Every part shows up with one property it can't do without, and in FDM that property picks the material: PC-FR when the enclosure has to stop a flame, ABS-ESD when the tray carries loose boards, ASA-CF when the bracket sits outside and still has to hold its shape. The catalog runs to 18 thermoplastics, so the application decides, not the process.
Build envelope (13.4 × 12.6 × 13.4 in).
FDM 3D printing, or Fused Deposition Modeling, builds parts from a spool of thermoplastic filament. A heated nozzle melts the filament and lays it down in thin strands along a programmed path, one layer at a time, until the part is complete.
Because the filament is a production-grade thermoplastic, the part you receive is made from the same class of material you would specify for production, from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) to carbon-fiber nylon and flame-retardant polycarbonate.
Your 3D file is divided into layers, and software defines the toolpath, layer height, wall count, infill, and temperature for each one.
The filament is fed into a hotend that reaches up to 350°C (662°F), high enough for fiber-reinforced and high-temperature materials.
The nozzle traces each layer onto the build plate, filling areas with multiple passes, much like shading a shape with a marker.
Each strand fuses to the layer below as it cools. Our enclosed chambers are actively heated up to 65°C (149°F), which keeps the part at a stable temperature, reduces warping, and improves bonding between layers on demanding materials like PC and nylon.
Supports are removed, the part is cleaned, and heat-set inserts are installed if requested.
Engineers reach for FDM when a part needs a specific material property. It makes sense when:
If a part needs to be flame retardant, static dissipative, UV stable, or stiff with carbon fiber, FDM prints it in a material built for that property.
With TPU 3D printing, seals, gaskets, grips, and bumpers come out in a material that stretches to more than three times its length.
Infill density and wall count are set part by part, so material goes where the loads are and comes out where they aren't.
Jigs, fixtures, and assembly aids are shaped around the part they hold, so a new product or a line changeover gets its tooling from a file.
Each round of testing is one more part in the material you plan to use, and rapid prototyping below shows how the loop runs.
The material sets what a part can take: its strength, its resistance to heat and chemicals, how well it holds its dimensions, and what it costs. The catalog runs in two tiers. General Purpose materials cover prototyping, fit checks, and everyday functional parts. High Performance materials are chosen for one property, such as flame retardancy, static dissipation, or the stiffness that carbon and glass fiber add.
General Purpose
High Performance
Available on request
These materials are quoted by hand after a review of your part and application.
General Purpose
Tough and impact resistant, with the heat tolerance engineering prototypes, housings, and mechanical parts need.
All FDM materials and their properties: Materials library ↗Jigs, fixtures, assembly aids, and production tools that hold, locate, and protect parts on the shop floor.
Flame-retardant housings in PC-FR, and static-safe fixtures and trays in ABS-ESD.
Lightweight brackets, mounts, ducts, and other non-structural parts in carbon- and glass-fiber composites.
Covers, mounts, and housings in ASA and ASA-CF that hold up to sun and weather.
Guards, panels, and housings up to the full build envelope.
Physical versions of a design for reviews, presentations, and the early calls on form and ergonomics.
Durable parts that test fit, assembly, and performance under real thermal, chemical, and mechanical loads.
prototype rounds, one day each
parts in the production run
days to deliver them
Challenge: A marine company needed custom housings for the electrical components on one of its projects. The other option was to adapt its electrical layout to stock housings, which wouldn't have let the project meet its goals.
What we delivered: Prototypes in PC-FR, then a production run. Each round came back the next day, on a schedule agreed for this project. The housings were built around the components as they were, so the company avoided tooling, kept its electrical design unchanged, and the project stayed on schedule.
— Electrical Engineering, Marine
To lock a design, test it in the material it will be made from. With FDM, you prototype in the same family of thermoplastics you plan to use in production, so the prototype shows how the material handles heat and chemicals, and how the part carries load once build direction is taken into account.
That keeps iteration inexpensive and direct. Upload a file, get an Instant Quote, and test the part for fit, assembly, and function, then send a revised file and print again.
Tensile strength in XY. (7,400 psi)
Tensile strength in Z. (5,080 psi)
In PETG printed solid. Build direction decides where the part carries load.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum build volume | 340 × 320 × 340 mm(13.4 × 12.6 × 13.4 in) |
| Nozzle diameter | 0.4 mm(0.016 in) |
| Layer height | 0.2 mm(0.008 in) |
| Minimum wall thickness (supported and unsupported) | 0.8 mm(0.031 in) |
| Minimum feature size | 2.0 mm(0.079 in) |
| Minimum hole diameter | 2.0 mm(0.079 in) |
| Maximum unsupported overhang | 45° |
An FDM part is strongest along its layers (XY) and weakest between them (Z), so the build direction decides where the part can carry load.
The minimum is two nozzle widths, and a little more gives reliable results. Sections that carry load need thicker walls or higher infill, not thin shells.
The 0.4 mm (0.016 in) nozzle sets the limit in XY, and the layer sets it in Z.
Anything past 45° needs supports, and supports leave marks on the faces they touch, so keep critical cosmetic faces pointing up or within that angle.
Vertical holes come out slightly undersized, because the nozzle presses each layer onto the one below as it lays the perimeter. When a bore has to fit a bearing or a fastener, model it undersized and ream it to size after printing.
A large flat face cools unevenly and pulls the part off the plate at its corners, so break up big flats where you can and fillet the sharp corners.
Every FDM part is cleaned and has its supports removed before it ships. Beyond that, one option gets added on request.
Threaded brass inserts for durable metal threads in parts that get assembled or serviced repeatedly.
FAQ
Everything engineers ask before they upload a file.
RFI / RFQ help ↗Yes. Infill is one of the options you select in our store when you place the order, so you set how solid the part is before it goes into production.
Rush in three business days, Standard in five, or Economy in 10. The clock starts when the order is placed in our portal with the file and the payment goes through, and shipping time is additional. Large batches can take longer, and when they do, we tell you upfront and can ship in partial deliveries.
Choose FDM when you need a specific material property, such as flame retardancy, static dissipation, UV resistance, or fiber reinforcement. Choose HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) when you need complex geometry without supports, consistent strength in every direction, or batches of small, detailed parts.
FDM vs MJF ↗Yes. PC-FR is a flame-retardant polycarbonate whose filament is certified UL 94 V-0, and ABS-ESD is static dissipative for fixtures and trays that handle electronics.
Yes. PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ASA-CF, and PA-CF are part of the regular catalog, and PET-CF, PPA-CF, and PPS-CF are available on request. Carbon fiber raises the stiffness of the base plastic, which makes these materials a fit for brackets, mounts, jigs, and fixtures that need to hold their shape under load.
Yes. TPU 95A is the flexible 3D printing material in the catalog, for parts that need to bend and recover: seals, gaskets, grips, bumpers, and protective covers.
For parts that live outdoors, ASA 3D printing is the stronger choice, because ASA is formulated for long-term exposure to sun and weather. ABS covers housings, enclosures, and mechanical parts, and ASA-CF adds carbon fiber when the outdoor part also needs to be stiff.
Yes. Many of our customers use FDM for end-use parts in industries such as robotics, marine, and consumer products. Success comes down to the sequence: prototype, test, iterate, and then manufacture.
Surfaces that touch supports will show some marks. We orient each part to keep supports away from critical faces where possible.
Yes. We install threaded brass inserts in FDM parts that need durable metal threads.
Our FDM 3D printing service quotes straight from the CAD. Upload STEP, STL, IGES, or 3MF and get an Instant Quote, or use RFI / RFQ help if the job needs a conversation before a price.