Improving Our Processes With 3D Printing
110 Metalworks recently added a RAISE3D 3D printer that’s paying itself off quickly with skilled labor time savings in a short period of time.
Our Engineering Manager, Pete Adams, started experimenting with his 3D printer he brought from home making a few fixtures and kicking around ideas. It did not take long to prove out the savings we’d get making job specific fixtures, gauges, and deburring tools.
Making these with a 3D printer cost little in time and material. Whereas the cost and time to make the same items with CNC machining is too high to even consider.
For example, we 3D printed multiples of one fixture for our automated CMM enabling us to setup large inspection batch runs for a one-time order of a complex CNC and welded assembly. The CMM ran untended for most of each day we ran the job, freeing up the operator to complete other jobs.
We are also making go/no-go gauges and tools to deburr unique parts. Things we’d never considered before are now possible. It just takes looking at things differently. More than just making a part. 110 Metalworks, A Value Apart.