We print the soft jaws, locators, drill jigs, and CMM fixtures that would otherwise burn your spindle time. STEP file in, parts out — typically inside 48 hours. PPS-CF for coolant-flooded operations. PA-CF and PC for everything else.
Most shops run fewer fixtures than they should. Not because the value isn't there — at machine-shop pricing, a fixture that saves two seconds per cycle or one percent of scrap doesn't justify the machinist hours to build it. So it doesn't get built. The job runs slower, with more scrap, and everyone accepts it. At FDM pricing, the math changes.
A fixture shaving two seconds per cycle, run 500 times a day by one operator over a 250-day year, frees a week of capacity.
A fixture that cuts scrap by one percent on a 125,000-part line saves 1,250 parts, plus the labor and cycle time to remake them.
One printed fixture preventing half a day of unplanned downtime on a $1,200/hour shop is $4,800 recovered — far more than the fixture cost.
Five of the eight published case studies that anchor the FDM fixtures category. Cost reductions of 70–90%. Lead-time reductions of 40–90%. Consistent enough to be treated as the working benchmark.
| Shop | Application | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Thogus | 12-cavity CMM fixture | $1,500 → $200 in materials. 7–10 days → overnight. |
| Solaxis | Door-seal assembly jig | 150 lb → 28 lb. ROI in 12 months on cycle savings alone. |
| Genesis Systems | Waterjet end-effector grippers | 85% time / 94% cost reduction. 35 lb → 3 lb. |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | NASCAR pit fixtures | ~70% cost and lead-time cut. In service 2+ years. |
| Alseca Engineering | Vacuum-forming tooling | Tooling lead time: 3–4 weeks → 3–4 days. |
Source: Stratasys industry case studies, 2014–2022. Allan Industries runs the same material classes on production-grade FDM hardware. See the full eight-case table →
Send us your T-slot pattern, dowel locations, vise jaw bolt spacing, or fixture plate hole grid. We design to your existing interfaces — you should not have to build new mounting just because the fixture is printed.
Custom-profiled jaws cut to your part geometry. Vise jaws, chuck jaws, collet pads. Including coolant-flooded operations in PPS-CF.
Milling fixtures, sub-plate locators, dowel-aligned positioning fixtures. Designed to your existing T-slot or fixture plate pattern.
Bushing-ready hole plates for repeated drilling operations. We integrate press-fit bushings and dowel pin locations to your spec.
First-article fixtures, surrogate parts, go/no-go check fixtures, inspection nests for repeatable part presentation.
Custom feeder geometry for odd-profile stock. Wet or dry operations — chemistry-matched material.
Sine bar fixtures, magnetic chuck risers, ergonomic operator grips for hand-finishing operations.
Polyphenylene sulfide, carbon-fiber reinforced. Chemically inert to virtually every machine shop fluid — semisynthetic coolants, soluble oils, synthetic coolants, cutting oils, solvents, acids, bases. HDT around 220 °C. For coolant-flooded turning fixtures, wet-machining workholding, and any harsh chemical environment that would degrade a PA-family fixture over time. We post-print anneal to complete crystallization for full mechanical performance.
STEP preferred. STL works. A sketch with critical dimensions works for one-offs. No CAD on hand? We'll come scan the part on-site.
Loading (static clamp, cyclic, impact). Environment (dry, coolant mist, coolant flood, welding heat). Mounting interfaces (T-slot pattern, dowel locations, vise jaw bolt spacing). Quantity.
Price, lead time, and material selection rationale. We tell you up front when CNC, off-the-shelf workholding, or a redesign would be the better answer.
Local pickup in Lenexa, courier delivery across the KC metro (no travel charge inside 30 mi), or shipped UPS Ground.
STEP file or sketch. Loading conditions, use environment, mounting interfaces. We come back with a price, a date, and a material recommendation.