Five Reasons to 3D Print Tooling, Jigs and Fixtures

2. A Global Network with Local Performance

Before beginning production, in order to extract optimal performance out of 3D printing materials, select a partner that has a global Additive Manufacturing Network to test and validate material performance in a manufacturing environment.

It is easier to test, modify and validate the final performance of tooling, jigs and fixtures components printed near the production line to further improve the assembly process. Printing on open source, low-cost desktop printers empowers shop floor employees, improves overall efficiency and provides significant savings to the overall business.

Once a 3D-printed fixture or manufacturing tool is perfected, it can be digitally transferred to facilities around the globe so the enhanced performance is repeatable and globally distributed, digitally. 3D printers also speed up the replacement of specific components and can keep production lines up and running with speedy replacement of MRO components.

3. Exponentially More Cost-Effective

When examining the value of additive manufacturing, it's helpful to break down the cost of creating tooling, jigs and fixtures through a traditional machine shop:

• It requires CNC machining and other metal fabrication equipment, as well as skilled employees to operate it.
• 2D drawings must be generated to communicate critical tolerances, and an RFQ must be generated if outsourced.
• If produced off-site, time and transportation costs in conveying it between the machine shop and the manufacturing facility drive up overall costs.
• The cost of managing procurement from outside vendors can be a hidden cost that is rarely accounted for but requires resources from Engineering and Procurement.
• Fitting a small fabrication job into the machine shop's workflow can take several days and sometimes multiple weeks.
• Toolmakers can be scarce and are often underutilized, making jigs, fixtures and tooling parts when they could be crafting more complex, higher-value tooling.
• Because external machine shop fees include additional overhead costs, the overall cost of externally sourced tooling, jigs and fixtures is higher when compared to producing components internally.

Also consider that every tool, jig or fixture design iteration, whether involving changes in dimension or functionality, will incur similar costs over and over. And these costs will continue to build with each new iteration and with the addition of each new manufacturing facility. As a result, production teams often tolerate substandard fixtures. If 3D-printed fixtures are available the next day, fast iteration is possible while providing optimal configurations, improving the production process, increasing quality and supplying a more ergonomic work environment.

Compared to legacy processes, we have found that many 3D-printed tooling, jigs and fixtures can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A recent survey within one of our plants showed savings of $1,500 to $2,500 on average. With the average costs of a desktop 3D printer around $5,000, the initial investment can be recouped in just a few jobs. In fact, we find that the ROI is realized in the first 30 to 45 days of use.

Additive manufacturing also supports LEAN manufacturing by enabling the production of highly efficient workstations that are cost-effective to build. 3D printing specialized in tooling to maximize efficiency can cost as little as $10 per tool. In comparison, it could cost $1,500 or more to have the same tooling crafted at a machine shop. That translates to workstation designs that can be continuously improved via onsite 3D printing to test, tweak, redesign and iterate until every workstation is optimized and hitting LEAN standards. Further, this process can be digitally transferred and repeated at other facilities.

4. Dedicated Agility

As noted earlier, 3D printing enables quick changes on the assembly line. This allows manufacturers to capitalize on dynamic changes in components and processes, improve the efficiency of today's shortened product lifecycles and take advantage of market opportunities. 

Additive manufacturing can also integrate seamlessly with legacy technology to increase agility without stopping the line for extensive overhauls. With a 3D-printed fixture, a metal spring or contact point can still be included. When 3D printing is integrated at the right place and time on the assembly line, it can deliver any adaptations and adjustments needed to achieve the best possible performance.

5. Create A Complex, Custom Jig, Fixture or Tooling

3D printing technology is highly capable of creating complex geometries that would be cost- and time-prohibitive through typical metal-working. Think about the functionality you could achieve if it were so easy to print and test new prototypes, then print and test them again. 

Think about printing new prototypes such as:

• An alignment fixture used during a gluing operation
• An assembly fixture or nest to secure parts
• A chute to protect parts as they fall from an injection mold
• A template jig used to mark parts
• A masking fixture for a painting operation

Whether looking for a simple jig, an adapter for a vacuum loader, a quick coupling for a winder, a holding fixture for an assembly or a diverter on a hopper, 3D printing jigs, fixtures and manufacturing aids is almost always going to win the performance, cost, time, efficiency and adaptability game, especially when compared to outsourcing to a local machining operation. Additive manufacturing is simply the right tool for the right job, and businesses that fail to take advantage of it risk falling behind in the emerging era of digital manufacturing.