Case Study: Swift Engineering achieves up to 90% faster sacrificial tooling production with Stratasys additive manufacturing

Swift Engineering Shaves Off Production by Embracing 3D Printing for Sacrificial Tooling Applications

Swift Engineering, based in San Clemente, California, faced long, costly lead times and complex multi-piece tooling when producing high-performance composite parts for automotive, aerospace and defense customers. To tackle this, Swift partnered with Stratasys, adopting Fortus 3D Printers and FDM® technology (using ST-130™ material) to explore additive manufacturing for sacrificial tooling.

Stratasys’ solution enabled one-piece, 3D‑printed sacrificial tools with custom fill patterns that withstand consolidation pressures in excess of 90 psi and can be dissolved after cure, eliminating bonded assemblies and secondary processes. The result: tool lead times reduced by up to 90% (builds now take days, frequently less than 24 hours versus traditional four–six weeks), improved inner surface quality and faster delivery of innovative composite parts to customers.

Swift Engineering

Rick Heise

President and Chief Strategy Officer