Stratasys launches North American Tooling Center of excellence (NASTC)

Stratasys has launched the North American Stratasys Tooling Center, or NASTC, in partnership with Automation Intelligence, LLC (AI), located at AI’s manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan. This new Center of Excellence is designed to help manufacturers validate and scale real-world additive manufacturing applications, focusing on advanced tooling for automotive and industrial production environments.

Equipped with Stratasys F3300 and F900 3D printers, the NASTC offers hands-on access to engineering support and tooling solutions, including jigs, fixtures, end-of-arm tooling, and NAAMS blocks. The center provides a space for customers to evaluate how additive manufacturing can increase efficiency, lower costs, and enable faster responses to production needs.

Fadi Abro, Director of Global Automotive & Mobility at Stratasys, emphasized that the center is designed to tackle practical challenges manufacturers face today. He described the NASTC as an incubator for advanced manufacturing, enabling teams to rapidly iterate, validate, and scale tooling applications, while supporting the growing demand for localized and on-demand production worldwide.

Tooling is critical in determining the speed and cost-efficiency of product marketing. The Stratasys NASTC aims to prove that additive polymer tooling is viable and well-suited for production environments. It combines the strengths of additive manufacturing with traditional methods to deliver flexibility, speed, and confidence. Manufacturers can benefit from on-site demonstrations, application development, customer tours, validation work, and a curated display of sample parts designed to inspire new projects.

Jeff McGarry, Managing Partner at Automation Intelligence, noted that tooling is at the core of manufacturing operations. He believes the NASTC will give manufacturers a clear view of how additive tools can solve current challenges through faster turnarounds, digital flexibility, and cost reductions. The partnership, he said, will showcase the positive impact additive manufacturing can bring to production.

Automation Intelligence supports manufacturers in adopting advanced technologies, emphasizing practical, scalable implementation. With experience working alongside major manufacturing clients, AI brings deep production knowledge to help customers navigate digital transformation. The NASTC is expected to be a model for similar tooling hubs worldwide.