These are archived results from my review of 3D printing services. Some of the services are no longer available (e.g., Shapeways, 3D Hubs) or use technology that is now out of date.
Shapeways standard plastic
Shapeways plastic is my typical “go to” for getting parts made; the turn-around time is reasonable and prints are available in a variety of colors (done as a dye post-process) and finishes. It’s relatively accurate, but not quite as close as Dirty SLA. For the quality, the price is very reasonable.
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 23-Nov-2017 | $32.05 | 0.15 / 0.05 | 0.2 / 0.2 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| 0.12 ✕ -0.02 ✕ 0.10 | -0.05 ✕ -0.06 | -0.02 ✕ 0 | 0.11 ✕ 0.07 |
Form 2 Standard Resin, 50 μm
The Form-2 has high definition, but the 10mm peg still requires an extra 0.4mm to fit. I obtained this print via the (now discontinued) 3D Hubs service. This is an SLA process. The print has a slight “gummy” feel to it, making it less appropriate for prints that need to be handled a lot or put under load (indeed, one of the prints I got back was wrapped in tissue paper, which stuck to the plastic and couldn’t be completely removed).
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 1-Jan-2017 | $27.81 | 0.4 / 0.4 | 0.2 / 0.35 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| 0.5 ✕ 0.0 ✕ 0.15 | -0.27 ✕ -0.25 | 0.28 ✕ 0.24 | 0.18 ✕ 0.17 |
Flash Forge Creator Pro
This print, obtained via 3D Hubs, is probably typical of what you’d expect to get from a mid-range FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) printer you’d have at home. This was done at the 200 μM setting.
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| Feb 2018 | $31.78 | 0.4 / 0.6 | 0.5 / 0.5 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| -0.5 ✕ -0.5 ✕ -0.02 | -0.4 ✕ -0.4 | -0.07 ✕ .15 | 0.01 ✕ 0.21 |
Shapeways Steel (Gold Plated)
The same SLS process used for nylon also works for metals, and Shapeways offers a variety of metal prints in this process. For their steel prints, the gold plating wasn’t much extra, so I added it. Unfortunately, the metal tends to distort significantly, and the accuracy is less than the plastic prints. Note how the overall length shrank by 2 to 3mm in these prints. Likewise, the variations in prints can be quite high. Since the gold plating on the first print I made was off, I had Shapeways re-make it. The second print was significantly different than the first – that’s why two sets of stats are provided for this print.
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 20-Mar-2018 | $228.18 | 0.2 / 0.2 | 0.2 / 0.2 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| -2.26 ✕ 0.8 ✕ -0.15 | -0.26 ✕ -0.22 | -0.25 ✕ -0.11 | -0.10 ✕ 0.05 |
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 20-Apr-2018 | N/A | 0.4 / 0.4 ? | 0.4 / 0.4 ? |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| -2.94 ✕ -1.39 ✕ -0.25 | -0.43 ✕ -0.30 | N/A | N/A |
Shapeways Accura® Xtreme™ 200
This is very similar to Shapeway’s Accura 60 plastic above, except it has a milky white finish…and costs nearly three times as much. It is slightly more accurate, but unless you really want the white finish, I’d save the money and stick with their cheaper SLA plastic, or go with Dirty SLA.
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 20-Oct-2019 | $213.00 | 0.05 / 0.05 | 0.05 / 0.1 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| -0.11 ✕ -0.08 ✕ 0.06 | 0.01 ✕ 0 | -0.04 ✕ -0.03 | -0.02 ✕ -0.02 |
Shapeways Smooth Fine-detail Plastic
This is a smooth, well finished acrylate-based plastic produced by an SLA process. It’s mostly translucent, but I noticed some white splotches on the bottom side of the print. Shapeways also refers to this as “Accura 60”
| Print Date | Price | Fit 10mm □ / ○ | Fit 5mm □ / ○ |
| 20-Oct-2019 | $69.00 | 0.1 / 0.1 | 0.075 / 0.1 |
| Overall dim | Large □ hole | Large □ peg | Small □ peg |
| -0.03 ✕ 0.14 ✕ 0.05 | 0.07 ✕ -0.03 | 0.02 ✕ 0.06 | 0.03 ✕ 0.04 |
