Advice on 3D Printer for Jigs and Fixtures

[rbuckman]

Looking for input on using 3D printed jigs and fixtures to hold parts for inspection on CMM or Vision systems.
What 3D printers offer the best surface finish for the money?
What issues have been observed in using 3D printed jigs and fixtures?
What materials are best for this use?

Thanks!

 

[PaulJSmith]

Re: Seeking advice on 3D Printer for Jigs and Fixtures

We don't have a 3D printer in-house, but we outsource some of our assembly fixtures to companies who build them for us. Our experience has been that, depending on the material and design, there is a wide variety of options available ... some more feasible than others. Our first few attempts ended with broken fixtures, due to brittle, inadequate material and flimsy design. More recent attempts have been more fruitful for us. However, we still don't know about long-term wear issues, as we've only been using them for about 6 months at this point. So far, so good, though.

Perhaps (and likely) someone else here has more experience in this arena.

 

[blargon]

Re: Seeking advice on 3D Printer for Jigs and Fixtures

I 3D print polymer jigs & fixtures. I'd give similar advice as Paul..the polymer materials are brittle, so watch the wall thicknesses and potential stress concentrations during design. Durability would be a concern. I use an objet500 to print acrylic-like materials. High quality mode (layer thickness = 16 μm) with gloss finish setting gives a good surface finish. The edge finish is rougher. For a CMM / VMM fixture I presume you'd use it to hold the component, reference off fiducial markers?

 

[rbuckman]

Thanks for the responses. I'm new to these printers and am curious of price points for the printer and the materials. Also have budget constraints. The majority of parts being inspected are small (> 6"X6"X6"). I would be holding these in rough location for VMM and using slight clamping/interference holding for CMM.

 

[blargon]

Well I'd reckon the low end printers, that use filament (ABS, PLA, etc) would be of limited use for your application...potentially for very rough locating. The higher end model I use prints a UV curable polymer & support material - so the support material has to be factored into cost too. I would justify the cost of 3D printing if the part had a complex 3D geometry, if the jig was complicated (multiple setups or 5 axis machining required, etc.) or if jig consisted of multiple components. And if it was to be used for a one-off / low-volume inspection: long-term durability and positioning accuracy would be a concern.

 

[Wes Bucey]

It appears to me, from the OP's comments, that primary consideration should turn to the materials used for the jig or fixture in terms of finish, strength, dimensional stability. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, I'd turn to a 3 D printing service bureau which uses multiple printers and materials for advice. Depending on the number and variety of jigs and fixtures required, it may be more cost effective to use a service bureau rather than bring 3 D production, training, space, and material inventory in-house to just make jigs and fixtures. If required, I can point to trade magazines and journals for lists of such 3D printing service bureaus.

(The advantage of using a service with machines from different manufacturers is avoiding the "if I only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail" syndrome.)

 

[blargon]

Hi rbuckman, if you like, feel free to pm me and I could take a look at the design you have in mind

 

[Marc]

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Hi rbuckman, if you like, feel free to pm me and I could take a look at the design you have in mind

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[rbuckman]

It appears to me, from the OP's comments, that primary consideration should turn to the materials used for the jig or fixture in terms of finish, strength, dimensional stability. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, I'd turn to a 3 D printing service bureau which uses multiple printers and materials for advice. Depending on the number and variety of jigs and fixtures required, it may be more cost effective to use a service bureau rather than bring 3 D production, training, space, and material inventory in-house to just make jigs and fixtures. If required, I can point to trade magazines and journals for lists of such 3D printing service bureaus.

(The advantage of using a service with machines from different manufacturers is avoiding the "if I only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail" syndrome.)

A list of trade magazines and journals would be helpful. Thanks!