Frequently Asked Questions.

It depends on size, material, geometry, and quantity — there’s no flat rate for custom work. We have a $500 project minimum on engineering-design jobs, and we quote every part individually rather than running it through an algorithm. Send a file or a description and you’ll get per-unit and total pricing, with volume tier breaks where they apply, within one business day.

Standard lead time is 5–10 business days from an approved quote. Expedited turnaround of 2–3 business days is available for a surcharge, subject to capacity. Prototypes are often faster (3–7 days); reverse-engineering jobs take longer (7–21 days) because of the measurement and modeling work.

No. A sketch, a photo, rough dimensions, or even a description of what the part needs to do is enough to start. If you do have a 3D file, STEP is preferred for tight-tolerance work; we also accept STL, OBJ, and 3MF, plus PDF drawings alongside.

Our core materials are PETG, ASA, Nylon PA-CF (carbon-fiber reinforced), PC-Blend, TPU, and PLA-Pro. We’ve also qualified PET-CF, PC, ABS, PA6, and PA12 for specialized jobs. Tell us your operating environment and we’ll recommend the right one — or work to your existing material spec.

There’s no single “strongest” — it depends on what the part has to do. Quick guide: PA-CF for stiff, lightweight structural parts; PC-Blend for impact resistance; ASA for outdoor and UV exposure; PETG for general-purpose indoor parts; TPU for anything that needs to flex, seal, or grip; PLA-Pro for display and concept models only. Material selection is part of the DFAM review included with every quote.

Yes — this is a core part of what we do. Send us the broken part, a photo, a drawing, or a description of what it does, and we’ll measure it, model it, and print a functional replacement, often in a tougher material than the original. If a printed part isn’t the right answer (for example, a die-cast metal part under real load), we’ll tell you honestly and point you toward a machine shop.

Modern industrial FDM in engineering-grade thermoplastics produces parts that hold real mechanical loads, heat, and chemical exposure — this is not hobby-printer plastic. One thing to know: FDM parts are anisotropic, meaning they’re stronger within a layer than between layers. We orient prints so the primary load runs within the layer plane. Tell us how the part is loaded and we’ll design and orient around it.

Standard dimensional tolerance is ±0.008 in (0.2 mm) or ±0.5%, whichever is greater. Tighter tolerances (down to about ±0.004 in / 0.1 mm) are achievable on small parts in dimensionally stable materials like PETG, ASA, and PLA-Pro, or through post-processing such as drilling and reaming. Call out your critical dimensions in the RFQ and we’ll quote accordingly.

Our build volume is 350 × 320 × 325 mm (about 13.8 × 12.6 × 12.8 in). Larger assemblies are possible by printing in multiple parts and joining them — ask and we’ll tell you whether your part can be split cleanly.

Yes. Minimum order is one unit — a single part is fine. We run batches of 10 to 500 units with documented, repeatable quality: first-article approval, consistent material lots, locked process parameters, and dimensional spot-checks. This is the range below where injection-molding tooling pays for itself.

No — we print engineering thermoplastics, not metal. For tight-tolerance metal parts under load, a CNC machine shop is the right choice, and we’ll happily point you toward one. In many cases a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic like PA-CF is a viable, lighter replacement for a metal part — we’ll give you an honest read on whether that applies to yours.

DFAM stands for Design for Additive Manufacturing — reviewing a design so it prints reliably, looks clean, and behaves as intended. It covers orientation, wall thickness, tolerance reality checks, and material selection. We include it with every quote because catching a design issue before we print costs you nothing, while catching it after costs both of us a print run.

We’re based near Charlotte, in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and we work with customers by RFQ — send your project from anywhere. Local Charlotte-area customers are welcome to coordinate directly.