3D Printing Services

Innovative, workable design solutions inform and enhance the quality of our work,
ensuring value for money and full customer satisfaction

What Is Meant By 3D Printing?

This is a fairly new, manufacturing and design technology, which is growing in popularity and scope as people wake up to its many possibilities.

Just as plastic injection moulding techniques can offer highly bespoke results, so too can 3D printing, which combines sophisticated design software with a 3D printing machine to produce durable, reliable 3D printed objects used across a wide range of industries.

3D Printing On Demand

One particularly exciting aspect of this manufacturing technique is just how many things to 3D print there are out there and how easily a design can be produced and put into production on demand.

From toys and models to automotive parts and medical devices, the list of 3D printed products can be endless. There is a fast-growing market in particular for 3D printed tools that can be produced in smaller quantities within short lead times to keep costs down, while and using highly bespoke specifications to enable tools and other 3D printed objects to meet a very precise purpose, on-demand.

We can help you with your 3D printing projects

Adreco Plastics has used its many decades of experience in injection moulding techniques to branch out into a professional 3D printing service that covers a wide range of industries.

We offer bespoke 3D printing support and work closely with our customers from initial design ideas through to quality control and delivery of the finished products.

We can advise on 3D printing designs and which 3D printing materials to use, as well as offer a full logistical support service to ensure excellent customer service from start to finish.

Custom 3D Printing Projects

Adreco plastics can offer customer 3D printing support, which covers the whole process, as well as helping to correct any 3D printing problems you may have encountered elsewhere.

Our customer 3D printing service allows you to order the precise product, tool or component that you need, delivered to the perfect specification, colour and finish. This is ideal for demanding applications and highly customised designs, where branding, colours and shape are of paramount importance.

Our 3D Printing Process

There are several stages involved when describing how to 3D print. At Adreco Plastic, we begin by working closely with our customer to finalise the chosen design and agree on materials, colours and finishes.

All this data is transferred to our 3D printing software programme, ready to translate our customer’s ideas into 3D printed reality. The actual printing is achieved through an additive process, where thin layers of a plastic filament product are added on top of each other to carefully form the shape.

The layers adhere firmly to each other for maximum durability and are printed with high accuracy levels to create the printed form of the agreed design.

Injection Moulding and 3D Printing

In many ways, 3D printing is a very similar process to plastic injection moulding; however, there are some differences. From the way that the design is created and transferred to the printer itself to the techniques used by the machine to form the finished product.

Plastic injection moulding involves creating individual moulds, shaped to match the project specifications and used only to make that product., 3D printing used the same printing machine to made countless different shapes and forms. This versatility is and will continue to be, a key factor in the future of 3D printing.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of 3D Printing

The versatility of being able to design pretty much anything using customised software and additive technology makes bringing 3D printing designs to life an easy and relatively rapid process.

3D printers can produce smaller orders in a more cost-effective way when compared to plastic injection moulding, which involves creating individual moulds to create each separate design.

Buying a desktop 3D printer is relatively inexpensive too, making it more accessible to people seeking to start their own production.

Disadvantages include the fact that it takes much longer to produce larger-scale orders and that the finished products may not be quite so durable as injection moulded alternatives in the longer term, due to the layering additive technology involved.

Ready To Speak To Our Experts?

If you have a project that you would like to see brought to life by the 3D printing industry, speak to us at Adreco Plastics to see how we can help. Our experts are standing by to discuss your ideas and requirements as part of a no-obligation, initial consultation.

FAQs

3D printing is the process by which a computer-aided design is turned into a 3D product using a 3D printer and plastic filament, which is built up, layer by layer to form the finished product.

As with any manufacturing and design process, the cost will be dependent on a wide range of factors, including complexity and scale of design, timescales and quantities needed. Speak to Adreco Plastics for a better idea of the potential costs involved.

3D printing works by layering thin slices of plastic on top of each other to build up a pre-programmed design using additive technology. The plastics layers adhere to each other as they cool to form a strong and durable finished product.

3D printing is being used across several sectors with uses as diverse as medical devices, food and retail packaging, toys, construction tools and automotive parts. It is a preferred manufacturing solution for smaller-scale orders and projects involving a high level of customised design.

3D printing uses a range of plastics and other materials that can be softened to form the desired shape and then cooled to solidify and strengthen the finished form. Materials used can include plastics and polymers (such as ABS filament and PVC), resin, metal, nylon, carbon fibre and paper.