3D Printing
3D printing, formally known as Additive Manufacturing, is the process of creating a physical object from a digital model. Unlike traditional manufacturing (subtractive manufacturing), which cuts away material from a solid block (like carving wood or CNC machining), 3D printing builds the object layer by layer.
Imagine slicing a loaf of bread horizontally into hundreds of paper-thin slices. If you were to stack those slices back up one by one, you would recreate the loaf. 3D printing works on this exact principle: the printer reads a digital design file and lays down material in thin cross-sections, stacking them until the full 3D object is formed.
While there are many technologies used to achieve this, the two most common methods for hobbyists and professionals are FDM and SLA.
Printing technologies
- FDM Printing
- SLA Printing
Low Entry Price: Reliable desktop machines can be purchased for desktop use.
Cheap Materials: Since most parts are printed with low infill (mostly hollow), a single spool allows you to print dozens of medium-sized models.
Unlike SLA resin (which is mostly limited to brittle acrylics), FDM can print with plastics that have real-world engineering properties:
PLA: Easy to print, rigid, biodegradable.
PETG: Tough, impact-resistant, and heat-resistant (water bottles are made of this).
TPU: Flexible and rubbery (perfect for phone cases, gaskets, or RC car tires).
Nylon/Carbon Fiber: Extremely strong and durable for functional mechanical parts.
ASA/ABS: UV and weather-resistant, ideal for outdoor automotive parts.
Because FDM uses standard thermoplastics, the resulting parts are tough. They are not just for visual display; they can withstand mechanical stress.
Real-world usage: You can print replacement gears, headphone hangers, drone frames, shelving brackets, and tool handles that will actually hold up to daily use.
No Chemicals: There are no toxic liquid vats, isopropyl alcohol baths, or UV curing stations needed.
Minimal Post-Processing: Once the print is done, you simply peel it off the bed and remove any support structures. The part is immediately ready to use.
Safety: Standard materials like PLA emit almost no harmful fumes, making them safe for classrooms and home offices (though ventilation is recommended for advanced materials like ABS).
If you need to print something large—like a cosplay helmet or a large architectural model—FDM is the only practical choice on a budget. Resin printers become exponentially more expensive as they get bigger, whereas large-format FDM printers remain relatively affordable.
SLA prints look nearly injection-molded right out of the printer.
Invisible Layers: Because the layers are so thin and the chemical bond is so complete, layer lines are often invisible to the naked eye.
Smoothness: Curved surfaces (like a sphere or a face) are perfectly smooth, whereas on an FDM printer they would look like a topographical map with "stair-stepping."
If you are printing something tiny or intricate, SLA is superior.
Intricacy: It can handle complex geometries, tiny text, and fine textures (like skin pores on a sculpture or the setting on a ring) that a plastic extrusion nozzle would simply smear.
Tolerances: It holds very tight dimensional accuracy, making it excellent for fitting parts together precisely.
While standard resin is brittle, there are highly specialized resins for specific industries:
Castable Resin: Used by jewelers. You print a ring in this resin, put it in a mold, and burn it out cleanly to pour molten gold or silver (investment casting).
Dental/Biocompatible Resin: Safe for short-term contact with the human body, used for printing surgical guides or temporary crowns.
High-Temp Resin: Can withstand heat that would melt standard FDM plastics.
Clear/Translucent Resin: Because layers fuse so completely, clear resin can be polished to be almost optically transparent (like glass), which is impossible with FDM.
On a filament printer, printing two objects takes twice as long as printing one.
Simultaneous Curing: With modern LCD-based resin printers, the screen flashes the entire layer at once. This means printing 10 miniatures takes the exact same amount of time as printing just one, provided they fit on the build plate.
We are fully compatible with leading 3D design standards, ensuring seamless processing for .STL, .OBJ, .3MF, and .F3D assets.
For FDM printing, most 1.75mm filaments can be used: PLA, PETG, Nylon, carbon infused and others on special request.
For SLA Printing, we can offer ABS- like resin, industrial tough resin, transparent resin, castable was resin and others on special request.
Yes, we can help to optimize your design for printability.
This depends on the complexity and size of the object to be printed. We strive to produce as quickly as possible and always within a week.