Jigs and fixtures

Jigs and fixtures are the purpose-built tooling that holds, positions, and supports steel parts during block fabrication so they are welded to the right shape and dimension. A jig sets and locates the parts (a curved bed that gives a shell block its form, a pin jig that supports a double-curved plate); a fixture clamps and restrains them against welding distortion. They are central to accuracy control: a block built on a calibrated jig comes off with predictable dimensions, which lets pre-outfitting proceed and erection joints fit at the berth without heavy rework. Poor jigs feed dimensional error straight into the erection stage.