
Atomic Clock Electrode Fixture
During my internship at Microchip, the cutting edge 7610 series cesium beam tube atomic clock subassemblies required fixturing for easy manufacturing process.

The Task at Hand
The electrode is a critical component of the cesium beam tube. It is the catalyst of the cesium flow into the oven upon the clock's launch. Fixturing is needed for the manufacturing of the three subassemblies that are required for production.
This image (left) shows the complete 7610 series cesium beam tube, housing the electrode.
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Constraints and Final Design
Meeting with production specialists and department engineers to narrow in on fixturing requirements led me to sketch out initial designs which were then created in SolidWorks.
After approved by the lead production specialist, I created the formal 2D drawing from the 3D model which was sent to a machine shop for fabrication.
The design incorporates enough spacing for the specified engineering fit and ceramic resting pieces to minimize the probability of the assembly brazing to the fixture itself
The image (right) depicts the final design with the electrode assembly (bottom left) fitted.