A novel milling fixture pallet system for production growth of alligator forceps: Design, manufacturing, and testing

Alligator Forceps are an important surgical instrument having an enormous demand in otorhinolaryngology (ENT) because of their ability to fine-tune the amount of pressure exerted and their long reach to remove foreign bodies. Its most important part is the "Base Handle," requiring special attention while manufacturing because the accuracy of the alligator forceps depends on it. Its rough shape is achieved with the help of forging, and then close tolerances are achieved with the help of three milling operations, Face milling, Peripheral milling & Step milling, performed on a CNC milling machine. These milling operations are very time-consuming when the rough forging is clamped on a conventional vise and machined one piece at a time, taking 94 s per piece due to the significant setup time. A novel milling fixture pallet system is designed using the CAD/CAM of Fusion 360 and is manufactured to clamp ten pieces on a single pallet with a swappable pallet. Simulation of milling operations was performed in Fusion 360, and the same results were achieved with physical milling on a CNC machine, validating the design. The milling time was reduced to 74 s per piece due to less setup time which resulted in reduced cost, and increased production rate. Total 200 s saved per 10 pieces and 83 more alligator forceps produced in 8 h production day as compared to conventional vise. The fixture system also gave better repeatability, no deformation, and less human-machine interaction, which were issues with the vise clamping.