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Writer's pictureTom Price

Anatomy of a Large Scale 3D printing quote

When customers look for quotes on large scale 3D printing these are the base question we ask to understand the project and prepare a quote. While conversations or messages can be initiated with just a sentence it helps to start thinking about this information and it helps to make sure you get what you wanted. The more you can tell us what the model is for and what your goals are then the better we can serve you.


Confirm the dimensions of the parts we receive

This is quite important as various software will end up exporting models in various units such as in, mm, tenths of an inch, hundredths of a foot, dm, etc. When we are making giant 13 foot tall space cats at the same time as small test parts that are going to be injection molded then sizing is very important!


What are they for?

Are these for test fitting external parts? Is this a rough prototype? Is it going to a trade show? Is this a functional part? The more we can understand about an application the better we can serve you and deliver a high quality end product. We do work across a large range of fields. NDA available upon request.


Any special requirements on the parts?

Are the expected to endure high temperatures? High loads? Do they need to be extra stiff? Super lightweight? Absorption or transparency to certain wavelengths? High precision requirements? Any information you want to share helps.


What finish level / resolution?

How nice do the parts need to be? Which surfaces / features are critical or customer facing? Can there be seams? Can raw 3D print surfaces be acceptable or do they need to be post-processed, finished, or painted? Do you need any special painting considerations such as matching paint colors or additional detailing / stenciling?


Any specific color / transparency?

We stock a fair amount of color options and with proper time we can accommodate a large number of base requests and even provide custom plastic.


Timeline?

How fast are we making this? Turnaround times available upon request and we do have the ability to expedite projects on the same day or over a weekend.

Material?

We have mult iple material options available. Our standard material is PLA which accounts for the majority of our standard 3D printing. It is easy to print with and responds very well to paint. Depending on specific needs we also have ABS, PETG, other specialty / exotic filaments, and fiber filled polymers such as Carbon Fiber Nylon for Carbon Fiber PETG. Not all materials may be applicable based on part size and geometry and we will make recommendations as we learn about your project. Ultem and PEEK are not normally offered due to the extreme expense and difficulty of printing with these extreme performance level materials especially at the ultra large scale where their already challenging problems become nearly impossible to avoid. In these instances Carbon Fiber Nylon offers a strong substitute.


The more information we can understand regarding your project the better we can serve you a tailor a solution to your needs. If you are ready then reach out to us on our contact page!

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