5 Reasons Why You Should Use 3D Printing for Jigs and Fixtures

Myself Ravindra Gavde, Next Gen 3D Guide, founder of Facebook group "Mission 3D for Generation Next" and my mission in coming 3 years is to prepare career seeking 10000 students for future opportunities in 3D Printing.

Jigs and Fixtures are used for manufacturing components accurately a number of times. Jigs hold the workpiece in place and guide the cutting tool to carry out a specific task. Jigs are normally used in drilling, boring, reaming and tapping. Fixtures are used for milling, slotting, shaping, turning and planning.

Jigs and fixtures are normally made from steel or aluminium but nowadays addition to this material, 3D printed Jigs and Fixtures are used to increase speed and reduction of time and expenditure.

The top 5 reasons to use 3D printing for Jigs and Fixtures are as follows.

 1. Complex Design

It is most suitable for complex design, irregular shape, intricate shape or smaller size Jigs and Fixtures. With 3D printing, you can create new design at regular intervals, for optimum performance and make it in less time and less cost. You have much larger scope with 3D printing for tool configuration as tool production will no longer be limited by machining or injection moulding operations.

2. Component consolidation 

As complex parts can be made by additive machining , Jigs and Fixtures can be redesigned and made as one single unit instead of multiple Jigs, which will reduce or even eliminate the long lead time, labour and costs that are required for assembly line. This will improve the overall precision and accuracy of the finish tool.

3. Customisation 

Printed Jigs and fixture create strong, lightweight easily customised for the application, better ergonomics and operator safety. You can build in special property such as heat and chemical resistant, UV stability and flame retardancy. Most of the material used in 3D printing are lighter than aluminium and are not printed solid, in fact infills are used in between with outer shell. This reduces the weight and consequently increases productivity. Tools are easy to move around the production floor.

3. Cost Reduction 

3D printed Jigs and Fixtures not only saves time, there is significant reduction in production cost too. Often Jigs and fixture and other tooling equipment or outsourced to external supplier. 3D printing allows manufacturer of Jigs and fixture inhouse. This reduces the outsourcing cost. Inventory also reduces with 3D printing. Instead of storing tooling equipment's additive manufacturing enables on demand manufacture. So tools can be made as and when needed.

5. Better Ergonomics

Jigs and Fixtures are handled by people on production floor. It is easier for worker to use due to its lightweight. Also it eliminate discomfort and risk of injury due to work. Additive manufacturing allows engineers to create improved tools to match exact requirement.

 

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