3D printing services
A 3D printing request should identify the controlling solid model or mesh and revision; file units and scale; intended use and quantity; material, feedstock, colour, property, and environmental requirements; any prescribed additive process family; build coordinate and orientation convention; layer direction or anisotropy boundaries; support, raft, contact, removal, trapped-material, drain, escape, and access constraints where relevant; walls, ribs, bosses, holes, channels, interfaces, fit, threads, and inserts; machining or finish allowances; surface and cosmetic zones; required post-processing; datums, measurement state, inspection method, acceptance criteria, requested records; and timing. These inputs allow process, material, geometry, post-processing, inspection, and fulfillment fit to be reviewed before acceptance.
Capability review
This page describes common request types. Available processes, equipment, tolerances, inspection, documentation, and fulfillment are confirmed for each quote.
Overview
Additive manufacturing builds physical geometry through successive addition of material from digital part data, but a model alone does not define a purchased part. Solid and tessellated representations can carry different authority, and file units, scale, coordinate system, orientation, mesh condition, repair permission, and allowed geometry changes must be controlled. The interaction of process family, material or feedstock, build direction, layer direction, supports, geometry, and post-processing can influence part properties and measurement; there is no universal wall, feature, support, tolerance, or surface value that applies to every combination. Complex surface topography, internal features and channels, trapped material, anisotropy, residual stress, and post-processing can require specific inspection or test definitions and measurement states. The request should connect intended use and property requirements to critical features, interfaces, support-contact and removal boundaries, final condition, inspection, acceptance, and documentation at one revision. These inputs support project-specific review; they do not establish process or material availability, a printable or production-ready model, achieved strength, density, isotropy, accuracy, surface condition, watertightness, internal cleanliness, finished result, inspection decision, record package, lead time, or fulfillment route before quoting.
Identify the controlling STEP or STP solid model, STL or 3MF mesh when relevant, PDF drawing, revision, units, scale, coordinate system, intended use, quantity, mating assembly or envelope, critical features, file precedence, tessellation and mesh condition, known repair status, and the authority for any repair or geometry change.
State the material specification, grade or polymer system, feedstock and property requirements, colour, any prescribed process family, build direction and orientation convention, layer direction or directional-property boundaries, support and raft intent, contact restrictions, removal access, and process-relevant trapped-material, drain, escape, cure, or powder-removal constraints.
Define walls, ribs, bosses, holes, slots, channels and internal features; clearances, fits, threads, inserts and mating interfaces; as-built or post-processed allowances; surface, layer-texture, cosmetic and protected regions; required cleanup and post-processing; datum and support scheme; measurement state; inspection method and coverage; acceptance and rejection criteria; packaging; and requested record fields.
Fulfillment review
Requests are reviewed manually. The fulfillment route and availability are confirmed before acceptance.
Quote inputs
The quote form accepts private files or a written project description, plus optional process, material, material-source, quantity, and timing details. Select Additive manufacturing in the optional Process field when useful, then use the file or description to define the controlled part data, intended use, material and property requirements, build and support constraints, critical features, final condition, and acceptance.
Interactive request review
Select a review point on the fixed additive-part layout to examine build orientation and support-contact boundaries, walls and mating features, and surface, post-processing, and inspection requirements without implying a completed or accepted part.
One staged bracket, three additive-request zones
Build orientation and support contacts, feature or interface geometry, and surface or inspection boundaries remain visible together while the request details change.
Illustrative planning example only; markers locate request topics. They do not establish a selected process or feedstock, printability, achieved geometry, tolerance, strength, density, surface condition, support-removal result, post-processing result, inspection decision, fulfillment route, or capability.
3D printing request review
Select a review feature to see the details that help clarify the request.
Define the requested build direction and orientation convention, critical or cosmetic faces to protect, support or raft locations, removal access, support-contact limits, and any surfaces that must remain free of contact marks.
Helpful additive detail
Connect the requested orientation to the controlling coordinate convention, then identify every support or raft region, protected face, contact limit, and removal-access boundary.
Capabilities
These examples organize caller-defined inputs. File authority, process and material fit, achievable geometry and property state, build and support strategy, post-processing, inspection and record scope, fulfillment, availability, and timing are confirmed from the project files before acceptance.
Requests organized from the controlled solid model, mesh, drawing and revision; units and scale; intended use and decision point; mating assembly or envelope; critical and cosmetic features; material, colour and property requirements; free or installed condition; quantity; timing; and the acceptance state defined by the caller.
Requests organized from any prescribed process family, material and feedstock definition, part and build coordinate convention, build direction, layer or property direction, orientation, support or raft locations, contact restrictions, removal access, overhangs, trapped-material risk, drain and escape paths, powder or resin removal, cure access where relevant, and surfaces that remain protected.
Requests organized from nominal and minimum-controlled feature geometry, transitions, openings, cavities and internal channels; clearances and fits; mating components and datums; thread definition; insert and hardware identity, installation and access; as-built or post-processed allowance; secondary machining or finishing stock; inspection access; and acceptance criteria.
Requests organized from the required acceptance state, support-contact and layer-texture boundaries, visible and cosmetic faces, protected surfaces, cleaning or residue limits, support removal, curing, heat treatment, machining, smoothing, coating or other caller-defined post-processing, insert or hardware installation, assembly interfaces, datum and measurement condition, inspection or test coverage, acceptance and rejection criteria, identification, requested record fields, preservation, and packaging.
Quote workflow
A short, human-managed review keeps intended use, model authority, material and property requirements, build and support constraints, critical features, final state, inspection, acceptance, and open questions visible before work is accepted.
Upload the controlling solid model or mesh, drawing and revision, units and scale, intended use, material and property requirements, any prescribed process family, build orientation and support constraints, critical features and interfaces, post-processing and final-state requirements, inspection and acceptance criteria, requested records, quantity, and timing.
File precedence, solid or tessellated representation, mesh and repair status, units, scale and coordinates, material and feedstock definition, substitution authority, process constraints, build and layer direction, orientation, supports, contacts, removal access, internal-material escape, feature geometry, interfaces, allowances, and design-authority questions are organized for follow-up.
Process and material fit, achievable feature and property requirements, support and removal strategy, surface and cosmetic boundaries, secondary operations, inserts and assembly, inspection method and measurement state, test and acceptance criteria, requested records, preservation, packaging, fulfillment, timing, and unresolved dependencies are reviewed before acceptance.
Once a request is accepted, the controlled files and revision, units and scale, intended use, material and feedstock, prescribed process and property boundaries, build orientation and support plan, critical features and interfaces, allowances, post-processing sequence, final acceptance state, inspection and test criteria, requested records, quantity, timing, and authorized changes become the reference point for project communication.
Request readiness
Clear digital definition, intended use, build constraints, feature intent, and acceptance state are more useful than assuming a process, material, orientation, universal design rule, property, or finished result.
Identify the controlling STEP or STP model, STL or 3MF mesh when relevant, drawing and revision, file units and scale, coordinate system, quantity, and precedence rule. State whether the mesh is authoritative or derived and how an updated solid model should propagate to downstream data.
For tessellated data, identify known open edges, intersections, reversed faces, separate shells, intended cavities, thin regions or prior repairs when relevant. Say whether a closed or manifold mesh is required for the prescribed path and whether repair, remeshing, tessellation changes, scaling, shell merging or geometry deviation may be proposed.
State whether the request supports appearance, form, fit, ergonomic, fixture, functional, environmental or other caller-defined evaluation; then identify exact material or polymer system, feedstock and colour, mechanical, thermal, chemical, ultraviolet, flame, electrical or ESD property requirements, property direction and condition, test basis, substitution authority, and who owns design acceptance.
Define the coordinate and orientation convention, build direction and any prescribed orientation, critical and cosmetic faces, layer or directional-property boundaries, support or raft zones, prohibited contacts, witness or contact limits, removal method and tool access, and process-relevant powder, resin, trapped-material, drain, escape or cure-access needs.
Identify controlled walls, ribs, bosses, pins, holes, slots, channels, cavities and transitions; mating datums, clearance and fit; threads, inserts and hardware; inaccessible internal features; free or assembled condition; machining, drilling, tapping, smoothing, coating or finishing allowance; protected surfaces; and the sequence connecting the additive state to later operations.
State whether each requirement applies as built, support removed, cleaned, cured, heat treated, machined, coated, assembled, free, restrained or otherwise conditioned; then define datums and support, inspection or test method, locations and coverage, critical dimensions and tolerances, surface and cosmetic criteria, acceptance and rejection criteria, nonconformance instruction, requested record fields, preservation, packaging, and handling restrictions.
Materials
These links organize material requirements; they do not establish that an additive process, feedstock, grade, property state, or quantity is available. Exact material identity, process pairing, feedstock and supplied-material status, directional and environmental property requirements, build and support constraints, post-processing, inspection, acceptance, and substitution rules are confirmed for each project.
Polymer prototype, form, fit, fixture, housing, bracket, duct, cover and interface requests where the exact thermoplastic, photopolymer or other polymer system, grade, reinforcement or fill, colour, feedstock, required property state, build and layer direction, supports, wall and feature intent, trapped-material or drain constraints, surface and post-processing, inspection, and acceptance need review.
