Case Study: TS Tech Co., Ltd achieves 10x lighter fixtures, 31% cost savings and faster two‑week turnaround with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing

Automotive Seat Maker Shaves 31% in Costs and 90% in Weight with 3D Printed Check Fixture

TS Tech Co., Ltd, the world’s sixth-largest interior component manufacturer and the number one seat supplier for an international automaker, faced a challenge with heavy, slow-to-replace aluminum check fixtures used to validate seat-frame parts—fixtures that weighed about 40 pounds, cost a lot, and took six weeks or more to produce while TS Tech’s in‑house FDM printer was fully booked. To accelerate development and reduce weight and cost, TS Tech turned to Stratasys (working with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing) for 3D printing expertise and production capacity.

Stratasys designed and produced a hybrid 3D printed check fixture (metal plus ABS‑M30 thermoplastic) that cut fixture weight to 4 pounds (one‑tenth of the original), reduced lead time to two weeks, and lowered unit cost to 69% of the aluminum fixture (a 31% direct cost savings), while eliminating the need for throwaway prototype fixtures. The lighter, more accurate clamp‑on fixture improved ergonomics and inspection efficiency across the plant and enabled many rapid design iterations—prompting TS Tech to expand use of Stratasys 3D printing for additional jigs and fixtures.

TS Tech Co., Ltd

Stephen Mollett

Tooling Engineer