Assembly nests
Hold an awkward housing or subassembly in one repeatable position while components are fitted, bonded or checked.
Supplied CAD → workshop tool
Jigs and fixtures that earn their place on the bench.
Upload the STEP, STL or 3MF for a locating nest, assembly fixture, drill template or production aid. See a firm price from your file, then keep the paid revision ready when the tool wears out or another bench needs one.
£6 minimum2–4 working days Standard dispatchUK workshop in Basingstoke
Common applications
The small tools that remove repeated fiddling.
FDM works best where geometry and repeatability matter more than a polished surface. The opportunity is usually a hand-sized aid that is awkward to machine, still changing or needed in too few units to justify conventional tooling.
Drill and marking templates
Put holes or marks in the same place. Tell us where a cutter touches so wear points and metal bushes can be reviewed.
Soft jaws and holding aids
Support shaped or cosmetic parts without reaching immediately for a machined custom jaw.
Inspection helpers
Present a part consistently or support a visual check. Formal go/no-go acceptance needs an agreed tolerance and validation.
Sensor and cable fixtures
Keep cameras, probes, connectors and looms in the intended position during build, test or service work.
Bench and line tooling
Order one for a process trial, then reproduce the approved revision for another station or planned replacement.
Suitability first
Useful plastic tooling, without pretending it is metal.
A printed tool is valuable only when the process, load and environment suit it. Hark Tech prints supplied designs and can flag obvious manufacturing risks; the customer remains responsible for validating the tool in its real process.
Strong candidates
- Locating, alignment and light clamping
- Awkward geometry or part-specific contact surfaces
- Low-volume or frequently revised tooling
- Non-regulated bench, assembly and test aids
- Parts within the 260 mm build volume
Needs another process or engineering sign-off
- Safety-critical or primary structural tooling
- Pressure boundaries and high bolt preload
- High heat, cutter contact or severe wear without protection
- Precision bearing seats or certified gauges
- Any application relying on an assumed generic material property
Include with the file: what the tool locates, how it is loaded or clamped, heat/chemical/UV exposure, critical mating dimensions, expected cycles and any metal inserts. That is more useful than asking for the “strongest filament”.
From CAD to repeat
One controlled path, not a fresh quote every time.
The instant estimator handles ordinary supplied files. Anything with a critical duty can move through the business enquiry path before payment.
Upload the file
STEP, STL and sliced 3MF are accepted. The instant quote uses the actual geometry rather than a guessed size band.
Choose quantity and service
Volume pricing appears in the estimator. Standard, guaranteed Express and slower Bulk dispatch are explicit choices.
Confirm the duty
For critical interfaces, give the mating dimensions and environment before production. We will not invent a tolerance or material claim.
Keep the revision
Eligible paid jobs can be saved to the private parts shelf for one-click or customer-controlled monthly repeats.
Real supplied-file job
Four minutes from upload to paid. Parts posted the next morning.
CEEQ Design supplied the STL for a functional PETG job. Hark Tech priced the actual file, printed it in Basingstoke and posted it in under 24 hours. This is evidence of the file-to-part workflow—not a claim that every fixture has the same duty or deadline.
MaterialPETG
Paid total£13.45
DispatchNext morning
Digital inventory
The approved revision stays identifiable.
A worn fixture or a second workbench should not trigger a hunt through old attachments. Eligible paid single-part orders keep the exact file, material and batch configuration together in the customer’s private parts shelf.
REV A→REV B · LIVE
Questions before upload
Jigs and fixtures, answered plainly.
If the application cannot be described safely in an instant form, use the project-review route and include the duty information above.
Which file formats can you quote?
STEP, STL and sliced 3MF. STEP is useful when the part comes directly from an engineering CAD workflow; a sliced 3MF can preserve the prepared print setup.
Can a drill run directly through printed plastic?
It can, but direct cutter contact wears plastic and may reduce repeatability. Tell us where the tool touches so the job can be reviewed for a replaceable metal bush or a different manufacturing process.
Can you print a certified inspection gauge?
Not by default. FDM can suit locating and checking aids, but a fixture that formally accepts or rejects a controlled dimension needs an agreed tolerance and independent validation. We do not present an ordinary print as a certified gauge.
What material should I choose?
Choose from the real operating environment, not a generic strength ranking. Include load, clamping, heat, chemicals, UV exposure, wear and expected cycles. PLA or PETG can suit many bench aids; specialist grades are ordered per job when justified.
Can I reorder the exact tool later?
Yes. Eligible paid single-part jobs can be saved to a private parts shelf with the exact file, material and batch settings for one-click or monthly repeat ordering.
How quickly will it dispatch?
Standard orders dispatch in 2 to 4 working days. Express jumps the queue and guarantees dispatch within 2 working days. Qualifying in-stock PLA or PETG prototypes paid by 1pm can use the next-working-day rapid lane.
Start with the geometry
Price the jig you already designed.
Upload the file for a firm price, or send the duty details for a human review before committing to production.