INTRO

Mass production targets on increasing productivity and increasing accuracy by

reducing the setup cost and manual fatigue. One of the common practices to
achieve the goals of mass production is to use jigs. Let us consider an example
that one gets an order of 1000 product in such a way that three holes are to be
drilled in a workpiece. In such situations, designer will lay out the position of
each hole with the help of square, straightness, scribers, center punch etc.
Generally, trial and error method is practiced until the axis of hole is properly
aligned with the axis of drill. Thus, a lot of time will be consumed to maintain
the accuracy. Ultimately it increases operator’s fatigue. Thus, instead of laying
out the position of each hole on each workpiece with the aid of square,
straightness, scribers, center punch etc., the operator uses a jig to position and
guide the drill into proper place. Drill jig increases productivity by eliminating
individual marking, positioning and frequent checking. Interchangeability is one
of the advantages of jigs. There is no need for selective assembly. Any of the
parts will fit properly in the assembly and all similar components are
interchangeable. In addition, a jig reduces the repetitive nature required for
drilling a hole, as the locating, clamping and guiding are done by jig itself. The
tool-guiding element helps in setting of tool in correct position. Hence, skilled
workers are not required. Drill jig makes it possible to drill, ream and tap holes
at much faster speed and with great accuracy as compared to holes produced by
conventional hand methods. The responsibility for accuracy of hole location is
taken from the operator and given to the jig. Jig can be defined as a workpiece
holding and locating device that positions and guides or controls the cutting
tool. Drill jig is device to ensure a hole to be drilled, tapped or reamed in the
workpiece at proper place. Drill jig consists of a clamping device to hold the part
in the position under hardened steel bushings. Drill passes through the steel
bushings during drilling operation. The drill is guided by these bushings.
Generally, workpiece is held by jig and the jig is arranged in such a way that the
workpiece can be quickly loaded and unloaded.
Types of Drill Bushes
Drill bushes are classified as follows: 1. Fixed Bushes 2. Liner Bushes 3. Renewable
Bushes 4. Slip-in Bushes 5. Screw or clamp Bushes 6. Special Bushes.

Type 1. Fixed Bushes or Press-Fit Bushes:

These are used for limited production tooling where no change in bushing is called for. It
should be light press fit. These may be headed or plain type. In headed type the head
enables the bush to be used as a stop for the tool.

It also enables the length of the bush to be increased relative to the depth of the bush plate
if the later has to be restricted. Sometimes the bottom of the bush may be required to
conform to the profile of the component to prevent deflection of tool and it is possible with
headed type bush. Repeated changes of press-fit bushings would affect their accuracy.

The advantages of plain fixed bush are low cost, it can be set closer, less likelihood of their
interference with other parts of the drill press, can be used on all the six sides of a box type
jig.

Disadvantage of plain type is that due to slip, it may blip in and that of headed type is that
when box type of jig is used and several faces are to be used, difficulty is likely to be
experienced in locating other faces as the projected head would cause interference.

Type 2. Liner Bushes:

These act as hardened guide for both slip and renewable type bushes and sometime used
as guide to tools. In this way the jig plate of soft metal could be used and after wear and
tear only liner is to be replaced and not the whole of jig plate. The liner bush is either press
fit in the jig plate or secured by means of screws.

Type 3. Renewable Bushes:

These are used when bushings are changed many times during the life of jig. In these
bushes, press fit type is not generally used but only light press fit type is used. In order that
the bush may not come out with the tool, when it is withdrawn some sort of set screw for
retaining the bush with jig plate is used. When the bush is to be replaced due to wear,
retainer screw is removed and worn bush is taken out. As the operation of taking out the
bush generally damages the bore of the bush plate, it is usual practice to use liner bush
which has other advantages also.

Slip-renewal bushes are used for performing more than one operation in same location, like
drilling and reaming.

These bushings are used with a liner bushing and are held in place by the radial lock and
the bushing head. When another size bushing is required for a hole, the first bushing is
removed by turning it counter clockwise and lifting. The new bushing is installed by placing
it in the hole with the radial lock aligned and turning it clockwise (Refer Fig. 28.56).
Where only one operation is performed in each hole, (but where several bushings are
required during the life of the tool), fixed renewable bushings fitting into a liner are used.
They are held by a mechanical clamp and take considerably longer to remove than slip-
renewable bushings.

