3D printing guides
Plain, practical guides: which filament to choose, how to prepare an STL, how a 3D printing price is worked out, and how to design parts that print well — whether it is your first print or your hundredth.
Getting started
Getting started
PLA vs PETG vs ABS: which filament to choose?
PLA or PETG? A quick, plain-language filament chooser: PLA, PETG, TPU, ASA and carbon-fibre grades — what each is good for, and where it falls short.
4 min read
Getting started
No 3D file? How to find or make a printable model
No 3D model yet? Ready-made model libraries, free design tools, measuring a broken part, or a model from a photo — the ways to get a printable file.
4 min read
Getting started
How to 3D print a replacement for a broken part
How to get a broken or discontinued plastic part 3D printed: measuring and modelling it, choosing PETG, ASA or nylon, and getting the fit right.
7 min read
Getting started
Photo to 3D model: what it can and cannot do
Turning one photo into a printable 3D model: how it works, how to take a good photo, what the AI has to guess, and when a designer is the better choice.
6 min read
Design
Design
Design rules for FDM 3D printing
FDM design rules: walls, overhangs and supports, holes and fits — the geometry decisions that change the price and how well the part prints.
9 min read
Design
How to prepare an STL file for 3D printing
A checklist for a print-ready STL or 3MF: units, watertight meshes, wall thickness, resolution, and exporting from Fusion, Onshape, Tinkercad or Blender.
8 min read
Design
Build orientation decides how strong your part is
The same geometry, rotated ninety degrees, is a different part mechanically. What the orientation search does, and what it cannot know.
6 min read
Processes
Processes
3D printing processes: when is FDM right?
FDM, resin or powder bed? What FDM 3D printing is the right choice for, and when a different process would suit the part better.
5 min read
Processes
What is FDM 3D printing and how does it work?
FDM 3D printing explained: what the machine does, the three settings that decide the part, where FDM wins, and the tolerance figure people misread.
7 min read
Processes
Multi-colour 3D printing: how it works
How multi-colour FDM printing works, why it costs more than one colour, how to prepare a 3MF with colours — and why we price it as a custom quote.
5 min read
Processes
For information — not offeredSLS and MJF: powder-bed polymer compared
How SLS and MJF build without supports, where they beat FDM and what they cost. For information — we don't offer these processes.
6 min read
Processes
For information — not offeredSLA, PolyJet and Carbon DLS: curing liquid resin
How SLA, PolyJet and Carbon DLS work, what each is good at, and why photopolymers age in sunlight. For information — we don't offer these processes.
6 min read
Materials and finishes
Materials and finishes
Engineering filaments: ABS, ASA, nylon, PC, CF
Heat, impact, sunlight, chemicals, stiffness: choosing between ABS, ASA, nylon, polycarbonate and fibre-reinforced filaments for functional parts.
6 min read
Materials and finishes
3D print finishing: sanding, paint, clear coat
Appearance, dimension or function — every finish moves at least one, and knowing which is how a part comes back right.
5 min read
