For your convenience, our most common customer questions are answered right here.

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FAQ

Q: What is 3D printing?

A: 3D printing is a manufacturing technology that lets you create solid three-dimensional objects from digital models. 3D prints are created by adding layers of material on top of each other – a process otherwise known as “additive manufacturing.”

You can think of a 3D printer as a micro-factory that can help you produce a variety of products in a fast and environmentally-friendly way. Keep an eye on our blog for product samples and 3D printing ideas!

Q: How long does a 3D print take?

A:It depends on the size and complexity of the print, and also on your chosen layer height. A finer, higher resolution print will take much longer, but will look very much smoother.

Q: Where can I download printable models?

A: There are many resources for 3d printable files for more information and links to sites that include free files to actual pay for file sites, see the list of webpages here at  Free Stl files/Models.

Q: How much does it cost?

A:You can find up to the minute pricing on our Free no obligation estimate page.

 

Q: What file formats can I use to upload my 3D files ?

A:The site can handle a large number of formats. The table below summarize the features that are supported for each format.

Format 3D Geometry Colors Textures
STL Yes No No
OBJ (Wavefront) Yes Yes1 Yes1,2
3DM (Rhino) Yes Yes Yes
3DS (3D Studio) Yes Yes Yes2
3MF Yes Yes Yes
AC3D Yes Yes Yes2
ASE (3D Studio) Yes No No
.CATPART Yes Yes No
.CATPRODUCT Yes Yes No
.CGR Yes Yes Yes
COB (TrueSpace) Yes Yes No
DAE (Collada) Yes Yes Yes2
DXF4 (AutoCAD) Yes Yes No
IGES / IGS Yes No No
KMZ (Google Earth) Yes Yes Yes
LWO (LightWave) Yes Yes Yes2
MD2/MD3 (Quake) Yes No No
OFF Yes No No
PLY (Standford) Yes Yes No
PRC Yes Yes Yes
Q3O (Quick3D) Yes Yes Yes
RAR3 Yes Yes Yes
SAT Yes Yes No
SCAD (OpenSCAD) Yes No No
SKP (Sketchup) Yes Yes Yes
SLDPRT Yes Yes No
SLDASM Yes Yes No
STEP (ISO 10303) Yes No No
TGZ3 Yes Yes Yes
U3D Yes Yes No
VRML Yes Yes Yes2
.X_T (Parasolid) Yes Yes No
ZIP3 Yes Yes Yes

1Feature is supported if the associated MTL file is provided. Put the OBJ file, MTL file and textures in a single ZIP file.
2Feature is supported if the associated texture files are provided. Put the model file and texture files in a single ZIP file.
3An archive containing any supported 3D file, textures and possibly colours (ensures colours and textures are correctly uploaded to the site)
4Up to Release 12 version of the format.