AR-1 Engine Tooling & Fixtures

Mechanical tooling and fixture design supporting lower-engine assembly positioning, alignment, weld access, and repeatable manufacturing operations.

Tooling DesignWeld FixturesCreoWindchillManufacturing Support

Public-safe rocket-engine lower-assembly fixture in a manufacturing environment.

What the work involved

Created shrinkwrap representations of engine subassemblies and used those simplified envelopes to design tooling around the hardware geometry.
Developed fixtures to capture and support lower-engine sections during assembly and specialized welding operations.
Used three circumferential support posts / columns around the assembly to maintain alignment while preserving welding and inspection access.
Designed movable support / clamp sections that could travel vertically into position and lock an engine section for the weld operation.
Supported fit, alignment, repeatability, manufacturability, drawing release, and shop-floor use of the tooling.

Fixture concept

The fixture had to locate large engine sections from simplified shrinkwrap geometry, keep the assembly stable and concentric, allow an upper or intermediate section to be brought into position, and preserve access for the required welding operation.

Public-safe representative renderings communicate the type of tooling work performed. They are not proprietary AR-1 CAD geometry, dimensions, or controlled manufacturing data.

Exploded-isometric tooling concept for lower rocket-engine assembly support. — Exploded-isometric representation of the lower-assembly tooling concept, including circumferential support posts and movable locating hardware.

Representative fixture in operation during welding. — Representative fixture-in-operation view showing assembly support, alignment, and welding access.

Close-up of precision support and locating fixture around a lower rocket-engine section. — Text-free close-up of the support / locating concept illustrating the fixture architecture around the lower assembly.

Portfolio highlights

Lower-assembly weld fixtures
Engine-subassembly shrinkwrap / envelope models
Adjustable support and clamping concepts
Alignment and concentricity control
Welding and inspection access
Creo / Windchill manufacturing documentation

Tooling and manufacturing-support focus only; no claim of AR-1 engine-design ownership.

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