I'm looking into easy fixture solutions and was thinking about 3D printed fixtures. Would that be possible. I'm wondering if I could make some fixture arms, or even some standoffs, or if needed some complex fixtures. That being said, what filament would work well for both precision and accuracy as well as durability. PLA and ABS look like good candidates. Or am I wasting my time?
for your normal FDM printers: ABS or PLA would work just fine. whichever is cheapest, really. You have to make sure that everyone understands that these fixtures are NOT guages! I had someone try to bring up the point that these need to be qualified in order to use them. And of course, they were wrong because no measurements are being taken from the fixtures. they are there simply to hold the part in place so the CMM can do it's job a little better.
The Form2 is an SLA printer so it uses a liquid photoreactive resin. (Similar to DLP printers but the Form2 uses a laser.) It's not really a hard sell. Right now Formlabs just came out with the Form3 so they're trying to shift the rest of their Form2s. Current price on the Formlabs website is $2850 for the Form2. Then it's around $150/L of resin which i can get a good 5-7 prints out of depending on if i make them solid or hollow them out. There will be on-going costs as the resin tanks and the resin itself are consumables. I was lucky and i was able to acquire the printer from another department but since december i've spend somewhere in the realm of $5000 in consumables through test prints, prototypes, development prints, etc. It takes a while to get the workflow down and understand the shrinkage and all that mess. I've got a bucket full of prints that i can't use because the fixture ended up too small or too big or i messed up in the modeling or any other reason.
BUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT
if you use R&R fixturing or the Hex brand fixturing you can compare the costs there. In my case it's completely necessary to have single fixtures for each part number because the operators here have no idea what a CMM is or what it does so i have to "idiot-proof" it as much as i can through clever fixturing and programming. So if i were to buy enough R&R fixturing to have individual fixtures i would have spent close to $300,000 IN FIXTURING ALONE! So, yes, having a 3D printer allowing me to custom make my fixtures for under $10k was a no-brainer to my bosses. That case may not work for everyone but it did for me.
Keep asking away at any questions ya'll have and i'll do my best to keep answering.
i also made a new post rather than commenting back on the other one. Just for clarification sake.
vpt.seChairsWithWheels
I have a side business doing 3d printing. I print mainly motorcycle accessories for the racers (I race myself, see my avitar pic). I use PLA for prototyping then PETG for the actual parts because of the heat.
In this situation, I think PLA would be the best. PETG is stronger but also more flexible. PLA would be more rigid which would be perfect for an inspection room. Just don't drop a heavy part on it cause it will break.
for your normal FDM printers: ABS or PLA would work just fine. whichever is cheapest, really. You have to make sure that everyone understands that these fixtures are NOT guages! I had someone try to bring up the point that these need to be qualified in order to use them. And of course, they were wrong because no measurements are being taken from the fixtures. they are there simply to hold the part in place so the CMM can do it's job a little better.
The Form2 is an SLA printer so it uses a liquid photoreactive resin. (Similar to DLP printers but the Form2 uses a laser.) It's not really a hard sell. Right now Formlabs just came out with the Form3 so they're trying to shift the rest of their Form2s. Current price on the Formlabs website is $2850 for the Form2. Then it's around $150/L of resin which i can get a good 5-7 prints out of depending on if i make them solid or hollow them out. There will be on-going costs as the resin tanks and the resin itself are consumables. I was lucky and i was able to acquire the printer from another department but since december i've spend somewhere in the realm of $5000 in consumables through test prints, prototypes, development prints, etc. It takes a while to get the workflow down and understand the shrinkage and all that mess. I've got a bucket full of prints that i can't use because the fixture ended up too small or too big or i messed up in the modeling or any other reason.
BUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT
if you use R&R fixturing or the Hex brand fixturing you can compare the costs there. In my case it's completely necessary to have single fixtures for each part number because the operators here have no idea what a CMM is or what it does so i have to "idiot-proof" it as much as i can through clever fixturing and programming. So if i were to buy enough R&R fixturing to have individual fixtures i would have spent close to $300,000 IN FIXTURING ALONE! So, yes, having a 3D printer allowing me to custom make my fixtures for under $10k was a no-brainer to my bosses. That case may not work for everyone but it did for me.
Keep asking away at any questions ya'll have and i'll do my best to keep answering.
i also made a new post rather than commenting back on the other one. Just for clarification sake. vpt.seChairsWithWheels
What is the largest you can build with your printer? I have an Optiv as well and could potentially build fixtures then.
I 3d print almost all my fixtures the key i have found is print orientation as well understanding the limits of the technology remember over hangs are no good over about 45 deg i try to always make one side flat to place down and if threads are needed use captive nuts . i use the dremel 3D45 and pretty much only use the eco abs ( high temp pla) another nice part is i print the part number right in to the fixture
another viable option. and one of the better options but for some reason my company doesn't have a contract with the big suppliers (MSC, etc.) so those are harder to come by. I suppose i could order them from amazon but either way, my company makes things real difficult for me.
I have limited fixturing options, id use a v-block and spring clamp to hold the bolt and use a 1-2-3 block to index the head assuming its a hex or square.
