FAQ.

PLA is a rigid, lightweight plastic with sharp detail and a clean matte finish. It’s great for display pieces, prototypes, and indoor items. However, it softens around 55–60°C — so it’s not suitable for parts left in a hot car or near heat sources. PETG is tougher and more flexible. It handles heat up to ~80°C, resists moisture and most household chemicals, and won’t shatter on impact the way PLA can. Choose PETG for functional parts, anything used outdoors, or items that need to survive knocks and temperature swings.

TPU is a rubber-like material used for phone cases, gaskets, vibration dampeners, shoe insoles, and protective bumpers. It comes in different hardness levels: • Shore 85A — very soft and bendy, like a thick rubber band • Shore 95A — firm but still flexible, like a shoe sole Let us know what your part needs to do and we’ll recommend the right hardness.

Nylon (PA) is exceptionally strong, wear-resistant, and slightly flexible — ideal for gears, hinges, and snap-fit enclosures that see repeated stress. Carbon-fibre reinforced nylon (PA-CF) adds stiffness and dimensional stability while staying lightweight — the go-to for structural brackets, drone frames, jigs, and end-use parts that would otherwise be machined. Our Bambu Lab H2C printers run a 350°C hotend with a heated chamber, so engineering materials are printed properly in-house — no outsourcing, normal lead times. Upload your file to the quote tool and select PA-CF to see the price instantly.

No. Pick whatever colour you like — the mechanical properties are the same regardless of pigment.

Some materials (like natural PETG) are food-safe by composition, but printed parts have tiny surface grooves that can trap bacteria. For food contact: • Use natural (uncoloured) PETG or PLA • Seal the surface with a food-safe epoxy coating • Hand-wash only — not dishwasher-safe • Best suited for short-term or single-use contact For long-term or commercial food-contact items, injection moulding with certified materials is the safer route.

• ASA — best choice, designed for UV and weather exposure • PETG — good UV and moisture resistance • PLA — not recommended outdoors; absorbs moisture and can warp in direct sun A UV-resistant clear coat extends the life of any material significantly.

• PLA — rigid, detailed, indoor use, softens at ~55°C • PETG — tough, flexible, moisture/chemical resistant, up to ~80°C • ASA — like PETG but UV-stable, best for outdoor use • TPU — rubber-like, flexible, shock-absorbing • Nylon (PA) — very strong, wear-resistant, slight flex • PA-CF / PETG-CF — stiff, lightweight, structural strength

Almost anything that fits on the build plate. Common examples: • Custom enclosures, mounts, and brackets • Replacement parts for appliances and electronics • Prototype housings and product mockups • Figurines, cosplay props, and display models • Phone stands, cable organisers, desk accessories • Jigs, fixtures, and tooling for workshops • Personalised gifts and custom keychains • Lithophane photos (see our Shop page)

Yes — up to 7 colours in a single print on our Bambu Lab H2C fleet. If your 3MF file already contains colour assignments, the quote tool detects the colour slots automatically and lets you map each one to a stocked colour. No 3MF? You can set up colours manually while quoting. Multi-colour jobs carry a small surcharge for the extra material handling — your quote shows the exact price before you commit.

Strong enough for many real-world applications. Material choice matters most: • PLA parts are rigid and hold their shape well, but can snap under sharp impact • PETG handles repeated stress and impacts much better • Nylon and carbon fibre composites rival some machined plastics in strength For load-bearing or safety-critical parts, let us know the requirements and we’ll advise on material and design.

Typical tolerances are ±0.2–0.5 mm. Holes tend to come out ~0.1–0.2 mm smaller than designed. For parts that need to fit together tightly, add a small clearance allowance in your design or let us know the critical dimensions so we can dial it in.

Build volume is approximately 330 × 320 × 325 mm on our large-format Bambu Lab H2C printers. For larger items, we can split the design into sections that bolt or glue together. Message us on Telegram to confirm size limits for your project.

Every job runs on our fleet of Bambu Lab H2C machines — current-generation, large-format printers with a 350°C hotend, heated chamber, AI-vision print monitoring, and up to 7-colour multi-material capability. Running a single, dialled-in printer model means consistent quality: the settings we quote with are the settings we print with. See how the H2C compares to budget machines on our Printers page.

