MistakenMexican
Members
- Sep 27, 2020
- 485
- 549
Hi all,
I’ve had a few messages over the last 2 weeks originating from AF-UK regarding 3D printing. So I thought I’d make a post to outline the service I offer. Saves me repeating myself a few times.
Firstly, I don’t do this as a business. What I charge is to cover my costs. I’m just one guy who’s using this as an excuse to subsidise my own learning.
Secondly, if you want me to do a print then I’ll require the CAD file. Normally in STL or 3MF. You normally get one or both of these when you buy the file from the vendor. Personally I’ll avoid buying the file as the majority of the licenses for these files are personal use only... which is obviously not what I’m doing if I’m buying the file for a customer. Most of these websites won’t let me buy the same file twice, so I can’t pay the designer their dues if more than one customer orders the same thing from me.
There are exceptions… I have royalty agreements with designers such as firewad, and the royalties are built into the price.
Lastly, If you want me to CAD and print something for you I charge the CAD work at £15/hr. Typically I need something to work off, so people have sent me their guns, broken bits or accessories to build the model off. Given the nature of the work, I can’t guarantee the cost of the CAD work or the print cost. But I’ll try my best to work within a budget.
How it works:
- find the file you want
- send me the file via WhatsApp or email
- tell me what material you want. If not, I can suggest the material based on your use case.
- I’ll send you a firm quote
- pay the quote via PayPal or BACS
- if it’s a big print, I’ll send you photos and updates.
- I’ll email or text you the tracking as soon as it’s packaged.
- I’ll post (typically RM48) and you should get it 2 days later.
I typically have a 1-2 week backlog. But if it’s a small print, I can usually squeeze that into change over periods. So smaller jobs might get done quicker.
It’s not happened yet, but if you weren’t to receive the parcel, it’s full tracked so you’ll get your money back (or a reprint) as soon as it’s declared lost.
Costs:
Typically I’ll charge material + electricity.
If it’s a risky print or complex material, I might charge a bit of risk. Sometimes 50%. Sometimes 100% in cases where a failure would result in restarting the print from scratch. I’ve only had to do this a couple of times… but it’s worth mentioning and I’ll tell you that’s the case.
I can print in a variety of materials from PLA and PETG (multicolour) to TPU or even engineering materials such as PA6-CF. The cost can increase dramatically as black PLA I can get in bulk for £10/kg…. Where as some flavours of PPS-CF can be £230/kg. Most of the engineering materials only come in black or awful shades of pastel colours, so I don’t offer the engineering materials in multi colour.
Bear in mind that if you want a multicolour print, generally the cost increases by a factor of the number of colours. I.e 3 colours is 3x more than 1 colour. This is due to wastage and time. I’m looking at a tool head changer but presently my single print head printer will waste a lot of time and material on the multicolour prints.
I do some of my own designs such as pistol stands, kill flashes and Odin adapters. These are all pre-priced based on the cost to print and my developments.
For example, a pistol stand is typically £9 plus postage. Killflashes are typically £5 for 5 plus postage.
My terms and conditions:
I hold no responsibility for the file provided working. Where possible, I’ll test it. But ultimately if it doesn’t work, I’m not responsible. By the same measure, if there’s a workmanship fault in my printing I will offer a reprint or refund of the work.
I don’t offer any warranty on my stuff, mostly to keep prices as low as possible and again, because I’m not a business. However, I do try to keep people happy. On the occasions that people have broken stuff and copped for it, I’ll do my best to find a middle ground where everyone is happy and no one is penniless
for example, where’s a few bits of the firewad kit that often get broken in installation, I’ll happily reprint those for free as long as the culprit cops for it and pays postage.
I’ll try and make things right where I can, but I can’t fix someone else’s CAD file or design a gadget based on blurry photos and measurements taken from a tape measure.
I’ve attached some examples of my prints. I’ve also got a few customers who will vouch for my work.
If you need stuff done, feel free to message me on here and I can give you my phone number or email address.
Some of the photos rotated so I’ve deleted them, but I can provide more photos if you contact me directly.
