Case study - Oreck
Case study
Oreck: assembly fixtures at up to 65% lower cost
Vacuum cleaners · FDM (Fortus)
For every vacuum series, Oreck Manufacturing makes 40 to 50 identical assembly pallets. Each holds the top cover in a precise position during assembly.
The challenge
Fixtures used to be made with silicone or epoxy molds and urethane castings. Some traditional fixture projects cost more than $100,000.
The solution
Each fixture has four printed posts on a standard Bosch pallet, with tolerances of 0.003 in. (0.0762 mm). Designing the posts takes about an hour and a half. Oreck prints them in-house on two large Fortus systems.
“With some traditional fixture projects costing over $100,000, the savings can be substantial.”
The results
- Up to 65% lower fixture production cost
- Worn or broken posts reprinted quickly in-house
- Printers running 24/7 keep the assembly pallets online
Application: Assembly aids
Assembly fixtures turn operator skill into a repeatable process. fixturemate in GrabCAD Print automates much of the design work.
Source: Stratasys Application Guide and Stratasys case material. Photo: Stratasys.
Want to explore this application?
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