Boost Productivity by Replacing Metal Tools with Custom 3D-Printed Tools

Customized and lightweight jigs and fixtures can be 3D-printed in one day.

The competitive nature of the electronics industry continually
leads companies to look for new ways to accelerate product launches while
maintaining or lowering its production costs.

Recently, office equipment manufacturer Ricoh Japan found an
opportunity to do just that with their jigs, fixtures and tooling.

“Because we are producing an enormous number of parts, it
takes a lot of time and effort to identify the right jigs and fixtures for each
one. This manual process has become even lengthier as the number of components
grows, requiring that an operator examine the shape, orientation and angle of
each part before taking out a tool and placing it back in its original fixture,”
said Taizo Sakaki, senior manager of business development at Ricoh Group.

“The operators were occasionally annoyed with the many
different tools, and we were looking for a way to accelerate tooling to match
our manufacturing schedule. Now with Stratasys 3D printing, we are able to
customize the tools according to the part and produce them on demand, which is
helping us restructure and modernize our production process,” Sakaki added.

Replacing traditional metal tooling with customized,
lightweight 3D-printed jigs and fixtures for its Production Technology Center
assembly line is improving the company’s manufacturing efficiency while
minimizing manual tooling errors. The assembly line, located in the northeast
branch of Ricoh Industries in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, is dedicated to
manufacturing large-format printers. 

Ricoh has a video about the upgrades. Check it out:

By producing the tools in durable ABS thermoplastic on its
Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer, Ricoh is able to customize each
tool precisely according to the part geometry while reducing the tool’s weight.
This has enabled Ricoh to accelerate their existing manufacturing process, in
which an operator typically handles more than 200 parts each day.

Optimizing the Workbench with 3D Printed Fixtures

Prior to using 3D printing, Ricoh had to outsource machine
cut tools, which could take two weeks or longer. Now, Ricoh’s operators can
determine the shape and geometry of a fixture that corresponds to its
associated part through 3D CAD software and 3D print it in one day.

This leaves the workers more time to attend to other
stations. Moreover, new hires can now adapt to the tools and the workstations
in just two days, where previously a new worker had to spend at least one week
to learn all the tools.

The jigs and fixtures are also much lighter, enabling
workers to use them for a prolonged period without fatigue.

“The Stratasys Fortus 900mc 3D printing solution enables us
to realize designs that are difficult for conventional cutting methods to
replicate, such as hollow interiors, curves or complex shapes. The material
used to 3D print the tools is very strong and anti-static, which is important
due to the large number of electronic components we are assembling,” explained
Sakaki.

Ricoh’s large-format printer assembly plant has been quick
to adopt digital manufacturing ideas, and the company continues to explore
areas where 3D printing can be applied to expedite workflows, such as molding
and low-volume production.

For more information about 3D printing fixtures and jigs,
click here.