Computer-implemented system and method for determining spatial locations of fixture element fixturing points on a part to be manufactured

A computer-implemented method for determining spatial locations of fixture element fixturing points on a part to be manufactured, comprising:

• retrieving a part model and a constraint volume for a part to be manufactured, the part model and the constraint volume comprising geometric representations of the part respectively defining the boundary of the part and a region defined about the boundary of the part;
• identifying locations on the boundary of the part against which to contact a plurality of fixture elements that are affixed to a base plate, each identified location being both reachable by at least one fixture element and situated where that fixture element will not interfere with a manufacturing tool's approaches to the part;
• and
• evaluating a plurality of potential configurations as exhibiting form closure over the part when fixtured by a select plurality of the fixture elements in contact with the part at the identified locations comprised in each of the potential configurations, comprising:
• evaluating, for each of the locations on the boundary of the part, intersection between each fixture element, when affixed to the base plate, and the constraint volume, and between each of the fixture elements themselves;
• identifying, upon finding that one or more of the fixture elements intersects with either the constraint volume or each other, those of the locations that the intersected fixture elements are not able to reach;
• removing from further consideration the locations that are not reachable;
• constructing a binary space partitioning tree comprising the part model and the constraint volume;
• projecting a ray within the binary space partitioning tree normal to each of the locations on the boundary of the part;
• and
• defining each intersection between the ray and the part model as representative of the intersection of one or more of the fixture elements with the constraint volume for the location from which the ray was projected.