The choice between FDM and resin printing starts with what the finished part needs to do. FDM extrudes thermoplastic filament layer by layer, producing parts with good mechanical strength, a wide material selection, and a cost structure that makes sense for anything from a single functional prototype to a batch of production components. SLA and resin printing cure liquid photopolymer with a UV light source, which gives resolution and surface detail that FDM cannot match. For intricate geometry, features smaller than a millimetre, and parts where surface quality is the primary goal, resin is the right process. For structural parts, jigs, enclosures, and anything that needs to survive handling and repeated use, FDM covers most of the ground. The choice is not always obvious from the design alone: a part can look like a resin job on screen but make more sense in FDM once material requirements, post-processing, and quantity are factored in. We assess this at the start of every enquiry, and we say so clearly when one approach is clearly better than the other.
Preparation and Post-Processing
Print preparation is where most of the outcome is determined, and it is the step that is easiest to cut corners on. Part orientation on the build plate affects layer adhesion, surface quality on visible faces, and whether support structures can be positioned in locations that clean up without leaving marks. Support strategy goes beyond placing enough material to hold the print: supports need to be removable, which means thinking about contact point geometry, density, and break-away angles before a job is sent to print. Post-processing varies by technology: FDM parts typically need support removal and light surface cleanup; resin parts require UV curing, IPA washing, and careful post-cure timing that affects final mechanical properties. We produce tabletop miniatures, display models, jigs and fixtures, and end-use components, and each type of part demands a different preparation approach. We handle the full sequence and communicate the results honestly. If a design has features that are likely to cause issues, we raise them before committing to print rather than after.
Equipment and How We Work
We run FDM printers from Prusa and resin machines across a range of build volumes, from small precise components up to parts approaching 250 mm in any axis. Tolerances, layer heights, infill patterns, and material choices are discussed in terms of what they mean for the finished part, not in technical shorthand that requires a background in additive manufacturing to interpret. If the goal is a production-ready component, we build to that. If the goal is a test piece to verify fit and proportion before committing to a more expensive process, we adjust accordingly. Batch runs are quoted per part with volume in mind. Single prototypes are treated with the same preparation care as larger orders, because the part still has to work. Each job is reviewed before print, and we flag anything that looks likely to cause a problem.
