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trial versionHas a licenseIRONCAD is a comprehensive 3D CAD program. For fixtures, it is used to build welding, assembly, and inspection fixtures around the customer’s part using components from the catalog, all in a single file, with drawings and a bill of materials generated from the model.
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IRONCAD IRONCAD is a 3D CAD program for industrial design, ranging from machinery and sheet metal to layouts and fixtures. What sets apart from traditional CAD systems is the freedom of choice: you decide for yourself how to model. Design freely using drag-and-drop and TriBall, add constraints and parametric dimensions only where they’re needed, and modify imported geometry directly without a history tree. These methods can be combined within the same , and the entire assembly is contained in a single file. This page shows how fixture designers use it. part
The image shows a welding fixture line from Lövstål Verktyg: at the top, the model in IRONCAD, with stations, clamping elements, and pneumatic cylinders selected from the catalog; at the bottom, the finished line in the workshop. This is how Lövstål works with all its fixtures: the first sketch goes to the customer, changes are made live during the Teams meeting, and only then are the parts manufactured. Would you like to see what your next fixture might look like in IRONCAD?
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You select the method for each section, not for each program.
All three work in the same file, and they can be combined in a single fixture.
For fixture families that require variant management. Lock the pitch, height, and clamping positions using constraints, and the next size will be recalculated without you having to redraw.
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The standard method for fixtures, which are almost always single-use designs. Adjust the stops and clamping elements, position the TriBall against the customer’s part, and modify it freely as the part changes. No restrictive constraints.
For the customer's STEP, SolidWorks, and CATIA files. Select a surface and drag it, trim the boundary to match the part's shape, and add holes. No history is required.
Open the customer’s part as a STEP file, or via Translator from SolidWorks, Inventor, and CATIA. Lock it in the scene and build the fixture directly against the geometry, even if the file lacks history. Cut out stops and supports using the part’s own shape. If the customer changes the revision, simply swap out the file.
Quick-release clamps, air cylinders, bushings, guide pins, and custom fixture parts are listed in the catalog next to the screen. Pull them in, drop them into place, and adjust them with the handle. Everything you build is returned to the catalog and reused in the next fixture. Mercado describes it as building with Legos.
Pins and holes are machined into the fixture parts so that the laser-cut parts can only be mounted one way prior to welding. The tool works on both standard parts and sheet metal parts.
The parts are sent to the laser as DXF files with precise dimensions. This feature is included in IC Mechanical.
Screw connections, bushings, guide pins, bearings, and profiles are available as standard in IC Mechanical. Your own clamping elements from suppliers are added with attachment points so that they align automatically.
The example is a hydraulic fixture from Tooli, with clamping elements, hydraulic plugs, and controls all in the same file.
Protective covers, brackets, and frame parts made of bent sheet metal are created using Sheet Metal, directly in the fixture file. Draw bend lines on the sheet metal or bend it using the 3D tool.
The layout is sent as a DXF file to the laser cutter and press brake, with the dowels and holes remaining in the correct positions.
ICD models the fixture using views, sections, ISO-compliant dimensions, and an automatic bill of materials listing all purchased components. DRAFT features a traditional 2D interface similar to AutoCAD and can open and save customer DWG and DXF files.
Both follow the model when the fixture is changed. Choose the one that fits the drawing, or use both.
The first draft is sent to the client, and changes are made directly during the Teams meeting while the client watches. The entire design is contained in a single file, so there’s no need to link to anything else or save it separately.
“People often ask me which CAD program I use, because it seems so easy to work with,” says Fredrik Lövstål of Lövstål Verktyg.
Guards, brackets, and frames made of bent sheet metal, including dimensions and DXF files.
Special components are freely sketched in 2D and extruded. Parameters are optional—not mandatory.
Clamping elements, pins, stops, and custom fixtures with a pull-and-release mechanism.
Place and align components precisely with the customer's part, without constraints.
Hydraulic fixtures with patented hydraulic systems, assembly applications, and special-purpose machines, including those for Husqvarna. IRONCAD for 20 years, providing both new fixtures and modifications to existing ones.
“We use IRONCAD because it’s both easy and flexible to work with, and it’s very fast to go from a quick sketch to a finished design. If we have any problems, big or small, we always get help the same day.”
Linus Gunnarsson, Tooli Hydraulic Fixture Tools AB
Frames for ergonomic chairs in Halmstad, including the Real 9000 Plus, featuring laser cutting, bending, welding, and painting—all under one roof. The welding fixtures are one-off designs created using pins and holes in IRONCAD.
“I work in the same file the whole time; it’s easier, better, and faster not to have to save parts to separate files. I don’t have to use planes, mates, and constraints, along with the associated problems and wasted time.”
Peter Jonsson, Production Engineer, Mercado Produktion AB
Welding, assembly, and inspection fixtures for the automotive industry, as well as small-scale automation solutions. The first sketch is sent to the customer the same day and is modified in real time during the Teams meeting.
“The drag-and-drop features are particularly valuable, as they allow for the seamless insertion of recurring components such as quick-release clamps, air cylinders, or previously manufactured fixture parts that have been saved in the catalog.”
Fredrik Lövstål, Lövstål Verktyg AB
Import the part as a STEP file or via Translator from SolidWorks, Inventor, or CATIA; lock it in the scene; and build the fixture directly against the geometry. The customer file does not need a history, and if the part changes, you simply replace the file.
Yes. The catalogs in IC Mechanical include bolted joints, bushings, guide pins, bearings, and profiles, and you add your own fasteners from your suppliers. The components are imported with attachment points that automatically align them.
Yes. Using mechanisms, you define the movement of the clamping arm and ensure that the part can be inserted and removed without anything getting in the way. The assembly sequence can be displayed step by step.
Fixtures are one-time designs based on the customer’s geometry. In IRONCAD , components are dragged and dropped and positioned using TriBall without constraints or a history tree, and the entire fixture is contained in a single file. Mercado Produktion designs three times faster than before.
Send the first sketch as an image or PDF, and make the changes in real time during a Teams meeting while the customer watches—that’s how Lövstål Verktyg works. For the quote, render an image using KeyShot directly from the model.
With Design Data Manager, every customer part, fixture, and drawing is assigned a part number, revision, and searchable properties—regardless of whether the file comes from IRONCAD, SolidWorks, or CATIA. If the customer changes the revision of a part, you can see which fixtures are affected.
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