9 Clamping Fixtures Used for Intelligent Assembly Systems Andrea Mudriková 1, Karol Velíšek 2 and Peter Košťál 3 + 1 2 3 Institute of Production Systems and Applied Mechanics Faculty of Material Science and Technology – STU Trnava, Slovak Republic Abstract.Present situation in the industrial manufacture has brought new trends in the kind of flexibility and intelligence. That means new generation of intelligent manufacturing systems. New generation of clamping fixtures is represented by group of clamping fixtures which can be used in intelligent manufacturing systems. Important effect, which brings manufacturing times shortening, can be realized by automation process of manipulating and fixture operation. This effect can be also realized by some intelligence degree of whole clamping system. Using of new generation clamping fixtures can lead to the important manufacturing process effectiveness increase, as well as, quality increase. 1. Introduction It was domination the mass production in the past. In these days following to the globalization, small or middle series production is dominating. These kinds of manufacture are usually oriented to the individual customer requirements. It is called as individual customer strategy. Rising requirements are giving to the production. Competitiveness of some factory on the market has to be ensured by some good business strategy. Basic condition for this is high manufacture flexibility of high quality products in low costs. Product ranges are widened and innovation cycles are shortened. Products are changing its shapes, material, and they receive new functions. With such strategy, traditional known costs are not so important, but really important is the manufacturing time. That why production time shortening is very important. Time oriented strategy needs pass over from traditional functional manufacture structure to the manufacture oriented in flexible manufacturing cells. Cell oriented production, in last years, becomes to be one of the most important conceptions of manufacturing system organization. Its manufacturing philosophy is based on the similarity of: • Manufactured products • Manufacturing process Products likeness ensures its grouping to the similar groups following to the manufacturing machines. This way economical effect of mass production can be done. Cell structures have bound machines, they save time and also the space. If more machines are integrated in to the one cell, their production is synchronized and material flow is fast. Most important effects which are coming from cell production are: • Manufacturing process time reduction • Working out manufacture reduction • Stocks reduction • Manufacturing costs reduction + Corresponding author. E-mail address: (andrea.mudrikova@stuba.sk, karol.velisek@stuba.sk, peter.kostal@stuba.sk). 2009 International Symposium on Computing, Communication, and Control (ISCCC 2009) Proc .of CSIT vol.1 (2011) © (2011) IACSIT Press, Singapore