Explore our FDM printing process.
FDM printing for business and personal projects — prototypes, jigs and fixtures, replacement parts, and short runs. Our filament range includes PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, and polycarbonate, with enclosed printing and soluble supports for suitable geometries.
Our process covers personal and business projects, but new orders and new customers are temporarily paused.
You supply the model
Accepted printing work starts with a customer-supplied model. An existing 3D model lets us check printability and choose a suitable material.
Your own CAD, a designer’s file, or a downloaded model can be a starting point when you have the rights needed to commission the print. New project intake is currently paused; please do not send files through the general contact form.
Start with an existing model
Original CAD design and reverse-engineering from a physical part, a photograph, or measurements are outside our current service. If you need a model created, a CAD designer or your equipment supplier may be able to help.
We can make modest adjustments to a model for accepted work. For general questions about file requirements, contact us without sending the model.
Basic design work we can do
Once a model exists, we can make reasonable adjustments to it as part of the job:
- Scaling, mirroring, and unit correction
- Splitting an oversized model into printable sections with alignment features
- Adding or adjusting clearances so mating parts actually fit after printing
- Fillets, chamfers, and light wall-thickness changes for printability
- Simple text, logos, part numbers, or serialisation embossed on a face
- Orientation and support strategy — this one is included in every job
If a change is big enough to count as designing a new part, we’ll say so in the quote rather than quietly absorbing it.
Model formats for accepted work
These formats describe our usual requirements. New orders and new customers are temporarily paused; please do not send a model for a new quote.
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| STL | .stl | The most common option and perfectly fine. Export at a fine tessellation — a coarse STL prints visible facets on curved faces. |
| 3MF | .3mf | Preferred where you have it. Carries units, scale, and colour reliably, so there is less to misinterpret. |
| STEP | .step, .stp | Ideal for engineering parts. True solid geometry, so we can adjust clearances cleanly if the job needs it. |
| OBJ | .obj | Accepted for existing work. Common from sculpting and scanning tools; confirm the scale before secure transfer. |
Model rights and source files
You must own the model or have permission or a license that allows you to commission the print. We ask for available native CAD/source files, such as Fusion 360 F3D files, and any permission evidence through our secure file-transfer instructions. Source files help us review the model; they do not establish legal ownership by themselves.
For mesh-only submissions, a signed rights declaration is required before printing. Downloaded or third-party models may also need license or permission evidence. See our model-rights requirements for what to provide. Native design files may need a printable export in one of the formats above.
Details used for accepted projects
- Quantity — and whether it’s a one-off or likely to repeat
- Material, or a description of the environment the part lives in and we’ll recommend one
- The date you need it — a real date, so we can tell you yes or no honestly
- Which faces or features matter — what must fit, seal, or stay cosmetic
- Colour, if it matters
Files shared for accepted work are used for that project only. We don’t share models or reuse geometry for other customers.
What the shop can actually do
Two capabilities worth calling out, because they decide whether a job is possible at all.
Enclosed printing
- The machine is enclosed, with a controlled chamber
- ABS, ASA, and polycarbonate are genuine production options, not experiments
- Large flat parts in high-shrinkage materials stay flat instead of warping off the plate
- Layer adhesion in engineering materials is consistent enough for functional loads
- Styrene odour and particulates stay contained — relevant if parts ship to an office
Multi-material with soluble supports
- An automatic material system feeds multiple filaments in one print
- PVA support material dissolves away in plain water
- Enclosed internal channels, undercuts, and captive geometry become printable
- No scarring or tool marks from prying supports off a cosmetic surface
- Multi-colour parts in a single piece — no painting, no assembly
Why soluble supports matter commercially. Most FDM shops print parts with break-away supports in the same material. On a simple bracket that’s fine. On a manifold with an internal channel, a snap-fit with a deep undercut, or a housing with a captive void, break-away support is either impossible to remove or leaves damage where the part needed to be smooth. Dissolving the support instead means the geometry drives the design decision rather than the printer’s limitations.
Parts for work and everyday life
Functional prototypes
Iterations for customer review or test rigs, in materials close enough to production to evaluate a design before tooling.
Jigs, fixtures, and tooling
Assembly aids, drill guides, alignment blocks, and soft jaws made to your bench rather than adapted from a catalogue. Usually the fastest payback on the shop floor.
Obsolete replacement parts
Housings, knobs, clips, brackets, and covers for equipment the manufacturer no longer supports — provided you can supply or obtain the model.
Short production runs
Tens to low hundreds of units where injection tooling can’t be justified. Consistent settings across the batch and per-unit pricing that improves with quantity.