I’ve had a few messages over the last 2 weeks originating from AF-UK regarding 3D printing. So I thought I’d make a post to outline the service I offer. Saves me repeating myself a few times.
Firstly, I don’t do this as a business. What I charge is to cover my costs. I’m just one guy who’s using this as an excuse to subsidise my own learning.
Secondly, if you want me to do a print then I’ll require the CAD file. Normally in STL or 3MF. You normally get one or both of these when you buy the file from the vendor. Personally I’ll avoid buying the file as the majority of the licenses for these files are personal use only... which is obviously not what I’m doing if I’m buying the file for a customer. Most of these websites won’t let me buy the same file twice, so I can’t pay the designer their dues if more than one customer orders the same thing from me.
There are exceptions… I have royalty agreements with designers such as firewad, and the royalties are built into the price.
Lastly, If you want me to CAD and print something for you I charge the CAD work at £15/hr. Typically I need something to work off, so people have sent me their guns, broken bits or accessories to build the model off. Given the nature of the work, I can’t guarantee the cost of the CAD work or the print cost. But I’ll try my best to work within a budget.
How it works:
- find the file you want
- send me the file via WhatsApp or email
- tell me what material you want. If not, I can suggest the material based on your use case.
- I’ll send you a firm quote
- pay the quote via PayPal or BACS
- if it’s a big print, I’ll send you photos and updates.
- I’ll email or text you the tracking as soon as it’s packaged.
- I’ll post (typically RM48) and you should get it 2 days later.
I typically have a 1-2 week backlog. But if it’s a small print, I can usually squeeze that into change over periods. So smaller jobs might get done quicker.
It’s not happened yet, but if you weren’t to receive the parcel, it’s full tracked so you’ll get your money back (or a reprint) as soon as it’s declared lost.
Costs:
Typically I’ll charge material + electricity.
If it’s a risky print or complex material, I might charge a bit of risk. Sometimes 50%. Sometimes 100% in cases where a failure would result in restarting the print from scratch. I’ve only had to do this a couple of times… but it’s worth mentioning and I’ll tell you that’s the case.
I can print in a variety of materials from PLA and PETG (multicolour) to TPU or even engineering materials such as PA6-CF. The cost can increase dramatically as black PLA I can get in bulk for £10/kg…. Where as some flavours of PPS-CF can be £230/kg. Most of the engineering materials only come in black or awful shades of pastel colours, so I don’t offer the engineering materials in multi colour.
Bear in mind that if you want a multicolour print, generally the cost increases by a factor of the number of colours. I.e 3 colours is 3x more than 1 colour. This is due to wastage and time. I’m looking at a tool head changer but presently my single print head printer will waste a lot of time and material on the multicolour prints.
I do some of my own designs such as pistol stands, kill flashes and Odin adapters. These are all pre-priced based on the cost to print and my developments.
For example, a pistol stand is typically £9 plus postage. Killflashes are typically £5 for 5 plus postage.
My terms and conditions:
I hold no responsibility for the file provided working. Where possible, I’ll test it. But ultimately if it doesn’t work, I’m not responsible. By the same measure, if there’s a workmanship fault in my printing I will offer a reprint or refund of the work.
I don’t offer any warranty on my stuff, mostly to keep prices as low as possible and again, because I’m not a business. However, I do try to keep people happy. On the occasions that people have broken stuff and copped for it, I’ll do my best to find a middle ground where everyone is happy and no one is penniless
for example, where’s a few bits of the firewad kit that often get broken in installation, I’ll happily reprint those for free as long as the culprit cops for it and pays postage.I’ll try and make things right where I can, but I can’t fix someone else’s CAD file or design a gadget based on blurry photos and measurements taken from a tape measure.
I’ve attached some examples of my prints. I’ve also got a few customers who will vouch for my work.
If you need stuff done, feel free to message me on here and I can give you my phone number or email address.
Some of the photos rotated so I’ve deleted them, but I can provide more photos if you contact me directly.
Last edited:
