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Tooling and Automation

For companies running production lines, plastic additive manufacturing (SLS) offers the opportunity to do things faster, cheaper and better. 

For example, when used for end of arm tooling, plastic AM components can be made directly from CAD data, to produce parts that are light weight and robust, using food safe material.  Complete moving assemblies or complex internal structures (airways for example) can be easily manufactured in SLS. If subsequent designs are needed, they can be made in 24 – 48 hours simply by exporting new CAD data to 3T.  Because replacement parts are inexpensive, many customers hold spares or spares can be produced rapidly keeping the lines running.

SLS grippers are particularly suited to lines producing fragile, lightweight, irregularly shaped products.

For other production line uses, such as jigs and fixtures and change tooling, remember nylon and glass filled nylon can easily be drilled or machined and so inserts and bushes can be added to a fixture in the same way as an equivalent metal part.

We manufacture numerous tools, jigs and fixtures for a wide range of individual applications and our engineers are always available to offer help and advice to enable you to get the best from our technology.

Go to our case study page and search for Tooling and Automation Case Studies