1. OVERVIEW
Manufacturing relies on tools including jigs, fixtures, templates
and gauges to maintain quality and production efficiency. They are
used to position, hold, protect and organize components and sub-
assemblies at all stages of the manufacturing process. And although
these tools are virtually invisible when production is running
smoothly, their importance becomes evident when problems arise.
To avoid production halts or product defects, new jigs and fixtures
must be rapidly designed, manufactured and deployed.
APPLICATION OUTLINE
Jigs and fixtures are most commonly fabricated from metal, wood or
plastic in quantities of 1 – 100+ using a manual or semi-automated
process. On average, each tool takes between one and four weeks
to design and build, however elaborate or intricate tools may require
several cycles of design, prototyping and evaluation to attain the
required performance.
Fused Deposition Modeling™(FDM®
) provides a fast and accurate
method of producing jigs and fixtures. FDM is an additive
manufacturing process that builds plastic parts layer-by-layer
using data from computer-aided design (CAD) files. By using FDM,
the traditional fabrication process is substantially simplified; tool-
making becomes less expensive and time consuming. As a result,
manufacturers realize immediate improvements in productivity,
efficiency and quality. Additionally, these tools can be designed for
optimal performance and ergonomics because FDM places few
constraints on tool configuration. What’s more, adding complexity
does not increase build time and cost.
The efficiency of FDM makes it practical to optimize jig and fixture
designs and increase the number in service. Engineers can easily
evaluate the performance of the tool and make quick, cost-efficient
adjustments to the design as needed. FDM also makes it practical
to produce jigs and fixtures for operations where they have not been
previously cost or design feasible when produced with traditional
manufacturing methods.
Finally, FDM jigs and fixtures are made from tough and durable
thermoplastics that can withstand the rugged manufacturing
environment. With several bio-compatible options, they are also
ideal for use in medical applications.
CUSTOMER STORY
The Oreck Corporation is a well-respected manufacturer of vacuum
cleaners, sweepers, and other household cleaning appliances.
Within the vacuum cleaning category alone, Oreck offers nearly 20
unique models which are valued for being lightweight, exceptionally
durable and easy-to-use.
Every new Oreck vacuum incorporates 20 - 30 complex injection
molded parts that must meet specific dimensional tolerance
requirements to ensure proper assembly and performance. Before
production of a new product can begin, samples of each part are
produced for testing. These are called First Articles.
Each First Article is inspected by a coordinate measuring machine
(CMM) prior to shipment of the mold to the manufacturing facility, and
once again before the mold is placed into production. During each
inspection, the First Articles must be held rigidly in place. Should a
First Article shift during the inspection process, the CMM will register
a false failure.
Oreck First Articles mounted in FDM
fixtures (white ABS-M30) on CMM
granite base.
Part numbers and hardware pocket
integrated in a fixture made from ABS-
ESD7, commonly used for electrical
component assembly fixtures.
CAD model of Oreck vacuum cleaner
yoke to be inspected on a CMM.
APPLICATION BRIEF:
FDM FOR JIGS AND FIXTURES
BENEFITS OF FDM
Average lead time savings:
• 40% - 90%
Average cost savings:
• 70% - 95%
Greater efficiency:
• Streamline and improve process
-- Eliminate detailed drawings
-- Minimize paperwork
Greater design freedom:
• Integrate / consolidate / improve
-- Eliminate assembly
-- Improve performance, accuracy
and ergonomics
FDM IS A BEST FIT
Quantity:
• Low - volume (1-100+)
Properties:
• Thermoplastic is acceptable.
Size (XYZ):
• < 300 mm (12 inches) per side
Environment:
• < 200° C (390° F)
Deployment:
• Limited due to time and cost.
Fabrication:
• In-house is not feasible.
Revisions:
• Frequent replacements, alterations
and revisions must be made.
Tolerance:
• > +/- 0.13 mm (0.005 in)
FDM (black ABS-M30) assembly line
nest mounted on an aluminum blank.

2. ©2014 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™ is a registered trademark of SABIC or affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. SSYS-AB-JigsFixtures-02-14
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.
7665 Commerce Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
+1 888 480 3548 (US Toll Free)
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+972 74 745-4000
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Stratasys | www.stratasys.com | info@stratasys.com
During inspection, Oreck’s quality control team would manually
attach a variety of modular aluminum clamps to hold the First Article
in place. This pain-staking process generally took 30 minutes to
complete and was then followed-up by two to four hours of CMM
programming time.
Consequently the total time needed to test all of the First Articles
required for production of a new vacuum model was approximately
30 days. If a defect was found - which happened at the rate of once
a month – the timeline was further delayed while the QC team
investigated the problem.
Oreck now uses FDM to make fixtures that are specifically designed
to quickly and perfectly position each First Article for testing, thereby
eliminating the need for manual placement. Furthermore they are
able to create an FDM prototype of the First Article, which when
used in conjunction with the complementary fixture, allowed the QC
department to preprogram the CMM while the actual First Article
was in production.
Now, the opportunity for testing error has been virtually eliminated,
and the quality control process that previously took a month to
complete can be done in one day — a 2,900% improvement.
“The accuracy and consistency of FDM allows us to move the
programming stage up in the process, and essentially remove the
First Article inspection process from the critical path in the new
product development schedule. This makes it possible to start
production faster,” said Craig Ulmer, Senior QA Labs Technician for
Oreck.
FDM First Article (gray ABS-M30) on
FDM fixture (ivory ABS-M30) used by
Oreck for CMM programming.
REFERENCE
COMPANIES
Companion and reference materials:
• Technical application guide
- Document
• Application brief
- Document
• Video
- Commercial
- Success story
- How it’s used
• Referenced processes
- Metal inserts
- Color change
- Building assembly parts
- Integrated structures
- Insight custom groups
Application compatibility: (0 – N/A, 1 – Low, 5 – High)
• FDM: Idea (3), Design (3), Production (5) • PolyJet™
: Design (2)
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Forward-thinking manufacturers,
engineers and designers that use jigs
and fixtures for:
Departments:
• Manufacturing
• Inspection
• Engineering
• Inventory
Applications:
• Positioning / Holding
• Transportation
• Protection
• Organization
Traditional technology obstacles:
• Creation time and expense outweigh
value.
• Bottlenecks / delays in fixture making
are present.
• Jigs and fixtures are used infrequently
or have short lives.
• Jigs and fixtures are nice to have but
low priority.
How does FDM compare to traditional
methods for Oreck?
Method Production
Time
Cost
CNC 7 hours $250
FDM 3.5 hours $55
SAVINGS 3.5 hours
(50%)
$195
(78%)
Total Inspection
Time
30 days
1 day
29 days —
2,900%
improvement