Application brief:

JIGS AND FIXTURES

OVERVIEW
Manufacturing relies on tools including jigs, fixtures, templates APPLICATION
and gauges to maintain high levels of quality and production
efficiency. These manufacturing aids are used to align, assemble,
CHECKLIST
clamp, hold, test and calibrate components and sub-assemblies
at all stages of the manufacturing process. Although these tools Benefits of
are virtually invisible when production is running smoothly, their fdm jigs &
importance becomes evident when problems arise. To avoid
production halts or product defects and minimize operational fixtures include:
FDM (ivory ABS-M30) headlight
cycle times, new jigs and fixtures must be quickly designed, alignment fixture used in BMWs
manufactured and deployed. Efficiency:
manufacturing process.
Streamline & improve process
The applications and demands extend beyond manufacturing. Eliminate detail drawing
Medical, dental,veterinary care and research also require efficient Minimize paperwork
production of positioning and alignment aids.
Lead time:
APPLICATION OUTLINE 40% to 90% improvement
Jigs and fixtures are commonly machined or fabricated from Cost:
metal, wood or plastic. Like the items they are used to produce, 70% to 95% reduction
these tools go through the design, documentation, production and
inspection processes. The geometries of the tools are limited Design:
by the nature of the machining and fabrication processes and Integrate/consolidate/improve
by the specific capabilities of the equipment used to produce Eliminate assembly
them. Elaborate or intricate tools may require several cycles Improve performance and accuracy
of design, prototyping and evaluation before the required level
of performance is achieved. On average, each iteration of CAD model of vacuum cleaner yoke to Design freedom:
manufacturing tooling takes between one and four weeks to design be inspected on a CMM.
Improve function and ergonomics
and build.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM ) provides a fast and accurate

method of producing jigs and fixtures. FDM technology is an
FDM IS A BEST
additive manufacturing process that builds plastic parts layer-by- FIT FOR JIGS
layer, using data from computer-aided design (CAD) files. A key AND FIXTURES
advantage of FDM is that it can make a jig or fixture in less time
with fewer production steps. FDM requires only an STL file so WHEN:
detailed drawings are unnecessary. A jig or fixture is produced
by processing the STL file using Stratasys Insight software and Quantities:
downloading it to the FDM system for building. After support 1s, 10s, and 100s
material is removed, jigs and fixtures can be immediately tested.
If the first iteration is not acceptable, the design is modified, and a Strength:
new version is produced, typically in a matter of hours. The result is Thermoplastic acceptable
that FDM is often substantially less expensive and much faster than
conventionally machined or fabricated items. Size (XYZ):
< 12 inches (300 mm) per side
First articles mounted in FDM fixtures
FDM jigs and fixtures free designers from the constraints imposed on CMM granite base.
by conventional manufacturing methods. So, they can often Environment:
be designed to deliver substantial improvements in functional < 390 F (200 C)
and ergonomic performance for manufacturing, assembly and
inspection processes. Deployment:
Typically limited due to time and cost
The efficiency of FDM makes it practical to optimize jig and
fixture designs and increase the number in service. Since there Fabrication:
is little delay and minimal labor required to make additional items, In-house not feasible
engineers can gather performance data from the first iteration and
make a series of design revisions to optimize the manufacturing
Revisions:
process. That process efficiency also make it practical to produce Frequent replacement or alteration
jigs and fixtures for operations where they are warranted but have
Tolerance:
not been addressed.
> +/- 0.005 inch (0.127 mm)
FDM jigs and fixtures are made from tough and durable
thermoplastics that will withstand the rugged manufacturing Part numbers and hardware pocket
integrated in a fixture made from ABS-
environment. With several bio-compatible options, they are also
ESD7, commonly used for electrical
ideal for surgical use.
component assembly fixtures.
 CUSTOMER STORY
The Oreck Corporation produces lightweight, durable and CANDIDATE PROFILE:
easy-to-use cleaning products for every room in the house.
Before production begins for a new product, Orecks quality Manufacturer of
assurance department must complete a first article inspection of discrete goods
its components. Typically, there are between 20 and 30 injection
molded parts in the bill of materials. The department uses Departments:
coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to be sure the parts meet Manufacturing
Orecks demanding requirements. Inspection
Previously, the process to a complete the first article inspection FDM (black ABS-M-30) assembly line Transportation
would span 30 days a few days for inspection and many weeks nest mounted on an aluminum blank. Inventory
of preparation,set-up, programming and waiting. Using FDM to
make CMM fixtures and inspection samples, Oreck completes first Applications
article inspections within days of receiving parts from production Positioning
tooling. Holding
Protection
For inspections, Oreck first has to program the CMM, which takes
two to four hours per part. This amounts to two weeks of work Organization
for the average product assembly. However, programming cant More jigs & fixtures needed but:
be done without fixtures and sample parts. For simple parts,
modular clamps provided the fixturing. For the more complex Effort, time and expense outweigh
parts, machined fixtures were required, and they had 7 to 10 day value
lead times. But parts were still needed. So, Oreck could not begin Bottlenecks/delays in fixture making
the programming work until the injection mold began spitting out FDM first article (gray ABS-M30) on Short life or infrequent use
plastic parts. FDM fixture (ivory ABS-M30) used for
Nice to have but low priority
CMM programming.
Oreck now uses FDM to make fixtures and sample Creative, clever, innovative
parts while construction of the injection mold is
underway. This allows it to complete all programming designers & engineers
and setup work before molded parts arrive. By How Did FDM Compare to Traditional
removing programming from the critical path, Oreck Methods for Oreck?
condenses its inspection lead time to just a few days.
According to Craig Ulmer, senior quality assurance lab
technician, the average FDM fixture takes just three to Method Time Cost REPRESENTATIVE
four hours to make and cost just $55.00.
COMPANIES
I found it was very easy to design the fixtures in CAD Machined 14 days $3,750
software based on the CAD model of the part to be Fixtures (15)
inspected, said Ulmer. He noted that they now build
fixtures as soon as the design is frozen I can now FDM Fixtures 2 to 3 days $825
easily inspect all of the first articles for a new product in
one day as opposed to one month. This means we can
give the go-ahead to start production one month earlier Savings 11 to 12 days $2,925
than in the past. (78% to 86%) (78%)

Application compatibility: (0 N/A, 1 Low, 5 High)

FDM: Idea (2), Design (3), Production (5) PolyJet: Idea (0), Design (2)

Companion and reference materials:

Technical application guide Application brief Video Referenced processes
Document Document Commercial Metal inserts
Success Story Color change
Building assembly parts
Integrated structures
Insight custom groups

Stratasys | www.stratasys.com | info@stratasys.com

7665 Commerce Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
+1 888 480 3548 (US Toll Free)
+1 952 937 3000 (Intl)
+1 952 937 0070 (Fax)
2 Holtzman St.,
Science Park, PO Box 2496
Rehovot 76124, Israel
+972 74 745-4000
+972 74 745-5000 (Fax)

ISO 9001:2008 Certified

2013 Stratasys Inc. All rights reserved. Stratasys, FDM and Fortus are registered trademarks and Fused Deposition Modeling, FDM Technology,
Fortus 250mc, Fortus 360mc, Fortus 400mc, Fortus 900mc, Insight and Control Center are trademarks of Stratasys Inc., registered in the United
States and other countries. *ULTEM 9085 is a trademark of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP BV. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. SSYS-AB-JigsFixtures-06-13
For more information about Stratasys systems, materials and applications, contact Stratasys Application Engineering at
1-855-693-0073 (toll free), +1 952-294-3888 (local/international) or ApplicationSupport@Stratasys.com.