run for simple parts

General design consideration

oRigidity:
oLocation and clamping;
oChip control:
oJigs feet and legs: a drill plate stand on four feet rather than a flat
surface because easy chip removal
oMiscellaneous consideration: coolant, safety (sharp corners etc),
gripping surface should be knurled

Method of construction
Holding components together mechanically called built-up
construction
Parts completely machined before assemble
Worn out part easily removed
Minor adjustment can be done during assembling
Dowels pins should be located as far as possible for best
alignment
Weld construction also used