Question 1

What file formats do you accept?

Accepted Answer

STL, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, and STEP/STP. STL is the most common, most CAD tools (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Onshape, Blender, TinkerCAD) export it directly. STEP is preferred when you have it; it preserves precise geometry.

Question 2

What units should my file be in?

Accepted Answer

Millimetres. Most CAD tools default to mm, but if you're working in inches, export in mm or use the Scale dropdown on each part to override after upload.

Question 3

How big can each file be?

Accepted Answer

Up to 200 MB per file. If your part is larger, simplify the mesh in Meshmixer or Blender before exporting, most STLs only need 5-20 MB to print perfectly.

Question 4

Do I need to design supports?

Accepted Answer

No. Our slicer adds supports automatically. If you have a strong preference for orientation, let us know in the order notes and we'll honour it where physically possible.

Question 5

What's the build volume?

Accepted Answer

256 × 256 × 256 mm per part. Larger parts can be split, our engineers will suggest split lines during review where helpful.

Question 6

Which material should I pick?

Accepted Answer

PLA for display and prototypes, PETG for everyday functional parts, ABS or ASA for heat resistance (ASA outdoors), TPU for flexible parts, Nylon for load-bearing mechanical parts. The Materials page has full guidance with use cases.

Question 7

Can I match a specific Pantone or RAL colour?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly, we stock a fixed colour range per material. We can match "close to" most common colours; tell us your target and we'll suggest the nearest stocked option.

Question 8

Are your prints food-safe?

Accepted Answer

The base materials (PLA, PETG) are food-safe, but FDM-printed parts have surface layer lines that can harbour bacteria. We don't certify any prints as food-contact-safe. For one-off, hand-washed display use it's fine; for utensils or food storage, consider a food-safe coating.

Question 9

Will the colour be exactly the swatch I see?

Accepted Answer

Real prints can vary slightly from on-screen swatches due to finish and lighting. If colour is critical, request a small swatch print first, we offer this on request.

Question 10

How long until my parts ship?

Accepted Answer

Standard orders dispatch within 2-4 working days of acceptance. Rush orders dispatch the next working day after acceptance. Both are skip-the-queue offers, you'll see live estimated dispatch dates on the quote page.

Question 11

What is the rush option?

Accepted Answer

Rush moves your order to the front of our print queue and locks in next-working-day dispatch. The fee scales with how busy the shop currently is, quieter periods cost less, capped at +85% of subtotal when the queue is fully loaded.

Question 12

Do you print on weekends?

Accepted Answer

Our printers run continuously, but engineer review and dispatch happen Monday-Friday. An order placed Friday evening will be reviewed Monday morning.

Question 13

What if I miss a deadline?

Accepted Answer

Contact us within 24 hours of placing the order if you have a hard deadline, we'll either confirm we can hit it (often via rush) or refund before printing starts.

Question 14

How is pricing calculated?

Accepted Answer

By estimated print mass (volume × material density × infill) multiplied by the price per gram of your chosen material, plus a per-part setup fee. Higher-quality layer heights cost more because they take longer to print.

Question 15

Do bulk discounts apply automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes, quantity discounts are applied per part as you increase qty. The discount curve is gentle (a tenth-power), rewarding repeats without giving away the shop.

Question 16

Is there a minimum order?

Accepted Answer

£8 minimum order value. Anything below that automatically gets a small-order surcharge to bring it up to the floor.

Question 17

Are discount codes stackable?

Accepted Answer

No, one code per order. The discount applies to the parts subtotal, before shipping and any rush fee.

Question 18

When are you charged?

Accepted Answer

Your card is authorised at checkout but not charged until an engineer accepts your order. If we reject a part as unprintable or refund before dispatch, no charge happens.

Question 19

Where do you ship?

Accepted Answer

United Kingdom by default via Royal Mail Tracked 24/48 and Special Delivery. International tracked shipping is available at checkout for most countries.

Question 20

Will I get a tracking number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As soon as your parcel is despatched you'll receive an email with the Royal Mail (or chosen carrier) tracking number. The same number appears on your order page.

Question 21

Can you ship to a different address than my billing address?

Accepted Answer

Yes, checkout has separate shipping and billing fields, both with postcode lookup.

Question 22

What if my parcel doesn't arrive?

Accepted Answer

If tracking shows no movement for 5+ working days (10 for international), contact us and we'll open a claim with the carrier. We reprint at no charge for parcels confirmed lost in transit.

Question 23

Who owns the parts you print?

Accepted Answer

You do. We never claim rights to anything you upload. Our IP policy spells this out in detail.

Question 24

Are my files kept confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Files are private to our engineering team, encrypted at rest in Cloudflare R2, and automatically deleted 14 days after upload. We sign NDAs on request for sensitive work.

Question 25

Do you keep copies of my parts?

Accepted Answer

Only for the 14-day quote window plus the duration of any active order. After that the model files are purged automatically, only the order metadata (specs, totals, audit trail) is retained for accounting.

Question 26

What if a part arrives damaged or wrong?

Accepted Answer

Open a reprint request from your order page within 14 days of delivery. Include photos and a short description. An engineer reviews each request and either reprints free, refunds, or explains why the part is within tolerance.

Question 27

Can I cancel after ordering?

Accepted Answer

Yes, free of charge if your order is still in "Awaiting review" or "Awaiting print". Once printing starts we can no longer cancel without charging for filament used.

Question 28

Do you guarantee tolerance?

Accepted Answer

FDM typical tolerance is ±0.3 mm or ±0.3% on parts >100 mm, whichever is larger. If you need tighter, tell us at checkout and we'll either confirm we can hit it or suggest an alternative process.

Question 29

Do you do volume / production runs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For repeat batches (50+ identical parts) contact us via the custom quote button, we usually beat the per-part price you'd see in our online quoter.

Question 30

Can I get a VAT invoice?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every order generates a UK VAT invoice attached to your account. If you need a specific PO reference on the invoice, add it in checkout notes.

Question 31

Do you sign NDAs?

Accepted Answer

Happily. Email us before uploading and we'll get an NDA in place within one working day.

Question 32

Can we set up a trade account?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for regular customers we offer net-30 invoice terms, dedicated engineer contact, and a small trade discount. Get in touch to set it up.

Frequently asked questions

File prep

Still got a question?