Stratasys has launched the North American Stratasys Tooling Center (NASTC) in partnership with Automation Intelligence, LLC.
Operating out of Automation Intelligence’s manufacturing site in Flint, Michigan, the dedicated tooling hub has been designed to assist manufacturers in the validation and scaling up of practical additive manufacturing applications.
Currently, the NASTC is running Stratasys F3300 and F900 3D printers. These machines will be used to manufacture jigs, fixtures, end-of-arm tooling, and North American Automotive Metric Standards (NAAMS) blocks.
Stratasys believes the NASTC is set up to deliver speed, flexibility, and confidence, combining additive manufacturing technologies with traditional capabilities to shorten time to market. According to the company, it will provide demonstrations of how AM works with a manufacturing ecosystem, support validation work and application-focused events, and showcase a curated display of sample parts to spark new ideas. Stratasys and Automation Intelligence have also suggested the NASTC may serve as a blueprint for similar tooling hubs worldwide.
“This Center of Excellence will have a significant impact for manufacturers showing how additive fits into their production environment,” said Fadi Abro, Director of Global Automotive & Mobility at Stratasys. “With the launch of the NASTC, we are addressing real-world challenges at this new centre. This incubator for advanced manufacturing is designed to enable teams to iterate, validate and scale tooling applications - rapidly. It sets the stage for designing solutions to meet the growing demand for localised, on-demand production solutions worldwide.”
“Tooling is the heartbeat of manufacturing,” said Jeff McGarry, Managing Partner at Automation Intelligence. “The NASTC offers an environment where manufacturers can see for themselves how additive tools can address today’s challenges with faster turnaround times, digital flexibility, and lower costs. We believe this partnership will demonstrate the positive impact additive can have across production.”