Thermoplastic · photopolymer · filled-polymer contexts
View materialLightweight bracket, housing, manifold, fixture, heat-transfer, mount and interface requests where alloy and temper, feedstock definition, supplied-material status, property direction and condition, support and removal strategy, walls and internal channels, machining allowance, heat treatment, surface, inspection, test, requested records, and acceptance state need review.
Alloy · temper · feedstock · post-process context
View materialBracket, housing, tooling, manifold, fixture and interface requests where exact grade and condition, feedstock requirements, directional properties, supports and removal, trapped-material escape, heat treatment, machining, surface and protected regions, inspection or test method, acceptance, identification, and requested record boundaries need review.
Grade · condition · feedstock · surface context
View materialCobalt-alloy component and tooling requests where the exact alloy system, feedstock and supplied-material status, directional mechanical and thermal property requirements, build and support constraints, heat-treatment and machining sequence, surface and protected features, inspection or test method, acceptance criteria, identification, and requested record fields need review.
Alloy system · feedstock · property · finish context
View materialRelated
Use these pages to organize adjacent tooling, machining, finishing, assembly, inspection, coating, and application requirements. A related route does not confirm a combined process plan, achieved property or geometry, accepted part, record package, availability, or fulfillment path.
Review a separate molding request when the intended production definition, resin and property requirements, draft, walls and transitions, ribs and bosses, parting and ejection boundaries, inserts, cosmetic surfaces, tooling, inspection, and acceptance need to be compared with or developed beyond an additive request.
Review machined datum, interface, thread, bore, sealing, contact and finish features; additive-to-machined allowance; workholding and access; intermediate condition; material and heat-treatment state; inspection; acceptance; and sequence for a hybrid or follow-on request.
Review support-contact cleanup, surface preparation, finish and masking, inserts and hardware, adhesive or retention, mating interfaces, finishing and assembly sequence, final condition, inspection, preservation, packaging, and requested records around an additive part.
Review complex exterior or internal feature access, datum and support scheme, free or restrained state, critical dimensions and tolerances, surface or layer-texture requirements, method, locations, coverage, acceptance and rejection criteria, test boundaries, and requested record fields.
Review substrate and incoming state, preparation, exact coating or finish definition, support-contact and layer-texture condition, coated and coating-free zones, interfaces and threads, allowance intent, colour and cosmetic surfaces, inspection, acceptance, and protected handling.
See request contexts for concept, appearance, form, fit, ergonomic, housing, cover, bracket, interface and assembly studies where material, colour, cosmetic zones, handling, test, acceptance and program-eligibility requirements need definition without implying current program support.
FAQ
Start with a private STEP or STP solid model, STL or 3MF mesh when relevant, PDF drawing, or written project description. Add the controlling revision, units and scale, intended use, quantity, material and property requirements, any prescribed process family, build-orientation and support constraints, critical features and interfaces, final condition, post-processing, inspection and acceptance criteria, requested records, and timing. Select Additive manufacturing in the optional Process field when useful.
Identify which file and revision governs geometry, units, scale and coordinates; whether a mesh is authoritative or derived; its known tessellation, shell, closure and repair status; whether repair or geometry changes are authorized; and how drawing dimensions, tolerances, surface notes and acceptance requirements take precedence. Do not assume every mesh needs the same repair rule or that an exported mesh supersedes the solid model.
Name the exact material or polymer system, grade, feedstock and colour, required property state and direction, environmental boundaries, any prescribed process family, substitution authority, coordinate and orientation convention, build and layer direction, supports or raft, prohibited contact regions, removal method and access, cosmetic and critical faces, and process-relevant trapped-material, drain, escape, powder, resin or cure constraints. Process and material fit are confirmed from the complete request.
Dimension controlled walls, ribs, bosses, pins, holes, slots, channels, cavities and transitions; identify inaccessible or trapped-material regions; define mating datums, clearance, fit and assembled condition; specify thread form and inspection intent; provide insert and hardware identity, installation direction and access; and state any as-built, support-removed, machined, coated or other allowance and secondary-operation sequence.
Inspection and documentation requirements can be reviewed during quoting. No certification or report package is implied until confirmed.
Requests are reviewed manually. The fulfillment route and availability are confirmed before acceptance.
Start with the files you have
Share the controlled solid model or mesh, drawing and revision, units and scale, intended use, material and property requirements, build-orientation and support constraints, critical features and interfaces, final acceptance state, post-processing, inspection and acceptance criteria, preservation and packaging notes, requested records, quantity, and timing. Pearson will follow up on the details that still need confirmation.
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