Resources

Curious to know whether laser checking fixtures would be profitable for you? Tell us a bit about your business and simulate your potential gains in production efficiency, operational savings and profits. Think about the part for which you want to run this simulation, and drag the slider to set the variables.

The Hybrid Cube uses the modularity provided by 3D printing and a fully machined body in white (BIW) aluminum chassis to speed up vehicle development.

Why does the automotive industry choose RapidFit? We sat down with managing director Bart Wilberts to ask him all about the current state of the automotive industry, the benefits additive manufacturing (AM) brings to tooling, and what the future holds. 

Comau wanted to broaden their line with the addition of quality checking solutions. By collaborating with the RapidFit team on these fixtures, they can retain their core advantages thanks to faster lead times, lighter tools, and modular systems that ultimately improve quality checking for their end customers.

Volvo Car Gent and Materialise discovered that if you boost performance and streamline supply of tools and fixtures, you can unlock savings, production headroom and more. How? By using a combination of 3D-printed and off-the-shelf parts to create tailored solutions faster. Here’s a gluing jig that combines all previous components in one fixture, weighs 64% less and can be delivered in only two weeks at nearly half the price of the previous jig.

Automotive engineers use a wide range of tools in the development process. But what if they had one tool to rule them all? RapidFit’s Smart Cube is the answer.

3D printing (3DP) is increasingly seen as the best way to produce automotive jigs and fixtures. But even though many auto manufacturers have already taken the 3DP route, far too many of them are still missing out on benefits like lighter weight, higher accuracy, lower costs and shorter lead times.

RapidFit, a tool manufacturer and subsidiary of the 3D printing specialist Materialise, is launching a new innovation in its tried-and-tested modular system for automotive tooling. The innovative combination of carbon fiber beams and individual 3D-printed elements makes it possible to produce jigs and inspection fixtures that are up to 90 percent lighter than conventionally produced tools.