3D printing sometimes referred to as Additive Manufacturing, is the process of creating three-dimensional physical objects from a digital model or CAD file. 

It works by building the object up layer by layer. For more details, please have a read of our blog post.

How long is a piece of string?

Pricing 3D printing a little complicated because we need to take into account several factors:

1. The type of filament used
2. How much filament is used
3. How long it takes to print the object (this can vary depending on size, infill percentage, layer height etc)
4. Energy Consumption (we all need to pay our bills after all)
5. Design costs (only applicable if we design the finished product for you)

These all add up to give you a base cost, and of course we’ll add a little on top for our time.

We generally used either a filament or a resin for our 3D printing. Which one specifically will depend of the complexity and needs of each project. If you would like to learn more about the specific materials that we used at Tidewater 3D, please read Our Materials page.

This isn’t really a question of whether we CAN 3D print a gun, but more whether we WILL, and the answer is NO.

If you are an Airsofter or Paintballer, however, looking for some modifications, then this is something that we are more than happy to do for you.

We are also happy to 3D print non-functional props, for example video game or film replicas.

Theoretically…maybe! It’s not something we’ve ever tried, and probably not the engine…however, here’s a link to a guy who has 3D printed a car…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvIFUINUlMU

Whilst it is possible to 3D print food, this is not something that we are able to offer.

This is such a complex question! Theoretically there is little that it is absolutely not possible to 3D print, however at Tidewater 3D Printing we are not able to 3D print anything that is:

• Food-related
• Medical-grade
•  Metal

The smallest thing we have ever printed at Tidewater 3D Printing was a tiny mushroom for a miniature based that measured at 3mm x 3mm x 4.5mm, so we we go really small!!

Theoretically, we could go smaller than this, however, we can’t guaranteed that we won’t lose it!

Relating to the 3D printers that we used specifically:

Resin: With Resin it’s more to do with weight, rather than size, as large multi-part resin print can get heavy even when hollowed.

Filament: With Filament printing, the only real limit is your budget and your deadline. Even though each of our machines are only capable of printing to a specific size, we are able to slice an object into as many parts as we need that can be fitted together to create a finished product that is as large as you need.

People are building full-sized T-Rex skeletons and super cars, using similar printers to ours, so your imagination is your only limit.

Plus, we are always up for a challenge.