USA & Canada
USA & Canada
Blog

Manufacturing Aids 3D Printing Service

Stratasys Direct
Stratasys Direct August 22, 2024
August 22, 2024
Manufacturing Tooling

Streamline Production

Maintaining high-quality production and efficiency is crucial when using custom manufacturing aids such as jigs, fixtures, templates, and gauges. By utilizing 3D printing technology, these tools can be created quickly and tailored to specific production needs, making processes like forming, cutting, assembly, and inspection more streamlined. This approach improves workflow consistency, reduces complexity, and helps achieve better quality control across production tasks.

Jigs & Fixtures
These often overlooked, but critical components for quality production often require several cycles of design and prototyping to attain the required performance. 3D printing provides a substantially simplified and cost-effective fabrication process for productivity, efficiency, and quality.

Composite Tooling
Utilize 3D printing to create lightweight, agile, low-cost composite tools in days. Incorporate greater functionality and geometry complexity for lightweight layup tools, machining fixtures, trim tools, and drill jigs.

Forming Tools
Reduce lead times to forming tools with additive manufacturing. Build tools in days with built-in porosity and increased tool complexity to reduce thermal mass and control thermal gradients. 3D printing’s innate design freedom allows engineers to design for the end product and make design changes quickly.

Efficient production is essential for maintaining quality and productivity on the manufacturing floor. Stratasys Direct offers advanced solutions like 3D-printed jigs, fixtures, and templates that streamline operations. By leveraging 3D printing, these custom tools can be produced faster and at a lower cost than traditional methods, allowing manufacturers to improve accuracy, reduce lead times, and adapt quickly to changes in demand. Whether you need complex composite tooling or lightweight forming tools, Stratasys Direct provides the expertise to enhance your production processes.

Jig & Fixtures Printed | Stratasys Direct

Improve Productivity on the Manufacturing Floor

3D printed jigs and fixtures open up new possibilities on manufacturing-floor productivity. 3D printing processes are easy to implement and offer a wide variety of materials to support a part’s requirements, while eliminating cost, lead time and design barriers to adopting manufacturing aids on the shop floor.

With fast and nearly labor-free production that doesn’t require the overhead of highly skilled CAM programmers and machinists, 3D printing provides a simple yet powerful solution for manufacturing aids for your business. Streamline operations with this powerful solution for cost effective, fast and design-friendly manufacturing aids.

Weight Reduction

High-strength plastics offer a superior solution to conventional metal-cutting processes. Specialized light-weight techniques can as lobe used to produce a strong component without all the heft.

Customization

Easily and cost-effectively produce tools customized for individual users, giving them greater control over their tasks and providing ultimate ergonomic support.

Complexity Consolidation

Eliminate or reduce assembly by consolidating several parts of the tool. 3D printing manufacturing aids rather than machining or molding allows you to design for optimal performance as additive manufacturing places fewer constraints on tool configuration.

Weight Reduction

High-strength plastics offer a superior solution to conventional metal-cutting processes. Specialized light-weight techniques can as lobe used to produce a strong component without all the heft.

Customization

Easily and cost-effectively produce tools customized for individual users, giving them greater control over their tasks and providing ultimate ergonomic support.

Complexity Consolidation

Eliminate or reduce assembly by consolidating several parts of the tool. 3D printing manufacturing aids rather than machining or molding allows you to design for optimal performance as additive manufacturing places fewer constraints on tool configuration.

Composite_Tooling

Cost Effective Tooling in Just Days

3D print cost-effective, high-temperature, custom tools in days — instead of the weeks or months required for traditional tooling processes. Whether your application requires reusable layup mold tooling or sacrificial tooling for complex, trapped-tool geometries, FDM simplifies the fabrication of composite parts while providing unparalleled design freedom.

Benefits of 3D Printing Composite Tooling

Reduce Cost Lead Times

Build tools in days versus weeks or months for traditional tooling with more than 90% cost savings.

Produce Custom Functional Designs

Tool designs specifically tailored to your application versus the “one size fits all” approach.

Respond Quickly to Fluctuation in Demand

Transition from pre-production parts to production in days with a digital inventory of tool designs ready for build.

Reduce Cost Lead Times

Build tools in days versus weeks or months for traditional tooling with more than 90% cost savings.

Produce Custom Functional Designs

Tool designs specifically tailored to your application versus the “one size fits all” approach.

Respond Quickly to Fluctuation in Demand

Transition from pre-production parts to production in days with a digital inventory of tool designs ready for build.

Forming Tools

Move Quickly from Pilot to Production


Start pilot or low-volume production sooner with 3D printed forming tools made with strong, heat-resistant materials. Using production-grade FDM thermoplastics, 3D printed forming tools can get you from tool design to production in days.

Reduce the overall time to produce thermoformed parts with 3D printed forms. FDM thermoform tooling offers simple tool fabrication compared with traditionally manufactured tools to accommodate your specific tooling needs.

Benefits of 3D Printing Forming Tools

Built In Porosity

Eliminate secondary machining operations to incorporate vacuum features and modify porosity with adjustable build process parameters.

Design for Application Fast Customization

Quickly make design changes in CAD and print the revised tool that’s ready for production. Engineer design tools with the end product in mind, without compromise for manufacturability.

Increased Tool Complexity

Build as much or as little complexity as needed into the tool such as variable wall thickness and features to reduce thermal mass and control thermal gradients.

Built In Porosity

Eliminate secondary machining operations to incorporate vacuum features and modify porosity with adjustable build process parameters.

Design for Application Fast Customization

Quickly make design changes in CAD and print the revised tool that’s ready for production. Engineer design tools with the end product in mind, without compromise for manufacturability.

Increased Tool Complexity

Build as much or as little complexity as needed into the tool such as variable wall thickness and features to reduce thermal mass and control thermal gradients.

Unlocking Efficiency and Innovation with 3D Printed Manufacturing Aids

In conclusion, Stratasys Direct’s 3D printing services offer a transformative approach to manufacturing aids. By providing custom jigs, fixtures, composite tools, and forming tools, Stratasys Direct enables manufacturers to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and quickly adapt to production needs. The ability to produce complex, lightweight, and precise tools in a matter of days streamlines production processes and ensures high-quality outcomes. With Stratasys Direct, manufacturers gain the flexibility and innovation needed to maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving industry.