How 3D Printing Works: Settings and Price

01 · TECHNIQUEWhat is FDM printing?

Everything we make is printed with FDM, short for fused deposition modelling. It is the most common kind of 3D printing and the best fit for strong parts you actually use.

It works a bit like a very precise hot glue gun. A thin thread of plastic, called filament, comes off a spool and is pushed into a hot nozzle, where it melts. The printer moves the nozzle and lays the melted plastic down in thin lines, one layer at a time. Each layer is a fraction of a millimetre thick and melts onto the one below, so a part a few centimetres tall is built from hundreds of layers.

Inside a hotendHover a part

layer 3 of 10 · 215 °C · filament 2.2 mm/s

A hotend, cut in half. Cold, solid filament goes in at the top, melts in the heater block and leaves the nozzle as a thin line that builds your part layer by layer. Hover a part to see what it does.

Walls on the outside, infill on the inside

A printed part is rarely solid plastic. The printer first draws a few solid outlines, the walls, and closes the top and bottom with solid layers. Inside, it prints a light pattern called infill. That keeps the part strong where it matters while saving plastic, weight and print time. It is also why the walls and infill you pick change the price.

Good to know

Layer lines show. Every FDM print has fine lines along its sides. Thinner layers make them smaller, and matte and darker colours hide them best.
Strongest along the layers. A part is stronger along its layers than across them, a bit like the grain in wood. That is why we decide how every part lies on the print plate: flat side down, with the layers where they make it strongest.
Overhangs need support. Plastic can't be printed in mid-air. Where a part hangs out at more than about 45 degrees, the printer builds a thin support underneath, which we remove by hand. The surface can be a little rougher there.
Made for real use. The plastics we print are the same kinds used in everyday products, so parts can be screwed down, clipped on, dropped and used outdoors.

02 · PRINTERSWhy we print on Bambu Lab

We print everything on Bambu Lab printers because they give the same clean result print after print. That is what lets us show a fair price in seconds and ship your part in as little as 24 hours.

They calibrate themselves

Before a print starts, the printer checks and levels the print plate on its own. The first layer, which decides whether a print turns out well, comes out right every time.

Fast without getting sloppy

They measure their own vibrations and cancel them out, so they can print fast and still keep sharp corners and clean surfaces.

A price you can trust

Because every print comes out the same, we could tune our price calculator against real slices of real parts in Bambu Studio, the software that runs the printers. The price you see is close to what your part really takes to print.

Ready for tough materials

Carbon and glass fibre are hard on ordinary nozzles, so we print them with hardened nozzles made for the job. Materials that soak up damp from the air, like nylon, are dried before they go on the printer.

03 · SETTINGSLayer heights, walls and infill

Every part starts on our recommended settings, so you never have to touch them. If you want to fine-tune, this is what they do.

Fine · 0.12 mmSmoothest, slowest

Standard · 0.20 mmOur default

Rough · 0.28 mmFastest, visible layer lines

Layer height

Parts are printed in thin layers. Fine (0.12 mm) gives the smoothest sides and finest detail but takes longest. Standard (0.20 mm) suits most parts. Rough (0.28 mm) is fastest and cheapest, with visible layer lines. Pick Fine for small, detailed parts and curved surfaces you look at up close, and Rough for big, simple parts where price matters more than looks.

Strength

How solid we print the part. Standard suits almost everything. Strong uses more walls and fuller insides for parts that hold weight, get screwed down or take knocks.

LightFor looks and light use · 2 walls, 10 % infill
StandardEveryday use. Our default · 2 walls, 20 % infill
StrongCarries weight or takes knocks · 4 walls, 30 % infill

Walls

The solid outer shell, counted in lines (each about 0.4 mm). Walls give most of the strength. 2 is standard; 3–4 for screw holes, clips and parts under load.

Infill

How full the inside is. 20 % is standard. More infill makes a part heavier and harder to crush, but walls matter more for strength.

Infill pattern

The shape of the structure inside the part. It changes strength, print time and price a little. Grid suits most parts; Gyroid is the strongest all-round.

GridStraight lines crossing in a square grid, a few layers at a time. Prints fast and gives solid, even strength. Our default, and right for most parts.

GyroidSmooth, wavy walls that twist through the whole part. Just as strong in every direction and springy under impact. Great for clips, holders and anything that gets dropped.

HoneycombHexagon cells stacked straight up, like a beehive. Very stiff and hard to crush, but the slowest to print. For parts that carry weight.

CubicTilted cubes stacked on their corners, so the strength runs in all three directions. About as fast as Grid. Good for brackets and boxes.

LightningThin branches that grow only where the top surface needs holding up, so the inside stays mostly empty. Fastest and cheapest, but weak. For decorations and models only.

Orientation

We print every part in its strongest, cleanest orientation. Need a specific one? Email us with your order number and tell us how.

Scale

Make the whole part bigger or smaller, from 5 % to 500 %. 100 % is the size in your file. Size and price update as you go.

04 · PRICEHow the price is made

What you pay for

Three things: a small fixed amount for preparing and finishing each part, the plastic it uses and the time it spends on the printer. Engineering materials cost more, because the plastic is dearer and prints slower. On the custom parts page, How we got this price shows the whole sum.

Material extra

Some materials take extra work, so they add a small fixed amount to every part. PLA adds nothing.

PETG +1 krA little stringing to clean up
ABS +5 krHeated chamber, warping risk and fumes
TPU +5 krSlow and fussy to print, more failed prints
Nylon +8 krDried for hours before printing
Carbon fibre +12 krDried first, and the fibres wear the nozzle the most
Glass fibre +10 krDried first, and the fibres wear the nozzle

Handling

39 kr once per order, for checking your files, setting up the prints and packing. It is not per part: order three different parts and you still pay it once.

Quantity

Order more and each part costs less: −5 % from 2 parts, −10 % from 5, −20 % from 10 and −25 % at 25. Small parts get the full discount because many fit on one print plate; big parts get a little less. Handling is paid once per order.

2 parts−5 % on the printing
5 parts−10 % on the printing
10 parts−20 % on the printing
25 parts−25 % on the printing

Shipping

We weigh your parts and screws and pick the smallest package they fit in. Over 4.5 kg? Email us and we'll arrange the shipping. Express moves your order to the front of the queue.

Letterup to 35 g · 25 kr
Smallup to 200 g · 49 kr
Mediumup to 400 g · 69 kr
Largeup to 800 g · 89 kr
Extra largeup to 2.6 kg · 149 kr
Heavyup to 4.5 kg · 199 kr
Express+149 kr, packed and sent first

A set or something special?

Several different parts, a whole set or something out of the ordinary: email us and we send a quote within the day.

Picking a material? See our seven materials and how to choose.

Getting a file ready? Read How to get a good print on our blog.

Have a file? You'll see the price in seconds.Upload a file