3D printing job guidelines

This page is intended as a guide for customers using our 3D printing service.

Printers

We have an Ultimaker 2 (build area 220x220mm), and a Prusa i3 (build area 200x200mm). Both are currently single-material printers, but we hope to be able to offer dual material printing in the near future. If your requirements are beyond the capabilities of these printers, we may still be able to help, through our community.

Materials

We print predominantly in PLA, which is safe, easy to work with, and suitable for most purposes. We stock it in a variety of colours. If you'd like to print in another material, please talk to us.

Costs

We currently charge 10p per gram for 3D prints. Technician time is charged at £20 per hour for setting up the print. This shouldn't take more than 10 minutes or so for a simple print. For more complex prints, we will spend time as necessary making sure the print is a success. You will not be asked to pay for the material if a print fails.

File formats

3D printing software uses STL files. These can be exported from all common CAD packages, and are found on download sites such as Thingiverse. If you are creating your own file, make sure the files's units are set to millimetres to ensure your print comes out the right size.

Design notes

3D printing is sensitive to orientation and geometry of the part being printed. The basic rules for making a print easy are to give your item a flat base, and avoid any overhangs over about 45°. However, with experience these rules can be bent. There are many tutorials online for how to design for 3D printing. Ask us if you can't find an answer to your question online.