Manufacturing jigs and fixtures — 3D printed.
Case study: 3D-printed manufacturing jigs and fixtures for a Sydney-based electronics assembly facility — 38 custom fixtures designed and printed across 6 months, reducing fixture lead time from 4 weeks to 3 days.
Project overview
A Sydney-based contract electronics manufacturer engaged ASTCAD for a rolling jig-and-fixture programme. Over 6 months, 38 custom fixtures were designed and 3D printed — assembly aids, drilling jigs, test cradles, soldering supports and component sorters — directly replacing externally-machined fixtures.
The challenge
The customer’s previous external fixture supplier had a 4-week lead time and a 3-fixture minimum order, creating bottlenecks when new products entered production. A typical product launch needed 6-12 unique fixtures, and the lead time was delaying new product introduction.
Our approach
- Standardised fixture design library with parametric features
- Direct CAD-to-printer workflow integrated with production schedule
- PETG and PETG-CF material selection for production-floor durability
- Modular base plate system for rapid fixture mounting
- Documentation system with fixture-to-product traceability
Deliverables
- 38 production-ready custom fixtures
- Fixture design library (15 parametric templates)
- Modular base plate inventory system
- Production documentation with QR-code traceability
- Operator training and fixture-design guide
Outcome
Fixture lead time dropped from 4 weeks to 3 days. The customer reports a 22% reduction in new-product-introduction cycle time. The fixture programme paid for itself in saved tooling costs within 11 months.