FDM and resin 3D printing
3Descu is one of the largest 3D printing factories in Eastern Europe, with 200+ printers across two processes. FDM extrudes filament and makes functional parts in engineering plastics at any size up to 500 x 500 x 500 mm. Resin cures liquid photopolymer and makes small parts with detail no nozzle can reach. Almost every part is obviously one or the other once the question is asked correctly.
Get an instant price Both processes are priced in the same calculator.
FDM 3D printing service
FDM builds a part by laying molten plastic filament down in layers through a moving nozzle. It is the process behind almost every functional printed part, because it runs in real engineering plastics and scales to large geometry and to hundreds of pieces. It trades surface finish for strength, cost and size against resin printing.
Resin 3D printing service
Resin printing cures liquid photopolymer with light, one thin layer at a time, against a build plate that rises out of a vat. It resolves detail an extrusion nozzle cannot reach, and it leaves a surface that needs no finishing to look moulded. It is limited by build volume and by the brittleness of cured photopolymer.
Which one for a given part
| If the part | Process |
|---|---|
| has to take load, heat or repeated use | FDM |
| is larger than 300 x 250 x 250 mm | FDM |
| is needed in more than a handful of pieces | FDM |
| has surface detail finer than a 0.42 mm nozzle can lay down | Resin |
| has to look moulded with no finishing | Resin |
| is a master for casting | Resin |
And what is not run here
Powder processes, metal printing and moulding are not done in this building. CNC machining is not printed here either, but it is available on request through our partner network. What we do not print covers what each of them is genuinely better at, where a filament part covers the same job anyway, and how to send a drawing for CNC machining on request.
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