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Cheapest 3d print service


11 Best Cheap and Fast 3D Printing Services Online (Sept. 2022)

3D printing services allow you to bring to reality the 3D designs that you have in mind. You can avail of different types of 3D printing services such as rapid prototyping, laser cutting, 3D designs, and more.

If you want to 3D print an object but you don’t have a 3D printer or you’re too busy to look for the nearest shop near you, don’t worry. There are many online 3D printing services that can help you do the job.

Contents

  • 1 Top Cheap 3D Printing Services
  • 2 What Do 3D Printing Businesses Offer?
  • 3 Who Needs This Service?
    • 3.1 You’re a Business Person
    • 3.2 You Want Lesser Investment Risk
    • 3.3 You’re Not Technology Savvy
    • 3.4 You Want to Customize Something
    • 3.5 You Want to Try New Stuff, Materials, Designs
    • 3.6 You Want to Save Money on 3D Printing
  • 4 How much do these services cost?
  • 5 Best Online Services for 3D Printing
  • 6 3D Hubs
  • 7 3D Printing Ally
  • 8 i. Materialise
  • 9 MakeXYZ
  • 10 Ponoko
  • 11 Proto Labs
  • 12 Sculpteo
  • 13 SD3D
  • 14 Shapeways
  • 15 Voodoo
  • 16 Xometry
  • 17 Conclusion

Top Cheap 3D Printing Services

The answer is on the tip of your fingertips. To help you find one, check out our comprehensive list below.

Before I give you the list of the 3D printing companies that offer the best services online, I’ll give you an overview of what this industry has to offer.

What Do 3D Printing Businesses Offer?

3D printing companies offer 3D printing jobs like 3D design and printing. This is very useful for prototyping or bringing to life your ideas in reality. This technology is practical and is also applicable to aerospace, medicine, and education.

For this reason, 3D printing manufacturers and companies have become in demand. In fact, they are experiencing rapid growth and this is expected to continue in the coming years. Even individuals who own a 3D printing machine and are knowledgeable of the craft offer this to those who need it.

3D printing technologies are very accessible. In fact, there are a lot of 3D printing online shops and you can easily find them when you browse and check the internet.

Who Needs This Service?

3D printing applies to almost any area of your life. So getting your own machine will be very helpful. However, if you are not willing to invest in one, then a 3D printing service is perfect for you.

Here are more reasons why you should get a 3D printing service.

You’re a Business Person

If you are in business and you need a working prototype for a client presentation, using a 3D printer will make the process easy and fast by delivering 3D printed parts and functional prototypes.

Some of the individuals who use this type of service include Architects, Engineers, Real Estate Brokers, Interior Designers, and Business owners. They prefer this approach because it reduces cost, time and labor.

You Want Lesser Investment Risk

3D printers can be cheap or expensive depending on the brand and model. However, buying one and maintaining it isn’t that easy and practical especially if you do not use it often. These types of machines are not a plug-and-play thing, there are tons of things that you have to consider when you want to get one.

Sometimes it might involve training yourself or staff, setting up software, maintenance, purchasing materials (filaments, print heads, etc.) and disruption operations. This type of service makes 3D printing affordable and accessible to anyone who needs it.

You’re Not Technology Savvy

Owning a high quality 3D printer can help you save if you have a business or you have to do three-dimensional printing often for some reason. Yes, owning one will be practical if you know how to use it and make money from it. However, if you don’t and if you rarely need it, then the best option for you is to get a 3D printing company’s service.

You Want to Customize Something

Customized items are very popular nowadays. In most cases, even gifts like mugs or key chains are now customized by adding the recipient’s name or photo. Custom 3D printing is a real thing.

With this, you can almost realize anything you have in mind be it a stand for iPad, a bottle opener, a pencil container, a cup, an accessory holder or even a shoe.

The benefit of customizing shoes is that it caters to the actual shape and size of your feet, which delivers great comfort. For athletes, this could help them maximize their performance.

You Want to Try New Stuff, Materials, Designs

Companies that 3D print objects from models are not only for those who are completely inexperienced because even experts seek this type of service from time to time to try or learn new stuff, materials and design.

According to Stratasys Directs, a number of 3D printer owners come to them to try new materials that they don’t have or to customize their tools, jigs, and fixture.

