Customer Profile
Focused on delivering the best sheet metal products, German tool manufacturer mawe presstec GmbH invested in an industrial-grade Stratasys F170 to streamline development and create in-house custom fixtures and tools.
For 30+ years, the company has manufactured tools, parts, and products for aerospace, automotive, medical, engineering, and construction. Custom tools and fixtures are essential to deliver high-quality, often customized products.
“Additively manufacturing our tools and fixtures with the Stratasys F170 has reduced part production time and streamlined development on our factory floor. Producing fixtures in advanced thermoplastics delivers gigantic time savings — as much as 50% for certain parts — while ensuring greater customization and flexibility. The F170 can run 24/7 for nonstop productivity.” - Marco Werling, Managing Director
Challenge
The high costs and long lead times associated with creating, reordering, or replacing tools and fixtures through traditional manufacturing methods often pose significant challenges. In sheet metal projects, customized fixtures are frequently required to achieve specific geometries and designs, and these must be periodically updated to meet evolving job requirements.
For instance, a factory floor fixture once needed modification to accommodate flap hinges - a process that, under conventional manufacturing, would typically involve multiple production stages or outsourcing to a third-party supplier.
Solutions
Beyond time savings, mawe presstec cut cost-per-part by ~20–30% using additive parts. ABS offers a rigidity-to-softness ratio that avoids scratching polished products versus metal fixtures. A smooth, scratch-free finish can be achieved via Advanced FDM settings in GrabCAD Print, avoiding seams on contact surfaces.
"Additively manufacturing our tools and fixtures with the Stratasys F170 has reduced part production time and streamlined the overall development processes on our factory floor. Producing fixtures in advanced thermoplastics delivers gigantic time savings for us – as much as 50% for certain parts – while also ensuring a higher level of customization and flexibility. The F170 can run 24/7 – this means higher productivity and the ability to print nonstop." - Marco Werling, Managing Director
Impact
Initially planned for fixtures and tools, the F170 also enables prototyping to help customers visualize designs and accelerate sales discussions.
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