3D Printing Options

Find the right 3D printer for your job.

3D Printing with FabLab

FabLab offers two options for 3D printing: HP Jet Fusion (captures very fine detail, does not require supports, but more expensive) and SLA Resin printing (captures fine detail, requires supports, more affordable). To 3D print with us, you'll need to nest your closed polysurfaces or meshes within the print volume of your chosen machine in our Rhino template. Two examples are shown below:

Left/Centre: 3D geometry is nested within the resin print volumes. Right: 3D geometry is nested within the HP print volume

Download 3D Printing Template file here:

266KB

2024_Fablab_3Dprint_template-Rhino5.3dm

Compare Printers

FDM (Makerbot) 3D printing is offered at the NExT Lab, not the Fab Lab.

HP Jet Fusion

Outcome Examples

Printer Parameters

​Title	​Title
Pros	Strong & flexible, great for end use and delicate parts Full colour printing for vibrant models Great value for printing many parts as cost based on overall print height
Cons	Cost by height can mean small prints can be expensive Thin and flat parts may warp Base material is blue-ish white Surface finish rough Small parts may get lost during post-processing
Print Material	HP 3D High Reusability CB PA 12 (Thermoplastic)
Build Area	332 W x 190 D x 248 H (mm)
Supports Needed	No
Resolution	Fine detail and high dimensional accuracy
Surface Finish	Textured
Colour	Full colour, Black or White
Strength	Engineering grade parts
Cost	$$$ Use the price estimation tool on our job submission platform to get an idea of the cost of your job

Resin

Outcome Examples

Printer Parameters

​Title	​Title
Pros	Wide variety of materials including clear + coloured resins, and engineering materials Smoothest surface finish - can print down to 0.025mm layer height Able to print tight tollerance parts due to high resolution of printer Great for small, intricate parts
Cons	Printing method requires support material Smaller print volume than other printers Resin is relatively expensive compared to other technologies
Print Material	Resin
Build Area	145 W x 145 D x 185 H (mm)
Supports Needed	Yes
Resolution	High level of detail and accuracy
Surface Finish	Smooth
Colour	Black, Cool Grey, White or Clear*
Strength	Durable
Cost	$ (0.30 x Print Volume (cm3)) Colours
	$ (0.60 x Print Volume (cm3)) Clear

FDM (NExt Lab)

Outcome Example FDM vs Resin

Pros & Cons

Title	​Title
Pros	Fastest option Cheapest option Many colours to choose from
Cons	Low resolution Layers evident Supports can be difficult to remove
Print Material	PLA (Polylactic Acid)
Build Area	Replicator+ : 295 W x 195 D x 165 H (mm) Replicator Z18 : 300 W x 305mm D x 457mm H (mm)
Supports Needed	Yes
Resolution	Low level of detail
Surface Finish	Textured, layers evident
Colour	Full Colour or White (off-white after curing)
Strength	Durable
Cost	$ ($0.15 per gram)

Once you have chosen the right printer for your job, you can use the Quick Start Guide to prepare and submit your file:

pageHP Jet Fusion GuidepageResin Guide