What Is Custom Fixturing?

Custom fixturing is designing and fabricating specialized tools, jigs, or fixtures that hold and support plastic components during various manufacturing processes. These fixtures are customized to the produced parts' specific dimensions, shapes, and requirements.

Custom fixtures are often created using CAD software and fabricated using materials like aluminum, steel, or plastics. They can be designed to be modular and adaptable for different parts. 

Companies that produce high-volume plastics often utilize custom fixturing systems to achieve consistent and precise results. Depending on its complexity, the process of designing and manufacturing a custom fixturing system can take several weeks to months.

Custom Fixturing Uses in Plastics Manufacturing

Here's how custom fixturing is used in plastics manufacturing:

End of Arm Tooling (EOAT)

These fixtures help to remove the molded part from the mold, remove the sprue if needed, and place the part onto a conveyor belt.

Assembly

Custom fixtures hold plastic components in place during assembly processes while other parts are added or assembled onto them. These fixtures help maintain alignment and ensure consistent assembly quality.

Trimming and Finishing

After molding, plastic parts often require trimming or finishing operations. Custom fixtures hold the parts securely in place during these processes, ensuring accurate trimming and consistent surface finishes.

Quality Control

Custom fixtures are also used in quality control processes to measure and inspect plastic components accurately. These fixtures hold the parts in a standardized position, allowing for precise measurements and assessments of dimensional accuracy and quality.

Prototyping

In prototyping and product development, custom fixturing holds prototype parts during testing and evaluation. This allows engineers to assess the performance and functionality of the parts under various conditions.

Benefits of Custom Fixturing

Custom fixturing offers several benefits, including:

Improved Precision and Accuracy

Custom fixtures are designed to securely hold parts in place, ensuring precise positioning and alignment during manufacturing. This leads to higher product quality and dimensional accuracy.

Enhanced Efficiency

Custom fixturing streamlines production by reducing setup time and facilitating faster and more repeatable processes. It enables operators to quickly and easily position parts for machining, assembly, or testing, increasing productivity and throughput.

Increased Flexibility and Versatility

Custom fixtures can be tailored to accommodate various part geometries, sizes, and materials. They can also be easily adjusted or modified to adapt to changes in production requirements, so manufacturers can respond quickly to evolving market demands or product variations.

Enhanced Safety

Properly designed fixtures improve workplace safety by securely holding parts in place during machining, assembly, or testing operations. Custom fixturing reduces the risk of accidents or injuries caused by loose or moving components, creating a safer working environment for operators.

Consistent Quality

Custom fixturing helps maintain consistent part positioning and alignment throughout manufacturing, resulting in uniform product quality and performance. This is especially important for industries with stringent quality standards or tight tolerances.

Cost Savings

While upfront costs may be associated with designing and fabricating custom fixtures, they often lead to long-term cost savings through improved efficiency, reduced scrap, and enhanced product quality. Additionally, the ability to reuse or reconfigure fixtures for different parts or processes further contributes to cost-effectiveness over time.