Additive Manufacturing for In-House Tooling

One of the benefits of having additive manufacturing capability in-house is that it gives the manufacturer an efficient resource for quickly producing custom devices for use in its own processes. Product developers frequently use 3D printing to make functional devices for later mass production (Tape Wrangler, for instance), but 3D printing of a functional tool or device is also potentially cost-effective even if only one of the device is ever made. Boeing’s additive manufacturing group supports manufacturing by making custom fixtures, for example, and contract manufacturer Thogus uses 3D printing to make its own end-of-arm tooling. In this video with Paul Carlson of Stratasys, he and I talk about using 3D printing to make ergonomic assembly tools.