THE TWO-WAY CONTROL JIG
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE TWO-WAY CONTROL JIG
A jig is a mechanical tool used in work holding, that guides a particular manufacturing process carried out on the work that is being held. Jigs are basically necessary to ensure accuracy and repeatability in manufacturing and material working. For instance, if you are cutting a specific dimension on a wood plank with a machine saw, there are chances that the plank may shift or become misaligned due to vibrations or human error. So, the jig comes into use, to help you position and hold down the plank while you machine it in-situ. In this way, you can work on several pieces of the wood, and the output will all be relatively same with minimal deviations.
In the same manner, this 2-way jig as the name goes, has been designed and customized by me, to help in the lateral (side or width) and vertical (height) guide of natural fiber bundles in form of slivers, that will be used in making the S4 tape. The device will be installed with a measuring graduation at the sides of the jig heads for reading of dimensions. This device will help me to achieve uniformity in fiber packing and density across the entire spool length of the final S4 tape. This will in turn translate to homogeneity in sizing agent take-up and final composite properties.
Certain design factors for this device have been considered during the development, including maximum practicable height and width of fiber that can be processed on the Michelman fiber sizing line, material type for the base and constraining plates that will have very low friction with the fiber to avoid fraying them.
From the 2-way jig, the arranged sliver with a pre-bonded end is attached to a spring-loaded clamp which is in turn attached to the carriage of a hand cranked leadscrew, which pulls it into the stitching section for bar tacking.
2-way Jig Assembly (conceptual view)
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