Additive manufacturing technologies, such as Fused Deposition Modeling or FDM, allow to produce ergonomic, optimized and custom-made jigs for the production floor. To understand benefits coming from this technology, let’s have a look at an example of an alignment jig  and an assembly jig, related to the automotive field.

A custom-made alignment jig thanks to FDM technology

This jig, well-known as “Badge alignment tool”, is used by workers to accurately place a badge on a car. The Badge alignment tool is usually produced with CNC machines and metal, resulting too heavy and uncomfortable for workers.

The company decides to optimize the Badge alignment tool, by choosing FDM technology, ABS-M30 material and sparse fill style.

Sparse fill style is one of the most interesting chance offered by FDM technology. The sparse fill style, as opposed to the solid fill style, allows to develop resistant components composed of an internal grid, also with honeycomb structure. This condition enables to reduce the use of material and as a result, assures a further saving in terms of weight, time and costs, compared to an already favorable fill style such as the solid one.

The new custom-made Badge alignment tool has been optimized by the technical staff and produced by skilled workers. This new tool enables the company to get benefits such as:

• Increased productivity: The Badge alignment tool weight has been reduced by 72% compared to the previous solution. Moreover, the component design has been optimized in its ergonomics. Employees have been able to increase their productivity, thanks to these new conditions.
• Reduced time: FDM technology and sparse fill style have enabled a delivery time reduction by 92% compared to the previous solution.
• Reduced costs: FDM technology, sparse fill style and the new “design for manufacturing” have guaranteed a cost reduction by 58% for each Badge alignment tool.

Custom-made assembly jig thanks to FDM technology

This jig is used by an automotive company’s workers, to assembly cars door seals. This jig is usually produced with CNC machines. The company needs to increase productivity related to this working step, that’s why technicians decide to develop a new assembly jig.

FDM technology, ASA material and solid fill style are chosen for this application.

This new optimized, custom-made assembly jig has been produced by skilled workers and shows now two main features:

• Improved ergonomics: FDM technology allows to overcome geometric limits, related to the use of more traditional methods. This chance has enabled the technical staff to re-design the assembly jig with a more focus on functionality. Indeed, it has been possible to insert internal hardwares in order to ease the working task.

• Reduced weight: Thanks to Asa material and the improved geometry, the new assembly jig weighs only 13 kg as opposed to the 58 kg of the previous solution.

The new assembly jig allows the company to get benefits such as:

• Saving time : The company saves hundreds of working hours, since each employee performs on average 250,000 cycles a year and the new jig enables a reduction of 4 second per assembly cycle. Indeed, thanks to the use of FDM technology, the company has shrunk the jig production from weeks to days.
• Saving costs: The ROI related to the jig cost is achieved within few months.
• Boosting safety: The new lighter and more ergonomic jig enables to reduce risks related to its use.

Spring srl – the additive manufacturing service for industrial applications

Spring srl is an additive manufacturing service, with over 20 years’ experience in the production of prototypes and functional components, with thermoplastic materials, for industrial applications. (ISO 9001:2015)

Spring srl’s highly-skilled technical staff chooses additive manufacturing technologies, materials and treatments in order to meet also the most demanding needs. With a portfolio of over 20 materials, a machinery composed of 3 different additive manufacturing technologies and 12 professional systems, Spring srl offers a wide range of solutions and a very fast delivery. The company produces not only prototypes and components, but also offers services such as engineering, design for manufacturing, 3D scanning for reverse engineering and a rich selection of finishes and treatments for post processing.

Source: https://www.stratasys.com/

Click here for more info on a control jig built with additive manufacturing.

Click here to send your request.

Additive manufacturing technologies allow to produce grippers with complex geometries, at reduced weight, in short time and at lower costs, compared to the production with more traditional methods.

These features enable engineers to develop more performant components.

New generation vacuum grippers with Multi Jet Fusion technology

To better understand benefits of additive manufacturing, we present you a vacuum gripper example, applied to a robotic arm, for packings handling.

Since the company needs to increase productivity and to reduce costs related to the robotic arm, engineers are driven to re-design it, starting from the vacuum gripper.

This vacuum gripper is usually composed of an extruded aluminium profile with external canalizations for air management.

The technical staff wants to build a new kind of vacuum gripper, in thermoplastic material, with airtight integrated canalizations.

The production of this new component is possible thanks to the technical know-how related to the Multi Jet Fusion technology and PA 12 material, chosen for this application.

Using this innovative technology, the vacuum gripper presents a significally reduced weight, compared to the previous version. This condition allows the company to:

• Improve performances: With a lighter vacuum gripper, the robot has increased the number of tasks carried out in an hour.
• Reduce costs: The company has invested in a smaller robotic arm, cutting buying cost, energetic consumption and the space occupied inside the factory. The lower weight of the new vacuum gripper has reduced the wear and the mainteinance activities on the robotic arm. The vacuum gripper production cost has been reduced by 85 %.
• Reduce time: The building time has been reduced by 70 %, since the additive method allows to deliver parts in a few days or hours. This fast delivery has enabled to quickly install the robot and make it operational in a very short time.

Spring srl – the additive manufacturing service

Spring srl is an additive manufacturing service specialized in industrial applications (ISO 9001:2015 ). Industrial automation is one of the main field served by the company, producing not only grippers, but also fittings and pallets for automated production lines, air ducts and distributors etc…

The wide range of services includes the production of functional components and prototypes with additive manufacturing technologies, engineering, re-design, post-processing, using a great variety of finishes and treatments.

Contact us for more information: https://www.spring-italia.com/contacts/?lang=en

Source: https://www8.hp.com/uk/en/home.html