Engineering · Precision Engineering
Arva Industries - Rebuilding a fixture nobody had drawings for
An undocumented assembly fixture was reverse engineered, redesigned and validated - removing 22% of cycle time and two-thirds of rejections.
Client overview
Arva Industries operates in precision engineering. The engagement ran across our Engineering practice.
Problem statement
Arva's main assembly cell depended on a fixture built in-house fourteen years earlier. Tolerances had drifted, final inspection rejection sat near 9%, and throughput could not be raised. No drawings existed and the engineer who built it had retired.
Research
- The fixture was 3D scanned and critical interfaces verified on a CMM to establish actual versus intended geometry.
- Three months of inspection data was analysed to correlate rejection modes with specific fixture features rather than operator variation.
- Time study across two shifts isolated where the 42-second cycle was actually consumed - 11 seconds sat in clamping and repositioning.
- Mating component drawings were reviewed to infer the original design intent and the tolerances that mattered.
Planning and approach
- A ground-up redesign in SolidWorks with a revised clamping scheme replacing four manual clamps with two pneumatic units.
- FEA validation of the base structure under clamping load, which identified the deflection responsible for most tolerance drift.
- Correct GD&T applied against measured process capability rather than inherited nominal tolerances.
- The surrounding cell layout was reworked to remove two material-handling movements per cycle.
Execution
Weeks 1-2 · Capture
Scanning, CMM verification and inspection-data analysis completed on site.
Weeks 3-5 · Design
Concept selection, detailed modelling, FEA and design review with the plant team.
Weeks 6-9 · Build
Fabrication supervised at a partner shop with in-process inspection at each stage.
Weeks 10-11 · Commission
Installation, first-article inspection, operator training and documentation handover.
Timeline
Weeks 1-2
Reverse engineering and data analysis
Weeks 3-5
Design and simulation
Weeks 6-9
Fabrication and inspection
Weeks 10-11
Commissioning and handover
Month 12
Post-implementation audit of cycle time and reject rate
Results
Return on the engagement.
Reduced rejection alone paid for the engagement in seven months. The throughput gain removed the need for a second shift that had been planned for the following quarter.
2.9x
Return in year one
22%
Cycle-time reduction
-67%
Final inspection rejects
9 → 3%
Rejection rate
“We expected a new fixture. We got a documented, revision-controlled design with an inspection plan that our quality team now uses as a template. The documentation alone was worth the engagement.”
Conclusion
What we would tell a similar business.
The gain here came from sequencing - fixing the measurable constraint first, then building around it. If your business shows the same symptoms Arva Industries did, the diagnosis usually takes one conversation and a look at ninety days of data.
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Next step
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