3D Printed
Jigs & Fixtures
FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONS
Q: What are jigs and fixtures?
A. While of these type of tools
are general manufacturing aids,
the terms are sometimes used
interchangeably. However, there
are distinct differences between
jigs and fixtures (J&F). Jigs are
custom-made tools used to
guide and control the location
and motion of another work
piece during an operation.
A jigs primary purpose is to
provide repeatability, accuracy,
and interchangeability as
well as maximize efficiency in the
manufacturing of products. Fixtures are
devices used to locate and hold a work
piece in a fixed location during either
a machining operation or any other
industrial process. The primary purpose
for fixtures is to maintain consistent
quality, reduce cost of production,
and enable a variety of parts made to
correct specifications.
Q: Where are they used?
A: Jigs and fixtures have a wide
range, so they can generally be used
anywhere. Some examples include:
Quality ControlAiding in the
inspection and QC process, specialty
holding devices, or measurement aids.
R&DTooling used in the
development phases of product
development and manufacturing.
AssemblyUsed for the assembly
process, aiding workers to
align and hold parts during
all phases of assembly.
Packaging & LogisticsTooling
designed to allow for
movement of parts within a
facility or during shipment.
Health & SafetySpecialty tooling
designed to aid worker safety
Sponsored by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing
and address ergonomic issues in
the production environment.
EquipmentParts and tools used for
the equipment used in the fabrication
Production FloorWorkstation
organizers and custom hand tools.
Q: What are the benefits of using
3D printing for jigs or fixtures?
A: Generally, J&F will streamline
production-floor workflows and
optimize manufacturing by reducing
cost and cycle time, while increasing
product quality and repeatability.
In addition, they can increase the
accuracy of parts manufactured while
minimizing the possibility for human
error.
Recently, more companies have been
adopting 3D printing to manufacture
new J&F to enable lower costs,
reduction in tooling lead-time, lighter
tools, reduced tooling inventory space,
and allowing for the customization
of highly complex components for
the application or users. Furthermore,
for appropriate applications, it has
shown a consistent reduction in
lead-time by 40% to 90%, and cost
reduction greater than 60%. Also,
3D printing allows design teams
to be more responsive with
the ability to create one-off
custom components.
Q: How can I tell if 3D
printing will work for my
application?
A: There are a few contributing
factors to consider. The first
is the throughput. Investing
in traditional tooling might be
expensive if you are making low
product volumes. This is a big
reason to look at 3D printing.
One-off jigs or fixtures can be printed
for a single component, and if you
want higher volumes, users can add
metal inserts to the high-wear areas
to increase tool life. In general, 3D
printed J&F will be for lower volumes
(1-100+).
Another contributor to identifying
good applications is the amount
of parts and complexity built into
the fixture. These large assemblies
can be simple parts to print, but
add up to a lot of complexity to
design and machine. Leverage
3D printing to consolidate parts,
reduce weight, and overall cost.
Next is the accuracy. Higher-end
printers and experience will pay off
if tight tolerances and accuracy are
needed. This is where talking to a
3D printing service provider will offer
value. They will have the higher-end
manufacturing equipment and the
experience to ensure good quality
prints. In addition, a service provider
will often provide post-machining, if
tighter tolerances are needed beyond
the ability of a printer. This is a benefit
to using digital manufacturing. A
CAD model can be scaled up as
little as 1% and layer thicknesses
 A D V E R T I S E M E N T

can be increased to reduce printing

times, then the finished CAD code
(oftentimes the same code, scaled
to the finished size) is input to a
CNC to finish the component.

Q: Who is using 3D printing in this

way?
A: Manufacturers are using 3D printing
to improve overall plant flexibility and
efficiencyreducing time and waste
and industries such as automotive and
aerospace have been quick adopters
of 3D printing J&F. The automotive
market has many makes and models
that vary year to year. Being able to
offer quick J&F to aid technicians as
they assemble many types of vehicles
might take more time to develop with
traditional J&F. Aerospace has used 3D
printed J&F for low-volume, complex,
and/or one-off iterations that would be
more expensive to produce with other
manufacturing processes.
Consumer products and industrial
manufacturers are using 3D printed
J&F for tools throughout their
processes. From customized hand
tools to reduce fatigue during
repetitive motions to getting creative
to construct modular testing fixtures
to support different product lines,
manufacturers quality departments
recognize the benefits of 3D printing
through test stands, coordinate
measuring machine fixturing, and
other unique tooling needs.

Q: What processes or materials

work best for jigs and fixtures?
A: Materials such as Nylon 12,
polycarbonate, and acrylonitrile
styrene acrylate (known as ASA) work
well and are cost-effective for J&F.
These materials are available in the
FDM process along with ABS, which
offers a variety of blends, such as an
electrostatic dissipative (ESD) blend,
for multiple applications. Finally,
laser sintering (LS) is also popular for
generating J&F. Filled and unfilled
nylons used in laser sintering can
achieve a wide variety of durable parts
with varying mechanical and thermal
properties, depending on the material
choice. LS can be a good option if your
jig or fixture has organic shapes or
multiple contours.