Yes, with some considerations. Print-in-place hinges, ball joints, and gear trains can be printed as a single piece. More complex assemblies are typically printed as separate parts and assembled afterward. If you have a multi-part design, upload each piece separately or send us the assembly and we’ll advise on the best approach.

We accept STL and 3MF files, up to 50 MB. Most CAD and modelling software can export to STL. 3MF is a newer format that can also carry colour and material info in a single file.

We focus on the printing side, but we can point you in the right direction. For simple designs, free tools like TinkerCAD are beginner-friendly. For more complex parts, Fusion 360 (free for personal use) or Onshape (browser-based) are excellent. If you need a specific existing item, check these free model libraries: • Printables • Thingiverse • MakerWorld • Thangs

• 0.8 mm — minimum (fragile) • 1.2 mm — recommended for most parts • 1.6–2.0 mm — strong, functional parts Anything thinner than 0.4 mm won’t come out in the print.

Printed threads work best at M6 and larger. For smaller fastening needs, better options include: • Heat-set brass inserts — strong metal threads embedded into the plastic • Self-tapping screws — just design a pilot hole and the screw does the rest Let us know if you need fastening solutions and we’ll suggest what works best for your part.

The price is based on material weight, so: • Hollow out solid sections where strength isn’t needed • Avoid unnecessarily thick walls • Reduce the overall size if the exact dimensions aren’t critical • Minimise complex overhangs that require support structures (supports add weight) Upload your file to the quote tool to see the price instantly — you can experiment with different materials and quantities.

Yes — layer lines are a characteristic of FDM printing. They’re subtle on fine-detail prints and more pronounced on larger, faster prints. Most functional parts don’t need further finishing, but if you want a smooth look there are several options (see below).

• Sanding — start at 120 grit, work up to 400–600 grit • Filler primer spray — fills minor lines before painting • Epoxy coating — brush or dip for a glossy, durable finish

Yes. Sand lightly, apply a filler primer, then use acrylic or enamel paint in thin coats. Finish with a clear coat for durability. Most materials take paint well.

• Superglue — quick and easy for most plastics • Epoxy — strongest bond, good for structural joins • Bolts and heat-set inserts — for parts that need to come apart again

• PLA — keep away from heat (dashboards, hot windows) and prolonged moisture • PETG — normal indoor or sheltered outdoor use is fine • All materials — avoid dishwashers and prolonged submersion unless sealed with epoxy For outdoor parts, a UV-resistant clear coat will significantly extend the part’s lifespan.

1. Upload your STL or 3MF file 2. Select your material and colour from our stock 3. Configure supports and quantity 4. Pick a collection date from the live calendar 5. Review your price and accept the quote The price is calculated from the actual weight of your model, plus a flat setup fee. No hidden costs.

Your price is calculated from your actual model, not a rough estimate: we slice the file with the same settings we print with, then price from the material used and machine time, plus a flat setup fee. Different materials have different rates, and a minimum applies to very small prints. Upload your file to the quote tool to see your exact price instantly — no waiting for a manual quote. The current material line-up is on the Pricing page.

Short prints (under 3–4 hours) can often be collected same-day. Larger prints may need 1–2 days. The live availability calendar on the Quote page shows open slots so you can pick a collection date that works for you.

Tell us your deadline when you quote — pick a collection date on the calendar, or message us on Telegram for anything tight. If a deadline needs your job to jump the print queue, a rush surcharge may apply — always agreed upfront, never added after the fact. And if we can't hit the date, we'll say so before you pay anything.

Possibly. Reach out on Telegram — for one-off orders we may be able to source a specific colour or specialty filament, though lead times and minimum quantities may apply.

If a print fails due to a machine issue on our end, we’ll reprint it at no extra cost. If there’s a design issue (e.g. walls too thin), we’ll let you know and suggest a fix before reprinting.

Yes — contact us on Telegram to discuss. Batch printing multiple copies of the same model is more efficient and we’re happy to work out a better rate for larger quantities.