Additive manufacturing

Six 3D printing technologies, each quoted on its own physics

Upload an STL or STEP file and switch technology to compare price and lead time. Every process is priced from real build time and material, not a flat per-gram figure.

FDM

FDM — fused filament

Priced on sliced print time: shells, infill and supports at your layer height.

Layer height
0.10 – 0.30 mm
Tolerance
±0.3 mm
Lead time
1–3 days

Materials: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, PA12, PC, TPU 95A, CF blends

Cheapest route for jigs, fixtures, housings and fit checks.

SLA

SLA — resin stereolithography

Priced on resin volume and layer count, plus wash and UV cure.

Layer height
0.025 – 0.10 mm
Tolerance
±0.1 mm
Lead time
2–4 days

Materials: Standard, tough, high-temp, clear, castable, dental-grade

Fine detail, smooth cosmetic surfaces, master patterns.

SLS

SLS — laser sintered nylon

Priced on sintered volume, layer count and powder refresh rate.

Layer height
0.06 – 0.12 mm
Tolerance
±0.2 mm
Lead time
4–6 days

Materials: PA12, PA11 bio, PA12-GF, alumide, TPU 88A

Support-free complex geometry, living hinges, low-volume production.

MJF

MJF — HP Multi Jet Fusion

Priced on fused powder volume, layer count and build packing.

Layer height
0.08 mm
Tolerance
±0.2 mm
Lead time
3–5 days

Materials: PA12, PA12-GF, PA11, TPU

Denser, more isotropic than SLS with faster turnaround on batches.

DMLS

DMLS / SLM — metal laser melting

Priced on laser scan time per fused cm³, recoat time per layer, supports, plate removal and stress relief.

Layer height
0.02 – 0.06 mm
Tolerance
±0.1 mm (as-built)
Lead time
10–14 days

Materials: AlSi10Mg, 316L, 17-4 PH, Ti6Al4V, Inconel 718, maraging steel

Conformal cooling, lightweight brackets, flight and motorsport hardware.

PolyJet

PolyJet — multi-material jetting

Priced on jetted model resin plus support material at 16–28 µm layers.

Layer height
0.016 – 0.028 mm
Tolerance
±0.1 mm
Lead time
4–6 days

Materials: Vero rigid, VeroClear, Agilus30 rubber-like, Digital ABS, full colour

Overmould look-alikes, clear lenses, colour concept models.