Templates and fixtures in mass production
The tool that ensures that workpiece number 500 is as precise as workpiece number one
A template or fixture is a piece of auxiliary equipment that holds the workpiece or guides the tool so that a machining operation can be repeated precisely many times. The ordinance on vocational training for machine carpenters requires that you can make templates for machining on stationary standard machines (§ 4 no. 8) and at the independent level independently make templates and fixtures for machining on both stationary machines and CNC (§ 4 no. 30).
§Why spend time building equipment for equipment?
It can seem like wasted time to spend a whole working day building a template before actual production starts. But in a series of hundreds or thousands of identical items the investment quickly pays for itself: a good template ensures that each item is clamped and machined in exactly the same way so variation between items is minimized and the risk of misalignment falls significantly.
§Materials for templates and fixtures
Templates are often made of MDF or plywood because the materials are stable easy to process precisely and cheap to modify if a task changes. For fixtures that must withstand harder use or high forces aluminum or steel is often used in combination with wood or sheet metal parts. The choice depends on how many times the template is to be used and how much precision the task requires.
| Material | Typical use |
|---|---|
| MDF/krydsfiner | Single- or small-series templates quick to produce and adjust |
| Aluminum | Fixtures for repeated use where low weight and good stability is important |
| Steel | Fixtures subjected to large forces or wear over a long time |
§The template as part of quality management
A template is not just a production aid — it is also part of quality management. When the template itself is made with the right precision and continuously checked for wear it becomes a guarantee that the parts meet the dimensions. This is connected to the requirement to perform quality control in relation to current legal requirements (§ 4 no. 11 and 35) and to be able to prepare material and parts lists and assess material waste (§ 4 no. 10 and 33) — a well-functioning template typically also reduces waste because fewer parts are rejected.
§From individual pieces to complex fixtures
At the start of the education, it is often about simple drilling templates or marks. Later in the main course, when tasks become more complex — for example in the production of sheet metal furniture or seating furniture — the demands on the fixtures' precision and safe use with CNC machines and robot systems increase.
“A good template is the one no one notices — because all parts just fit.”