Manchester's Precision 3D Printing & CAD Design

Custom 3D printing prices start from as low as £15 for standard single parts. Pricing is calculated based on filament choice, overall part volume, model complexity, machine runtime, and any required post-processing. For high-volume production or batch manufacturing runs, unit pricing drops significantly.

There are many filament options depending on your project's needs. Here are the most common materials we use, along with their relative cost and printability:

• PLA: The easiest to print and lowest cost. Perfect for visual models, basic prototypes, and standard indoor parts.
• PETG: Easy to print and highly affordable. Offers great impact resistance and weatherability for outdoor use.
• Carbon Fiber Infused: Moderate print difficulty and medium cost. Extremely rigid with a premium matte textured finish that hides layer lines perfectly.
• TPU 95A: A flexible, rubber-like elastomer. Moderate to print and medium cost. Excellent for impact absorption and custom gaskets.
• ABS, ASA, & Nylon: Harder to print as they require high-temperature enclosed machines, making them slightly higher cost. However, they offer extreme heat, UV, and mechanical resistance for serious engineering applications.

You don't need a professional file to get started! A simple paper sketch, reference photos, or photos with rough dimensions drawn on them work perfectly. If it is an existing or broken component, just providing the manufacturer or model number is often enough. In short: give me all the details you can to get us started, and I will guide you through the rest of the design process.

Rapid prototyping is a highly collaborative process that typically takes about a week, depending on communication and the complexity of the part. Here is what a best-case timeline looks like:

• Day 1: You provide all the project details, sketches, or physical parts.
• Day 2: I complete the initial 3D CAD design.
• Day 3: The first physical prototype is printed and ready.
• Day 4-5: We review the prototype together (in person or via post) to confirm fitment and functionality.
• Day 6+: Once all sides are completely happy, we move straight into final production printing.

• FDM 3D Printing: Manufacturing physical components directly from a finished digital CAD file you provide.
• Rapid Prototyping: A collaborative development process where we turn your rough concept into physical, testable iterations to perfect the fit and function.
• Reverse Engineering: Digitally recreating a physical object—such as a broken bracket or obsolete automotive part—from scratch using calipers and CAD software so it can be manufactured again.

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) works by melting plastic filament and extruding it layer by layer to build a 3D part. The quality, strength, and speed of the print depend heavily on the settings we choose:

• Standard Detail (0.2mm layer height): The best balance of strength, print speed, and visual quality. This is the industry standard and ideal for most functional parts.
• Fine Detail (0.12mm - 0.16mm layer height): Produces a much smoother surface finish for highly detailed models, but takes significantly longer to print.
• Draft/Fast Print (0.28mm+ layer height): Faster and cheaper. Perfect for quick, rough prototypes where checking the basic size is more important than surface finish.

Our precision FDM printers consistently achieve dimensional accuracy within +/- 0.1mm to 0.2mm. By carefully calibrating flow rates and compensating for material shrinkage—especially with engineering polymers—we ensure that functional parts, mounting holes, and interlocking mechanical assemblies fit together perfectly the first time.

Yes. We operate a multi-printer manufacturing farm capable of producing short-run batch orders ranging from tens to hundreds of individual components. 3D-printed batch manufacturing eliminates costly tooling and mold fees, making it the most cost-effective solution for small businesses and custom product launches.

Our flagship machines feature a massive build volume of 350 x 320 x 325 mm, allowing us to print very large components seamlessly in a single piece. If your project exceeds these dimensions, we can intelligently split the digital model into interlocking sections that are printed separately and securely bonded together.