Hillside Design News -Cost savings of 70% to 90% over machined fixtures

Jigs and fixtures design uses

Any company involved in manufacturing can attest to the positive difference that jigs and fixtures can make to the speed and repeatability of tasks. Unfortunately, the benefits of jigs and fixtures are often not realised when there is the perception that these cost too much money or take too long to develop and integrate into the work process. Here at Hillside Product Design, we see many instances where a hand held operation could be very easily improved with a simple low cost jig or fixture.

Revolutionise your jigs and fixtures

FDM (fused deposition modelling) is a speedy, low cost, tried-and-tested 3D printing technique for building complex, accurate and robust parts. It is revolutionising the way that manufacturers develop, build and use jigs and fixtures. Hillside Product Design’s in-house and external 3D printing capability, along with years of experience in design for manufacture can help you benefit from FDM.

A 3D printed jig or fixture will help you to

• Reduce scrap-rates and reworking
• Decrease hands-on time per part
• Improve control and repeatability
• Reduce worker fatigue and improve health and safety
• Benefit from multiples of the same jigs and fixtures improving production rates.

Save time and maximise profits

In a recent white-paper, Stratasys reported that manufacturers using FDM to make their fixtures were benefitting from 40% to 90% lead time savings, and cost savings of 70% to 90% over machined fixtures.

As time and cost are less of a factor when using FDM jigs and fixtures, old arguments for using unaided labour for processes no longer stand up. Even a saving of 5 seconds per part, 500x a day across a workforce, adds up to a saving of over 200 hours of labour in a year. Even something as simple as using FDM fixtures to improve manoeuvrability and dexterity of a hard to hold part will immediately reduce worker fatigue and could increase productivity.

While FDM isn’t right for every application; it is perfectly suitable for many and could even be the better option compared to traditional metal solutions. You could have low cost FDM jigs and fixtures in place within forty eight hours and start to save money straightaway.

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If you’ve got an idea you want to take to market, we will assist you through your journey. Even the most accomplished will require assistance which is where Hillside Product Design’s expertise is invaluable. We work closely with all our clients to ensure they have all the support they need throughout the product development process.