Case Studies
Manufacturer Cut Fixture Lead Time from 3 Weeks to 24 Hours with In-House 3D Printing
Industrial manufacturer eliminated $180K annual tooling costs and achieved 20x faster turnaround on custom fixtures.
📖 6 min read📅 February 12, 2024Manufacturing
A contract manufacturer producing automotive components faced chronic delays and high costs for custom assembly fixtures.
The Challenge
Each new product required 5-15 custom fixtures. Traditional machining cost $2K-$8K per fixture with 2-4 week lead times.
The Solution
Installed 2 Stratasys Fortus 450mc FDM printers. Trained 2 engineers. Standardized fixture designs using Nylon-CF and PC materials.
Results After 12 Months
Lead time: 3 weeks to 24 hours (20x improvement). Cost: $3,500 to $180 (95% reduction). Annual savings: $180K.
Key Takeaways
- ✓95% cost reduction ($3,500 to $180 per fixture)
- ✓20x faster turnaround
- ✓$180K annual savings
- ✓Equipment ROI in 7 months
