New to 3D printing? Start here.

A plain-language knowledge base covering how to prepare your files, choosing the right material, and what to realistically expect from print quality and finish.

Getting Started with 3D Printing

The basics of how our 3D printing works, what it is good for, and where its limits are.

We use FDM (fused deposition modelling). A fine plastic filament is melted and laid down in thin layers, one on top of the other, until the part is complete. The key thing to remember is that every part is built from stacked layers. This is what makes 3D printing so flexible, but it also means layers are slightly visible on the surface and the part is a little weaker in the direction the layers were stacked.

Common jobs include functional prototypes, brackets and mounts, enclosures and housings, jigs and fixtures for workshops, replacement and discontinued parts, display and concept models, and low-volume production runs. Parts up to roughly 250 x 250 x 250 mm fit on our machines in one piece. Anything larger can be split into sections and joined.

FDM is not the right choice for very fine miniature detail (resin printing suits that better), fully water- or air-tight parts without post-processing, food-contact items, or high-temperature structural loads unless an engineering material is used. Some layer texture is always visible on curved and angled surfaces. If you need a perfectly smooth show surface, plan for sanding, priming and painting.

No. You can send us your own CAD model, download a ready-made model from one of the sites on our 3D Model Hub, or use our custom 3D design service if you only have a sketch, photo or rough idea.

As a general guide, expect dimensional accuracy of about plus or minus 0.3-0.5 mm, or about plus or minus 0.5% on larger dimensions. Fit and shrinkage vary with material and part shape. If certain holes, faces or mating surfaces are critical, tell us. We can orient the part and adjust settings to hit those dimensions, or leave them slightly oversize for drilling and reaming to final size.

Preparing Your 3D Files

How to export and send a model so it prints the size and shape you expect.

STL is the universal standard and always works. We also accept: - 3MF - preferred, because it keeps units, part positions and colour information. - STEP / STP - solid CAD geometry, ideal if edits or precise changes may be needed. - OBJ - fine for models with colour or texture. Please avoid native CAD files (.f3d, .sldprt, .ipt and similar) unless we have agreed it first.

Always export in millimetres. The single most common ordering mistake is a model exported in inches or centimetres, which then arrives 25.4 or 10 times the wrong size. If you are not sure, just tell us the intended overall dimensions (for example "about 80 mm tall") and we will check the scale before printing.

It means the model is one properly sealed solid, with no holes in the surface, no faces pointing the wrong way, and no stray internal walls. The slicing software needs a clean solid to work out what is inside and what is outside. Models exported from CAD are usually fine. Sculpted, scanned or heavily edited meshes sometimes need repair first. We can normally fix minor issues for you, and we will let you know if a model needs more work.

Curved surfaces need enough triangles to look smooth, but extremely high-resolution exports just create huge files with no visible improvement. When exporting an STL, a deviation or chord tolerance of roughly 0.01-0.05 mm is plenty. Aim to keep each part under about 50 MB.

Yes. Either send a single 3MF with the parts already arranged, or send separate STL files with clear names. Let us know if particular parts need a specific material or colour, or if any parts belong together as an assembly.

Our 3D Model Hub page lists trusted libraries such as Printables, MakerWorld and Thingiverse. Before ordering, check that the model's licence allows you to print it, and that it was designed for FDM printing rather than resin.

Choosing the Right Material

A plain-language comparison of the main filaments so you can pick with confidence.

PLA. It is stiff, holds dimensions well, captures fine detail and comes in the widest range of colours. It is ideal for display models, visual prototypes and general indoor parts. Its main limit is heat: PLA starts to soften around 55-60 C, so it is not suitable for a hot car, direct summer sun or parts near heat sources.

PETG is tougher than PLA and more resistant to heat, moisture and UV, with a little flex before it breaks. It is a good all-round choice for functional parts, outdoor use, brackets and enclosures. The surface finish is very slightly less crisp than PLA, and stringing can need a little more clean-up.

Both handle more heat (roughly 90-100 C) and respond well to sanding, gluing and (for ABS) vapour smoothing. ASA is the better pick for parts that live outdoors because it resists UV and stays colour-stable. Large flat parts in these materials can warp or lift slightly during printing, so allow for that on big prints.

Choose TPU when the part needs to bend, stretch, grip or absorb shock - gaskets, bumpers, feet, straps, phone cases and vibration mounts. It is rubber-like and hard-wearing. Detail and tolerances are looser than rigid materials, and it prints more slowly, so it costs a little more.

Materials such as Nylon (PA), PA-CF and Polycarbonate offer high strength, stiffness and heat resistance for demanding mechanical parts. They cost more, need careful drying before printing, and have longer lead times. Tell us the load the part carries, the temperature it sees and where it is used, and we will recommend a suitable option.

Tell us three things: where the part is used (indoors or outdoors), how hot it gets, and whether it mainly needs to be strong, stiff or flexible. From that we can recommend the best material and finish for your budget.

Print Quality & Finish

What a finished FDM part actually looks and feels like, and what can be improved afterwards.

Because the part is built from stacked layers, horizontal "layer lines" are always visible on angled and curved surfaces - a bit like contour lines on a map. Flat vertical walls and top faces look smoother; sloped surfaces show the steps more. Thinner layers make the lines finer but never remove them completely.

Layer height is the thickness of each printed layer: - About 0.12 mm - fine detail, smoother finish, slower and more expensive. - About 0.20 mm - the balanced standard, good for most parts. - About 0.28-0.32 mm - fast and economical, with clearly visible layers. Detail in the vertical direction is limited by this value, so tell us if a part has fine features that must be captured.

It will not be glass-smooth straight off the printer. Vertical walls and top surfaces look best. The underside of overhangs and curves comes out rougher. If you need a show-quality surface, ask about sanding, filler-priming and painting. That produces a smooth, uniform finish but adds cost and time.

Any surface that overhangs more than about 45 degrees from vertical needs temporary support structures underneath, which we remove after printing. Where supports touched the part, the surface is left slightly rough or lightly witness-marked. We orient parts to keep supports away from important faces wherever possible, and we clean up support marks as part of the job.

No. Parts are strong within each layer but weaker between layers, in the direction they were built up. A printed part is most likely to fail by layers separating under a pulling or bending load. Tell us how the part is loaded in use and we will orient it so the force runs across the layers, not pulling them apart.

Each layer has a point where the nozzle starts and stops, and these line up into a subtle vertical seam. It cannot be removed entirely, but if you tell us which side of the part is visible we can place the seam on a back or hidden edge.

Support removal and basic clean-up are always included. Optional extras include sanding, filler-priming and painting, bonding multi-part assemblies, fitting heat-set threaded inserts, and vapour smoothing for ABS and ASA parts. Let us know what finish you need and we will quote for it.

Round holes tend to print slightly undersize, because the curve is approximated in small segments and the plastic shrinks a little as it cools. For holes that must be accurate, either plan to drill or ream them to final size, or ask us to add compensation when we prepare the file.

Designing Parts That Print Well

Simple design rules that lead to stronger, cleaner and cheaper prints.

Make walls at least 1.2 mm thick, and ideally 2 mm or more for anything structural. Walls thinner than about 0.8 mm may not print reliably, or may come out as a single weak skin.

Surfaces within about 45 degrees of vertical print cleanly with no support. Where you can, replace flat overhangs with chamfers and add fillets. Short horizontal spans under holes (up to roughly 10 mm) bridge fine without support.

As a starting point: - Snug or press fit: about 0.15-0.25 mm gap. - Easy sliding or loose fit: about 0.3-0.5 mm gap. - Print-in-place hinges and moving joints: at least 0.35 mm. Material and part size affect this, so mention any critical fits and we will fine-tune them.

Orientation affects strength, surface finish and how much support is needed. The best-looking surface is usually the one that faces up or is vertical; the bottom face prints flat and very slightly squashed. Tell us whether strength or appearance matters most for your part and we will choose the orientation to suit.

Raised (embossed) text prints far more reliably than recessed (engraved) text. Keep lettering at least 0.5 mm tall or deep, and use a bold, simple font. Fine serifs and very small point sizes tend to disappear.

We can split it into sections with locating pins or interlocking joints and bond them together, or help redesign it as a bolt-together assembly. Send the full-size model and note where a join would be acceptable.

Yes. A small chamfer on the bottom edge improves bed adhesion and hides the slight "elephant's foot" bulge at the base. Fillets on internal corners spread stress and make the part noticeably stronger.

Ordering, Pricing & Turnaround

How quotes are worked out, what the options mean, and how long a job takes.

Mostly from the amount of material used (in grams) and the machine time (in hours), plus a setup allowance and any post-processing you choose. Larger, taller, denser and higher-detail parts cost more. Ordering several of the same part lowers the per-part price because setup is shared.

Infill is the internal lattice that fills the space inside a solid-looking part. Around 15-20% is the standard and is strong enough for most uses. Higher infill (40-100%) makes the part stronger and heavier but adds material, time and cost. Unless you ask for something specific, we choose a sensible default for the job.

Use the Get a Print Quote button, upload your model or models, and tell us the material, colour, quantity, any critical dimensions and your deadline if you have one. We will come back to you with a price and a lead time.

Standard jobs are usually 3-7 working days, depending on size, quantity and finishing. Engineering materials and painted finishes take longer. If you have a fixed deadline, ask about faster options when you request your quote.

Yes. Single parts and one-offs are welcome. There is a small minimum order value to cover setup and machine time.

For larger quantities we can print a single first-article part so you can check the fit, finish and dimensions before we produce the rest of the order.

If a part fails during production because of our process, we reprint it at no extra charge. If we spot a problem in a supplied model, we will flag it with you before printing wherever possible.