Case Study: 99P Labs achieves 65% tooling cost reduction and faster low‑volume sheet‑metal forming with Stratasys FDM 3D printing

How FDM® Nylon-12CF is cutting costs and creating faster tool production for 99P Labs

99P Labs, a digital proving ground for mobility and energy innovations backed by Honda and The Ohio State University, needed low‑volume sheet‑metal forming tooling for vehicle development where designs change frequently. Traditional machined steel dies were too slow and expensive, so 99P Labs turned to Stratasys and its FDM technology (using FDM Nylon 12CF) as a faster, lower‑cost alternative for prototype and limited‑run tooling.

Using Stratasys FDM, 99P Labs printed a universal formability testing (UFT) tool in Nylon 12CF, revised the design to a shell filled with concrete (or a bismuth‑tin solder alternative) for stiffness, and validated the tool on 1.6 mm DP590 advanced high‑strength steel. The Stratasys solution produced about 40 parts (39‑piece yield reported) and delivered a 65% reduction in tool production cost versus traditional machined metal tooling.

99P Labs