Eaton Slashed Its Tooling Costs by Switching 90% of Fixtures to 3D Printing
By bringing Formlabs SLS and SLA 3D printers in-house, the manufacturing giant achieved a full return on investment in just nine months — three months ahead of schedule.
Manufacturing giant Eaton has dramatically streamlined its production processes by adopting in-house selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing to create jigs, fixtures, and other manufacturing aids at its Olean, N.Y., facility. The move has cut costs, reduced downtime, and fostered innovation on the factory floor, with the plant achieving a return on investment in just six months—three months ahead of schedule. The SLS printers at Eaton’s facility are from Formlabs, which just launched a case study video featuring Eaton’s implementation of 3D printing factory wide.
Annual cost savings moving to 3D printing from machining:
- Tester Cups: $17,434
- Station Class Grippers: $5,435
- Centering blocks: $2,861
- Glass Collar Spindle Bushings: $2,161
The Challenge of Traditional Tooling
Eaton’s Olean plant produces 15,000 metal oxide varistors (MOVs) daily in a complex, single-piece flow manufacturing environment. This process requires a constant supply of custom jigs and fixtures to hold parts during various stages like grinding, testing, and assembly.
Traditionally, these essential components were machined from materials like Delrin or aluminum. This method presented significant challenges, including long lead times, high costs, and designs limited by machinability. “If something goes down on a shop floor… you’re sending out parts to a machine shop. And that might be eight to 12 weeks of downtime for parts to come back. That is nearly crippling for a factory,” says Cameron Peahl, Eaton’s global additive manufacturing strategy manager for Industry 4.0.
3D Printing Delivers On-Demand Solutions
By implementing the Formlabs Fuse Series SLS 3D printing ecosystem, the Olean team now designs and produces durable, complex fixtures on-demand. This has enabled engineers to move beyond simple one-to-one replacements and create improved, more elegant designs. “It allows our engineers to be more creative,” Peahl notes. “In a matter of hours, they can test new fixtures, aids, and grippers.”
Several key applications highlight the success of this transition. For instance, fixtures known as grinding V-block holders are crucial for holding MOVs with precision during a grinding process. The previously used cast urethane pads cost $45 each, but by 3D printing them, the cost has plummeted to just $4 per assembly, yielding an annual savings of around $6,000. Another significant improvement is the production of electrical tester cups, which hold MOVs during testing. A full suite of these fixtures, when machined from nylon, previously cost about $17,400. 3D printing drastically reduced this expense for the high-volume parts, and the new designs incorporate colored inserts for easy identification. “So this was huge,” says TJ Zurell, Senior Manufacturing Engineer at the Olean plant.
The technology has also been applied to assembly jigs and transfer station devices. An assembly jig that was once a complex, multi-piece unit of machined Delrin and aluminum can now be replaced overnight by printing it on the Fuse Series. Similarly, a heavy and clunky centering device used at a transfer station has been redesigned as a lightweight, optimized part thanks to the geometric freedom offered by SLS 3D printing.
A Step Toward Advanced Manufacturing
The adoption of on-demand 3D printing for jigs and fixtures has replaced 90% of the plant’s previously machined Delrin fixtures, making the factory more self-sufficient and resilient. The benefits extend beyond direct cost savings. “I think the value is even higher by making our factories more self-sustaining, more resilient. And it allows our engineers to be more creative,” explained Peahl.
The accessibility of the technology has empowered employees at all levels to contribute ideas for process improvements. Zurell adds, “I’ve definitely changed my mindset as to how I design a product or tool, with 3D printing in mind.” This shift marks a significant step for Eaton, moving from traditional manufacturing “into true, advanced manufacturing.”
You May Also Like:
License: The text of "Eaton Slashed Its Tooling Costs by Switching 90% of Fixtures to 3D Printing" by All3DP Pro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.