Question 1

How much does 3D printing cost in Portland?

Accepted Answer

Filament (FDM) jobs start at $25, resin (MSLA) at $40, and custom jobs at $100 - most orders land between $25 and $500. We're small-batch only, not a print farm, so you get a real per-job quote rather than a per-gram vending price. If a file needs heavier modeling work (repairing non-manifold geometry, remeshing, designing from scratch) it's $75/hr with a 1-hour minimum, always quoted before we start. Full detail is on the 3D printing pricing page.

Question 2

Can I get a 3D print made locally in Portland instead of ordering online?

Accepted Answer

Yes - that's exactly what we do. We're based in the Portland area, so you get local turnaround and can arrange pickup instead of waiting on cross-country shipping. We also ship if that's easier. Send your STL (or a photo or sketch if you don't have a file yet) and we'll quote it.

Question 3

What's the difference between resin and filament?

Accepted Answer

Filament (FDM) prints by laying down melted plastic in lines, layer by layer. It's strong, cheap per part, great for functional shapes - brackets, mounts, jigs, replacement parts. Resin (MSLA) cures liquid photopolymer with UV light, giving much finer surface detail than filament can. Resin wins for miniatures, jewelry blanks, and parts where detail matters. Filament wins for parts where strength and cost matter. We do both and will steer you to whichever fits the job - sometimes a hybrid of both is the right call.

Question 4

How long does a print take?

Accepted Answer

Depends entirely on the part. A small bracket might print in 90 minutes; a fully detailed 75mm miniature can take 8–14 hours; a small batch of 12 organizers might run overnight twice. Turnaround for delivery - Quick Print parts in 48–72hr, Custom Jobs in 1–2 weeks, Resin Detail prints in 3–5 business days because of the wash + cure step. We commit to a date with the quote.

Question 5

Can you print my own STL file?

Accepted Answer

Yes. STL, OBJ, and 3MF are all preferred. Drop the file in the email reply after we acknowledge your quote request. If your model needs supports (resin) we'll either use yours or re-support it for our slicer - your call. We don't redistribute or resell your file.

Question 6

Do you do post-processing?

Accepted Answer

Filament prints get supports removed and a light cleanup pass included. Resin prints get IPA washed, UV cured, and supports removed and cleaned - that's baseline, never raw off the build plate. Heavier post-processing - sanding, smoothing, primer, paint, dyeing, mounting hardware - is quoted on top. Ask in the request and we'll include a line item.

Question 7

What materials do you have?

Accepted Answer

Filament: PLA and PETG today. Resin: standard gray or white resin today, with specialty options (tough, clear, castable) available on request. If you need something we don't stock, ask - we'll quote a small spool purchase or refer you out.

Question 8

Can you do food-safe prints?

Accepted Answer

No. Standard FDM prints have layer lines that trap bacteria, and no consumer-grade filament we use is certified food-safe even before that issue. For anything that touches food long-term, we'll send you to an injection-molded solution. We can print one-off tools (cookie cutters with a stenciled icing layer, jigs that don't touch the food directly) if you accept those limits.

Question 9

What about copyrighted models?

Accepted Answer

We won't print known copyrighted IP - Marvel/Disney/Star Wars figures and the like - even if you bought the STL on a platform that resold it without rights. We will print fan-art models from creators with personal-use licenses that you actually purchased, and original commissions, and any model you designed or have rights to. If it's a gray area, we'll ask.

Question 10

Do you do small batches?

Accepted Answer

Yes - up to 20 identical units per job. Above that we're firmly not the right vendor; that's farm or injection-mold territory. For 5–20 units we drop the per-part price and offer 'Custom Job' pricing that quotes the whole run. Mixing sizes/colors in a run is fine.

Question 11

Why not a print farm?

Accepted Answer

Print farms make money on volume and quick turnover. That means tight schedules, less attention to each part, and shipping every print across the country. We made a deliberate call to stay small: one job at a time gets attention, failures get reprinted, finish work gets done, and you can pick up the part locally - or have it shipped anywhere in the US, insured and tracked. If you need 200 identical brackets, we're not your shop. If you need 5 brackets that fit properly, we are.

Question 12

What's your file format requirements?

Accepted Answer

STL, OBJ, or 3MF preferred - those carry the geometry cleanly. We can also accept STEP for engineering parts (we'll mesh it on our side). We don't accept native CAD (Fusion, Solidworks, Onshape) directly - export to STL or STEP first. If you have a sketch or photo and no model, we can model simple geometry for an extra modeling fee quoted in the proposal.

Question 13

Do you ship?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Local pickup or drop-off across Portland and surrounding cities is the default and what the pricing assumes. We also ship anywhere in the US - insured and tracked, billed at carrier cost with no markup. International is case-by-case.

Question 14

Do you do hardware assembly or finishing?

Accepted Answer

For prints that need bolts, magnets, threaded inserts, or simple bonded assembly - yes, quoted per job. For full painted finish work (priming, base-coating, weathering on miniatures) we can either rough-prime or refer you to a local painter we trust. Ask in the quote.

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