Rapid Manufacturing with Fdm in Jig & Fixture Construction

The weight of a device is an ergonomic criterion as well. Devices that are carried and operated by people may not exceed a weight of 5 kg (11 lbs.). Previously, this was achieved by using lowdensity materials, such as aluminum or polyamide. An additional weight reduction, however, can be obtained through the use of ABS plastics and the FDM process. The density differences of ABS and polyamide do not appear to be great, but the difference in weight of the fi nished device becomes noticeable if the ABS material is applied inside the component in the form of a grid. This way the weight can be reduced substantially. The tradeoff of this grid structure in the device is its reduced stability and toughness. This disadvantage is partially offset, however, since many devices only use aluminum and polyamide for reasons of weight. Their superior material properties, such as tensile strength and hardness, are often unnecessary for the function in question.