Answers to some frequently asked questions
Q: What is 3D printing?
A: 3D Printing is the layering of melted plastic or other materials in a pre defined pattern to form a three dimensional object.
Q: Who invented 3D printing?
A: The patent for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing was granted to Chuck Hull in 1983, in the USA. Chuck also holds 60 other patents including the file type .STL and the cross hatch infill used in 3D printing.
Q: What is the difference between FDM and SLA 3D printing?
A: The different kinds of 3D printing include FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) involves the melting and layering of thermoplastic. SLA (Stereolithography) is a different process involves the rapid curing of liquid resin by UV light in a controlled way.
Q: What other forms of 3D printing are there?
A: SLS or SLMS (Selective laser sintering/Salective laser metal sintering) involves the sintering of powdered material with a laser before a new layer of powder is added. The industry is changing constantly so this list may change in the future due to new developments in the technology.
Q: How long does it take to 3D print an object?
A: The print time varies on the size of the object being 3D printed, the layer height (how thick each layer is) and the amount of infill. A small object can take around 30 mins. A larger object can take around 48 hours+ Ensure you allow enough time for printing if you have a deadline.
Q: What is the name of the 3D printer you use?
A: We currently use the Original Prusa I3 Mk2S and Mk3. We love the amazing print quality these machines produce. Hats off to Josef Prusa and his team at Prusa Research. We will also be adding other brands to our lab in the near future.
Q: What file type should I save my model in for 3D printing?
A: The standard file type for 3D printing is .STL, but the file must be sliced to create a gcode file that the 3D printer can read.
Q: What file types do you need to make me a 3D print?
A: We accept a wide range of file types but the most common ones are .OBJ, .STL, .STP and .DWG. Please contact us if you have a specific file type.
Q: How Large can a 3D print be?
A: At the moment the maximum size we can 3D print is 250mm x 210mm x 200mm. We will increase this to 300mm x 300mm x 400mm soon. As the technology advances and print sizes increase, so will out ability to print bigger.
Q: What material can you 3D print?
A: We 3D print with several different kinds of plastic. PET, PLA, ABS, Flexible 98A, Glow in the dark PLA, Copperfill, Carbon fiber PLA, Nylon, Poly carbonate, . We can print any filament suitable for FDM printers. If we dont have it in stock we can get it.
Recycled PET
Q: What are we doing to address plastic pollution?
A: Plastic is a problem, and we don’t want to add to the amount already polluting our planet. That’s why we teach ethical printing and only use biodegradable or recycled plastic.
Q: What temperature does the plastic 3D print at?
A: It depends on the plastic type. PLA prints around 215 degrees, but other plastics like PET and ABS print at higher temperatures around 240 degrees.
Q: I want to have a scan of myself. What should I wear?
A: You can wear what you like, however please keep hair tied back or in a style that can be scanned. The scanner wont pick up individual hairs. If you want to bring props thats not a poblem.
If you have a question that isn’t in the list above then feel free to ask us.