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Engineering guides

How 3D printingactually works.

A 3D printer builds a part one thin layer at a time from a digital file. That's the simple version. The useful version is about which material, which orientation, and which design decisions turn 'printed' into 'fit for an engine bay'.

Close-up of a printer nozzle laying a glowing bead of carbon-fibre filament onto crisp layer linesLayer by layer, in the right material

The short version

  • FDM printing lays molten filament down layer by layer along paths sliced from the CAD file.
  • Strength is directional — orientation matters as much as material.
  • PC-CF for heat and rigidity, TPU for flex, nylons for toughness. Chosen per part.
  • Send a STEP or STL, or a brief — we'll say what it'll print like before we print it.

Layer by layer

The kind of printing we use for functional parts is FDM: a spool of filament is melted through a nozzle and laid down along a path, one layer at a time, each bonding to the one below. Software slices the CAD model into those layers and plans the paths, including the internal structure — a part can be solid, or hollow with a lattice inside, depending on what it needs to do.

Why orientation decides strength

A printed part is strongest along the layers and weakest across them, where one layer bonds to the next. So the same part printed standing up and lying down has different strength in different directions. Part of the engineering is choosing the orientation so the loads the part actually sees run along the layers — and designing the part so that's possible.

Materials, and what they're for

Not all filament is the same, and the cheap stuff has no place near an engine. PC-CF — polycarbonate with carbon-fibre reinforcement — is rigid, strong and handles heat, which is why our airboxes are printed in it. TPU is a flexible polyurethane, used for ducts, gaskets and bushes that need to seal or move. High-temperature nylons and ASA cover other jobs. The material is chosen per part; a claim that's true of one isn't automatically true of another.

Metal printing is available too, for parts that need to be metal. Or the part can be designed for laser cutting, folding or machining — then finished and assembled here.

A printed carbon-fibre flange with brass inserts beside a hose clamp and TPU pipe
PC-CF for the box, TPU where it flexes

After the print

Supports removed, surfaces cleaned up, brass heat-set inserts installed where the part bolts to something, hardware fitted, dimensions checked against the file. A printed part that's meant to be used gets finished like any other component.

Three industrial printers running in a dark room
In-house, in Brendale

How to get a part printed

Send a STEP or STL and a note on what the part does and where it lives — heat, load, flex. If you don't have a file, send the idea or the part itself; see scanning and CAD design. We'll come back with material, orientation and a price, and if something about the design won't print well or survive its job, we'll say so before printing it.

Questions

Asked before you ask.

How long does a print take?
Hours to a day or more, depending on size and material. We quote per job.
Can you print my design?
Yes — STEP or STL. If it needs changes to print well, we'll tell you first.
Is printed strong enough for real use?
In the right material and orientation, yes — our own products are printed and live in engine bays. In the wrong material, no. That's the engineering.

Engineering guides

Keep reading.

Also see

Where to next.

Next step

Get a part printed.

Send the file or describe the part — we'll come back with material and price.

Get a part printed0415 672 000