Enclosures and housings
Cases for electronics, sensor mounts, and control-panel fascias — in ASA when they live outdoors, PETG or ABS when they don’t.
Point-of-sale and display
Branded stands, product cradles, and signage components in the colours you specify, produced in matched batches.
From file to delivery
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Define the requirement
For accepted work, model format, quantity, target date, and intended use are confirmed before a secure file transfer. New project intake is paused.
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We review it for printability
We check the geometry is watertight, confirm the scale, and flag anything that will cause a problem — thin walls, unsupported spans, tolerances that FDM can’t hold. You hear about it before you’re committed.
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You get one number and one date
For accepted work, material, machine time, support removal, and finishing are quoted as a single per-unit price, with a lead time and quote validity stated in writing.
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First article, if the job warrants it
On a run of any size we print one and confirm it’s right before committing the batch. Cheaper for everyone than discovering a fit problem at unit ninety.
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Production and finishing
Supports removed or dissolved, parts checked against the agreed critical features, and packed for collection or shipping.
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Delivery and invoice
Collection from Monrovia, MD, or shipped nationwide. Invoiced against your PO where you use one; net-30 available on approved accounts.
Tolerances and limits
Honest numbers for FDM. If your part needs tighter than this, it needs machining, and we’d rather tell you now.
| Parameter | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensional tolerance | ±0.3 mm or ±0.5% | Whichever is greater. Larger parts and high-shrinkage materials sit at the looser end. |
| Layer height | 0.12–0.28 mm | Finer layers for cosmetic surfaces, coarser for speed on bulk functional parts. |
| Minimum wall thickness | 1.2 mm | Thinner is possible but stops being structural. Design for 2 mm+ on load-bearing walls. |
| Minimum feature size | 0.8 mm | Embossed text needs roughly 1 mm stroke width to stay legible. |
| Threads | M6 and above | Below that, design for a heat-set insert or a tapped hole — printed fine threads strip. |
| Oversized parts | Split and joined | Parts beyond the build volume are sectioned with alignment features and bonded, agreed at quote. |
Finishing options
- Standard — supports removed, plate marks cleaned up, part inspected. Included in every quote.
- Soluble support removal — PVA dissolved out, leaving internal surfaces unmarked.
- Heat-set inserts — brass threaded inserts installed for assemblies that come apart repeatedly.
- Sanding and smoothing — for cosmetic faces, priced by surface area.
- Batch labelling — part numbers or sequential serials embossed or applied.
Questions about the process
I don’t have a model. Can you make one?
We print from customer-supplied models and don’t offer design-from-scratch or reverse-engineering from a physical sample. For accepted work, we can adjust an existing model for scale, clearances, splitting, and printability.
If you need a model created, a freelance CAD designer or your equipment supplier may be able to help. New printing orders and customers are currently paused.
Do you print in resin?
No. We are a filament (FDM) shop only — there is no resin or SLA capability here. For very fine detail work like jewellery masters or miniatures, a resin bureau is the right choice and we’ll say so.
Which material should I choose?
Consider what the part has to survive — sunlight, heat, chemicals, impact, and load. PETG suits many tough everyday parts, ASA outdoor use, ABS impact and heat, polycarbonate demanding applications, and PLA cosmetic or fit-check work. The materials guide covers all eight in detail.
What does it cost?
Pricing for accepted work depends on material, machine time, support removal, finishing, and quantity. We don’t publish a rate card because a 20-gram clip and a 400-gram housing aren’t the same job. New quotes and orders are paused.
How fast can you turn a job around?
Lead time for accepted work depends on the part and the queue. New orders are temporarily paused, so we cannot offer a new-project delivery date right now.
Can you match a specific colour?
We’ll match as closely as the available filament stock allows, and we’ll show you what we have before committing a batch. Exact brand-colour matching isn’t something FDM filament can promise. For a run where colour consistency matters, we buy enough of one batch to complete it — filament colour can shift slightly between manufacturing lots.
Will you sign an NDA?
For accepted work, NDAs are reviewed before project files are exchanged. Please do not send an NDA or model for a new project during the intake pause; general questions can go through contact.
What if the parts aren’t right?
If a part misses the spec we agreed in the quote, we reprint it at our cost. If the model itself had the problem, we’ll show you what we found and re-quote the corrected version — which is exactly why we review geometry before printing and offer a first article on runs.
Are new personal or business orders open?
No. New orders and new customers are temporarily paused, including single personal parts and business batches. Our model-rights requirements remain available for reference.
Questions about our capabilities?
New orders and new customers are temporarily paused. General questions and existing-project support remain available; please do not send model files through the contact form.