Parts built layer by layer from filament, resin, or powder. No tooling, so complex geometry and one-off prototypes come fast, and low-volume production without a mold. Upload a 3D model and hear back from shops set up for additive.
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Real shops running FDM, resin, powder, and metal additive. See their equipment and talk to the person making your part.
"Rapid Prototyping, Digital Manufacturing & CNC Machining Since 1994"
"Waterjet, Fiber Laser & Press-Brake Fabrication in Lake Elsinore, CA"
"From Art to Part: Product Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing"
"The experts in precision CNC machining for aerospace & defense"
"Small shop service, big shop capability"
"Precision CNC machining and custom metal fabrication for aerospace, medical, and industrial"
How it works
Share your CAD files or drawings (STEP, DXF, DWG, PDF) and note material, tolerances, and quantity. It takes a couple of minutes.
We route your part to shops with the machines and materials to make it, and they send competitive quotes.
Weigh quotes, methods, and lead times side by side, then pick the shop that fits your budget and timeline.
Additive is chosen by process first: filament, resin, or powder, each with its own strengths and material set. Pick the process, or tell the shop the requirement and let it choose. If your material is not here, ask when you request a quote.
Molten thermoplastic extruded layer by layer. The workhorse for functional prototypes, jigs, and rugged low-cost parts.
Liquid photopolymer cured by light for smooth surfaces and crisp fine detail. Best when finish and feature resolution matter.
Nylon powder fused by laser or a binding agent, with no support structures. Strong, near-isotropic parts and dense nesting for low-volume production.
Fine metal powder fused by laser into fully dense parts. For end-use metal geometry that machining cannot reach.
Secondary operations
Printed holes are cleaned up after the build; heat-set inserts, tapped threads, and pressed hardware are added as a secondary op. Metal DMLS parts are commonly machined on critical faces and bores after printing.
Applied after support removal. As-printed ships fastest; bead blast, dyeing, vapor smoothing, and paint are common depending on process.
| Finish | Materials | Adds | Can be applied with |
|---|---|---|---|
| As-printed | All | +0 days | Anything |
| Support removal | FDM, SLA, metal | +0-1 day | Included |
| Bead blast | SLS, MJF, metal | +1 day | Dye, paint |
| Dyed (black) | SLS, MJF nylon | +1-2 days | After blast |
| Vapor smooth | ABS, resin | +1-2 days | Paint |
| Machined features | Metal DMLS | +2-4 days | Heat treat |
SLS and MJF parts come off the machine with a slightly grainy matte surface and are usually bead blasted, then dyed black if color matters. Say up front which faces are cosmetic or critical.
Get a better quote
| Instead of | Send this |
|---|---|
| "Print this part" | "PA12 SLS, qty 25, matte black dyed, per STEP" |
| "Make it strong" | "CF-Nylon FDM, 3 mm walls, 50% infill, load along the X axis" |
| "Needs to look nice" | "SLA tough resin, bead-blast and prime, ±0.15 mm on the bore" |
Tell us the process (or the requirement and let the shop pick), material, quantity, and which faces are cosmetic or load-bearing. That is what sets the price and the machine.
Applications
Additive shops on OpenSpindle print prototypes, jigs and fixtures, and low-volume end-use parts for demanding industries, including AS9100 and ISO 13485 shops.
More on OpenSpindle
Need a different process? Browse shops for these too.
Designing for this process
Not a definition of 3D printing. The design choices that move your price, strength, and finish.
FDM is cheap and tough, SLA is smooth and detailed, SLS is strong with no supports, metal is end-use. Tell the shop the requirement and it routes to the right one, or spec the process yourself.
FDM parts are weakest between layers, so orient the print with loads running along the layers, not across them. Orientation also decides where support marks and layer lines land.
Every process has a minimum printable wall, roughly 0.8 to 1.5 mm. Thinner walls warp or fail to print. Thicken load paths and hollow out bulk to save material and cost.
Overhangs past about 45 degrees need support that leaves marks and adds cleanup. Add fillets and chamfers, or reorient the part, to keep support off surfaces that show.
Questions
It depends on the job. FDM for cheap functional prototypes and rugged parts, SLA or DLP for smooth cosmetic parts and fine detail, SLS or MJF for strong production parts with complex geometry and no supports, and metal DMLS for end-use metal parts. Describe the requirement and shops recommend the process.
Upload a model once and compare quotes from independent 3D printing shops.
STEP · STL · IGES · DWG · DXF · PDF · and more
Uploads are secure & confidential