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What font sizes work best for printing text?
Text adheres to the same 0.6mm wall and gap rules that govern other features for 3D printed parts. With letters that contain knife edges and other acute angles this can become a little tricky. We went to Thingiverse to find a great file to test the accuracy of printed text in the 3D printing processes in which we see it…
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What 3D printing technologies do you currently offer?
Xometry's 3D printing capabilities include: Thermoplastics: Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) HP Multi Jet Fusion (HP MJF) Thermoset plastics (resin photopolymer): Carbon DLS Stereolithography PolyJet 3D Metal 3D Printing Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) Binder Jetting Learn more about…
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What's the maximum size of a part you can print?
The maximum build volume of a part depends on the 3D printing technology used. SLS Unfilled: Nylon 12 build area up to 13" x 13" x 20" (13" max dimension preferred) SLS Glass Filled: Glass Filled Nylon 12 build area up to 26" x 15" x 23". HP MJF: Build area up to 15" x 11" x 15" (14" x 11" x 13" is the recommended usable…
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Can you 3D print in metal?
Yes, we can 3D print fully dense metal parts in aluminum and stainless steel using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). These parts have a fit and finish similar to cast parts. An example of a stainless steel part printed using DMLS can be seen in the image below: Binder jetting is also another option for cost-effective…
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Can you 3D print transparent plastic?
The best option for 3D printing in near-transparent plastic is SLA Accura ClearVue with a Quick Clear finish. This auto-quoting option prints the part in a clear resin, then receives a post-process treatment of a clear coat (paint) to even the surface and leave a transparent, glossy finish. Think of clear ice as the final…
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Tolerances and Build Area for 3D Printed Plastics
Please use the following links for tolerances and build area limitations of 3D printed (additive manufactured) components. Note that this is based on typical results; additional notes on each process are at the bottom of this article. Are you looking for design tips? Check out our free design guides.…
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What is the smallest feature that you can print?
Minimum feature size and print accuracy can vary across 3D printing processes. We were curious to see how SLS, FDM, PJ3D, and DMLS compared, so we ran several benchmark tests over various platforms and recorded the results. Where did we look for cool models to test our processes? Thingiverse, of course! There are a ton of…
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What 3D Printed Materials can be Sterilized?
Watch our video on "food safe" materials: https://youtu.be/PHx5Y3x25f8 Sterilizable Materials Xometry offers a wide array of materials that can be sterilized to allow for many different applications of your 3D printed part! An overview of the materials that can be sterilized, the process that each material comes in, its…
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Accuracy for 3D Printed Metals
Xometry offers Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) to 3D print metals using additive manufacturing techniques. Please keep the guidelines below for the tolerances and accuracy of 3D printed metals in mind when designing parts. Please visit our Manufacturing Standards page for additional information on our standards across…
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High Temperature 3D Printed Plastics
Xometry offers many materials in different processes that can withstand higher levels of heat. The material, process, and temperature a part can withstand before melting are listed below. The materials are thermoplastics made using Carbon DLS, SLA, SLS, HP MJF, or FDM processes. SLS Nylon 12 Material: PA 2200 (Durable…