Type # 4. Slip in Type Bush:

Sometimes we require more drills to pass at one place e.g., we want to drill 5, 10, 15 mm
holes in successive operations at the same position of the job, i.e. when any hole requires
two or more tools to be used then it is necessary to use a slip bush for each tool except
when the tool is guided by the liner bush.

The bore of each bush is made to suit a particular size of tool. In slip bushes arrangements
are provided to stop the bush from rotating during machining process and also to avoid its
following the tool when the latter is being used to clear swarf or when it is withdrawn at the
end of the cut.
This is achieved by utilizing a retaining screw which is fixed permanently in the bush plate.
The slip bush is provided with a clearance slot with a radius slightly larger than that of the
head of screw and is also provided with a step which, when the bush is rotated, will turn and
lock under the flange of the screw. The lifting of the bush is prevented by the head of the
screw.

Type # 5. Screw or Clamp Bushes [Fig. 28.59]:

In this type of bush, threaded portion is used for holding purposes and as threads can’t
provide good location, the plain portion of the bush is utilised for that purpose.
Type # 6. Special Bush:
Suppose it may be required to drill two holes very near to each other and there may not be
sufficient space to fit the bushes. In that case we provide a bush with more than one hole as
shown in Fig. 28.60.

Oil groove bushings permit positive and complete lubrication for continuous high-speed
operations.

Important features for designing of jig bushes are:

(1) Bushes must be case-hardened for minimum wear.

(2) Loose or screwed in bushes should not be used where accuracy is most important.

(3) If threaded bushes are at all used, cylindrical guide surfaces must be provided. Bushing
should be long enough to support and guide the tool properly.

(4) The bearing length for fixed bush should be to 2 times the diameter of bush. In case of
slip bush, the length should be about 2-3 times the diameter of the drill.
(5) If the bushing is larger than the recommended length, the remainder of the length
farthest from the work should be relieved as shown in Fig. 28.61.

(6) The wall thickness of the bushing should easily be able to withstand all the cutting forces
and maintain tool accuracy.

(7) About one drill diameter clearance should be provided between the work and the bush for
chip clearance etc. For small and accurate holes, and when drilling on inclined or curved
surfaces, bushes should be brought down close to the work. If the bushing is unnecessarily very
close to the work piece, chips would cause the bushing to wear rapidly. If the bushing is too far
away, precision is lost.

(8) Holes designed to receive drill bushings must be made undersize and be perfectly round to
allow the bushing to fit correctly. If the drill bushings are not properly installed, they could fall
out during use, or bind and break the tool
Elements of Jig
Jig generally consists of locating element, clamping element and tool guiding or setting
element.
Locating Elements
Locating elements position the workpiece accurately with respect to tool guiding elements in
the jig.
Clamping Elements
Clamping elements hold the workpiece securely in the located position during operation.
Tool Guiding Elements
Tool guiding elements help in guiding the tools in correct position with respect to the
workpiece. Drill bushes guide the drills accurately to the workpiece.

Design Consideration in Jigs

(a) The main frame of jig must be strong enough so that the deflection of jig is as minimum as
possible. This deflection of jig is caused due to the forces of cutting, clamping of the workpiece
or clamping to the machine table. The mainframe of the jig should have the mass to prevent
vibration and chatter.
(b) Frames should be built from simple sections so that frames can be fastened with screws or
welded, whenever necessary. Those parts of the frame that remain intact with the jig may be
welded. The parts needing frequent changing may be held with the screws. Where the body of
jig or fixture has complex shape, it may be cast from good grade of cast iron.
(c) Clamping should be fast enough and require least amount of effort.
(d) Clamps should be arranged so that they are readily available and may be easily removed.
(e) Clamps should be supported with springs so that clamps are held against the bolt head
wherever possible.
(f) If the clamp is to swing off the work, it should be permitted to swing as far as it is necessary
for removal of the workpiece.
(g) All locators, clamps should be easily visible to the operator and easily accessible for cleaning,
positioning or tightening.
(h) Provision should be made for easy disposal of chip so that storage of chips doesn’t interfere
with the operation and that their removal during the operation doesn’t interfere with the
cutting process. 37 Design of Jigs
(i) All clamps and support points that need to be adjusted with a wrench should be of same size.
All clamps and adjustable support points should be capable of being operated from the fronts
of the jig.
(j) Workpiece should be stable when it is placed in jig. If the workpiece is rough, three fixed
support points should be used. If workpiece is smooth, more than three fixed support points
may be used. Support point should be placed as farthest as possible from each other.
(k) The three support points should circumscribe the centre of gravity of the workpiece.
(l) The surface area of contact of support should be as small as possible without causing
damage to the workpiece. This damage is due to the clamping or work forces.
(m) Support points and other parts are designed in such a way that they can be easily replaced
on failure.

Location
One of the most important requirements of a successful jig design is that when workpiece is
machined and removed from the jig, the operator should be able to put another workpiece
quickly into jig, clamp it and machine it to the dimensions with given tolerance

Location Methods
A workpiece can be located from
(a) Plane surface
(b) Profile surface
(c) Cylindrical surface

Plane Surface
A plane surface can be located by three pins. The pin locator is shown in
Figure 3.7. A rough surface can be located by means of location pads having point
contact. This is achieved by providing spherical surface at the locating point on
locating pins. Pins should be located as wide as possible from each other. The
height of pins should be equal so that the located surface is parallel to the base
plate. This base plate is rested on machine table.
Figure 3.7 : Pin Locator
If workpiece is undersize or oversize, the fixed pin should not provide adequate
support. Adjustable locator can take care of variation in workpiece. This adjustable
pin locator is shown in Figure 3.8. An adjustable pin takes care of uneven surface
also. There should be provision for collection of chips. Sometimes 3-2-1 principle
is not useful for larger workpiece. Hence, extra workpiece should be used to
maintain stability and rigidity.

Figure 3.8 : Adjustable Pin Locator

Profile Surface
The profile is generally located by means of sighting plate. Sighting plate is
slightly greater than workpiece. The workpiece is located by means of sighting
plate and is shown in Figure 3.9. There is generally uniform clearance in between
workpiece and sighting plate. Sighting plate provides visual justification of surface
of workpiece.
Figure 3.9
The profile is also located by means of pin as shown in Figure 3.10. These pins act
as a restriction to the movement of the workpiece.

Figure 3.10 : Pin Locator for Profile

Cylindrical Surface
Location for cylindrical surface is the most common and convenient form of
location. When cylinder is located on its axis and base, it can rotate only about its
axis and all other motions are constrained. Cylindrical locator is shown in
Figure 3.11. The length of locator should be small to prevent jamming. As large
area comes in contact with workpiece surface, friction may occur. Hence, more
force is required to remove the locator. By providing relief, the force is minimized
to great extent. Also, recess will help in removing burr.
Figure 3.11 : Diamond Locator

Diamond Locator
Diamond shaped pin should be used to constrain pivoting of the workpiece around
principle locator. The principle locator should be longer than diamond pin so that
workpiece cannot be located and pivoted around it before engaging with diamond
pin. This will help in removing of the workpiece quickly. Figure 3.12 shows
locating the workpiece with diamond shaped pin. If two fixed pins are provided, it
will not accommodate the variation in the central distance of hole. This problem is
avoided by using diamond pin. Also one diamond pin is sufficient to position the
hole in the workpiece while other hole is positioned with the help of fixed pin.

Figure 3.12 : Locating Workpiece by Diamond Locator

The diamond locator should be positioned in smaller hole. As the width of

diamond pin is less than the diameter of diamond pin, the variation in the hole is
accommodated by diamond pin. The diamond pin locator is shown in Figure 3.13.
Figure 3.13 : Diamond Pin Locator

V Locator
V locators are widely used for locating cylindrical surfaces from outside. Fixed
v-locator is shown in Figure 3.14. It is used for approximate location. It is
generally fixed by screws to jig body and dowelled to avoid any shift during
operation.

Figure 3.14 : Fixed V Locator

By making V-locator adjustable along its axis, one can decide accurate location.
The position of V-block is adjusted by a screw to take care of the variation in the
size of the workpiece. An adjustable V-block is guided by a guide plate to control
its motion along the axis of V-block. The guide should be dowelled to avoid
shifting during the operation.
Figure 3.15 : Adjustable V Locator

Conical Locator
Conical locators are extensively used for locating rough unmachined cylinders
generally made from castings and forgings. Cored holes and bosses are centralized
by conical locators. Conical locator is shown in Figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16 : Conical Locator

Conical locators have axial adjustment with a screw, which is also used to clamp
the located workpiece in position. When casting has a single boss, which is to be
drilled, a bush is made integral bush with locator to help in drilling of the
workpiece in the desired position.
TYPES OF JIG WITH EXAMPLES
Depending upon method of operation and construction, drill jigs can be broadly
classified as follows :
(a) Plate Jig
(b) Leaf Jig
(c) Box jig
(d) Indexing Jig
(e) Pump jig

Plate Jig
This is the simplest type of jig. Plate jig consists of single bush plate. This plate
has a provision of loading and unloading of workpiece, clamping and chip
removal. Figure 3.26 shows the construction of plate jig. The workpiece profile is
located by six location pins and clamp by two knurled screws against location pins.
In any drill jig the workpiece should be supported adequately against bending due
to the downward thrust of drill. The disadvantage of plate jig is that only one
surface can be drilled at one loading and drilling forces are generally directed
toward the clamping element. Hence, clamps should be rigid enough to withstand
drilling forces.
Figure 3.26 : Plate Jig

Box Jig
The shape of box jig is of box type. Figure 3.27 shows the construction of box jig.
The working of box jig is as follows: Hole is drilled and then reamed when the
workpiece is held by jig. The workpiece is inserted in the jig. The cam rod is taken
out of the jig and the workpiece placed in the position inside the jig. The cam rod
is then replaced and rotated to its locking position. This holds the workpiece firmly
so that drilling operation can be performed.

Figure 3.27 : Box Jig

Leaf Jig
These generally have hinged jig (bush) plate. The jig plate can be swung aside as
shown by dotted line in Figure 3.28 to load or unload the workpiece from the top.
After the workpiece has been located inside the jig, the leaf is firmly closed and
locked. The jig plate must have the resting face to ensure that the axis of bushings
is vertical during drilling. Jig plate must be clamped against the resting face by an
eye bolt. The open slot in jig plate and swinging eye bolt facilitate quick clamping
and unclamping of the jig plate. The hand knobs need to be loosened by only half a
turn and the eye bolt swung to the position shown by chain dotted line in order to
permit swinging of the jig plate aside for loading and unloading of workpiece from
the top. Leaf jigs are particularly suitable for workpieces having location surfaces
and holes to be drilled on opposite sides.

Figure 3.28 : Leaf Jig

Indexing Jig
When number of holes with the same size and pitch are to be drilled in a
workpiece, then conventional drilling takes more time to drill each hole
individually and requires skilled worker for complete production run. Also one
cannot get required accuracy. This automatically increases the cost.
This arrangement is shown in Figure 3.29. Such situation is avoided by using
indexing jig. Indexing jig not only saves the time and the cost but also increases
accuracy. And unskilled worker may operate the indexing jig. Linear indexing jig
is shown in Figure 3.30.

Figure 3.29 : Workpiece for Linear Indexing Jig

Figure 3.30 : Linear Indexing Jig

(a) Indexing pin is first inserted into hole A. It is used as a stopper for drilling
the first hole through the drill bush.
(b) The pin is removed from hole A after drilling. Then workpiece is moved
toward right till the centerline of drilled hole coincides with the centerline of
bush B.
(c) The indexing pin is inserted into the drilled hole in the workpiece through
bush B.
(d) In this way workpiece is indexed linearly to drill the next hole at 100 mm
distance (i.e. pitch) from the hole drilled previously.
(e) By repeating step c, we can make number of holes at 100 mm pitch in the workpiece.
Rotary Indexing Jig
Rotary indexing helps in positioning a part accurately around the axis. It can be
used conveniently for drilling equi-spaced holes in cylindrical workpieces. Rotary
Indexing is shown in Figure 3.31.

Figure 3.31 : Rotary Indexing Jig

(a) Workpiece is clamped and first hole is drilled through bush A.
(b) Workpiece is unclamped and rotated clockwise to coincide the axis of
drilled hole with the axis of indexing pin.
(c) The indexing pin is inserted in the drilled hole to index the workpiece for
drilling the next hole.
(d) The workpiece is clamped again before drilling the next hole. In this way,
the rotary indexing can be used to drill number of equi-spaced holes with
only two guide bushes.