The new 3D printed fixtures are able to hold the piece while it is being nailed to the welder to ensure accuracy of placement.
U.S. additive manufacturing company, RIZE has revealed how Ira Green Inc. (IGI), a manufacturer and distributor of military insignia and uniform items, is using its technology to create prototypes and manufacturing aids.
New fixtures are required everyday at IGI's Rhode Island headquarters, with each one requiring around eight hours of CNC programming and setup of pockets or contour electrodes for tool steel and wire EDM flat pockets, and lengthy lead times at a cost of around 300 USD per fixture.
“Implementing RIZE 3D printing as part of a strategic process shift has completely transformed our production process,” said Bill Yehle, IGI’s Manufacturing Manager. He adds that manufacturing fixtures with the RIZE ONE 3D printer enables the company to place fixture work in the company's fast-response CAD group while reducing the tool room backlog.
Prior to the implementation of 3D printing, machine operators would clamp the piece down to the machine, which required considerable trial and error. The new printed fixtures are able to hold the piece while it is being nailed to the welder to ensure accuracy of placement and as a result, IGI has been able to standardise the centre of the fixture for nailing the piece without requiring adjustment.
Rize One 3D printer
Rize One is also the only office-safe 3D printer, with no toxic particle emissions, mess or harmful materials throughout the process and without post-processing after printing.
Over the last year, IGI has printed around 300 fixtures at a cost of approximately 2 USD per part. With the ability to produce a single fixture in under an hour, IGI’s design team can produce seven different fixtures per day for welding and polishing applications. The team is also using RIZE’s ink marking capabilities to add order numbers, part instructions and line numbers onto the fixtures for part identification and to prevent errors.
Bill added: “We have realised an 80%-time savings in setup and changeover alone using RIZE and virtually eliminated errors.”
The company is also leveraging the technology to print functional prototypes for steel moulds. Previously, they iterated fixture designs two to three times in steel at a cost of 300 USD and lead times of 2 days per iteration. Several of these can now be printed in a single day for just 2 USD each.
IGI is now looking to further expand its use of AM to manufacture service and spare parts on-demand for its own machinery.