You Want to Save Money on 3D Printing

At some point, you might think that owning a machine will help you save more, but this also depends on how frequently you need it and how much the maintenance cost is.

For instance, according to Sculpteo.com, it is more affordable to avail of this service from a 3D printing business than buying Makerbot Replicator 2x and Formlabs Form 1 for one or a few 3D prints.

Sculpteo.com calculates its 3D printing price by considering the printer cost (divided by output over 3-year life) materials, maintenance, labor, and electricity.

So, for example, a ring measuring 23 x 11.6 x 23mm will cost $8.37 from Sculpteo, $9.34 from Makerbot Replicator 2x, $11.01 from Formlabs Form 1 and $33.10 from Stratasys Mojo.

How much do these services cost?

Online 3D printing service cost depends on several factors. For Shapeways, service cost includes the materials used, machine space and labor.

On the other hand, Sculpteo’s pricing considers these three factors: investment cost of the printer, materials and maintenance, and labor and electricity. It can also use this formula: retail price of printer and installation cost over a 3-year timeframe.

A small item is cheaper compared to bigger items because it uses less material and reduced labor. However, the complexity of the design and the number of parts have nothing to do with the price.

Source: Sculpteo

If you are looking for this type of service it is important that you check the price well because the cost can differ up to 100%. You can use 3D Printing Price Check. The site allows you to upload an STL file in mm or in units and will give you an estimate.

You can only find a cheap service after making a few rounds of comparison. The price should not be a great concern though as this technology is deemed low-cost and fast. In addition, more and more companies are starting to offer this service. With tighter competition, the price will surely go down.

Best Online Services for 3D Printing

We know that there are tons of 3D printing businesses out there, so choosing the best one might be challenging. So, to spare you from the hassle of research and to help you save time, we create this comprehensive list of 3D printing stores that offer commercial 3D services.

This is a network of thousands of 3D printers all over the world.  You can upload your 3D design in .stl or .obj format, choose a material for your application and select a 3D printing service from various 3D printers.

To help you decide it will show you the price, speed, and quality produced by different individuals or businesses who offer the service. The average work around time is 2 days (48 hours) but 50% of the orders are delivered within 24 hours.

3D Hubs also offers a number of materials to choose from including fiber-reinforced nylon that is as strong as aluminum but as cheap as plastic. Rigid opaque plastic for realistic and functional prototypes with impressive details and high accuracy. Meanwhile, transparent plastics work well for see-through parts and prototypes, full-color sandstone, simulated ABS and Industrial metals to name a few.

Pros

  • A network of thousands of 3D printers around the globe
  • Upload your 3D design, choose your material, and select a 3D printing service
  • Shows you the price, speed, and quality produced

 

 

 

 

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3D Printing Ally's online 3D printing service caters to any industry and 3D print any product in any size. It offers custom parts and has a fast turnaround time of 24 hours.

They also offer an instant 3D printing quote by uploading your .stl file. If you have a CAD design but can't decide the material that you should use for it, the site has a model uploader feature for this.

This site uses different technology including Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused deposition modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), MultiJet Printing (MJP) and ColorJet Printing (CJP).

It also offers a number of materials like DuraForm PA, ABS-M30, Polycarbonate, Ultem 9085, VisiJet SL Clear, VisiJet Crystal and Ceramic to deliver any 3D printed object you have in mind.

Pros

  • 3D print any product in any size
  • Offer instant quote by uploading your file
  • Uses different technology and materials

 

 

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This site is more than an online 3D printing service as it helps you discover the unimaginable. With its 20 different materials and over 100 possible color combinations, you can turn all your ideas into 3D printed reality. They also offer polishing, dyeing, gold plating and more.

The site also includes 3D printing tutorials to help you design, print, scan and get yourself familiar with 3D printing materials. For those who do not have the inclination to learn 3D designing, the site has a "Hire a 3D Designer" section.

The process with i. Materialise is fast, easy and affordable. You can order in seconds with instant pricing and automatic file checking.

Pros

  • 20 different materials with 100 color combinations
  • Also offer polishing, dyeing, gold plating
  • Instant pricing and automatic file checking

 

 

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MakeXYZ is a US company that offers a full menu of 3 printing services including different technologies like FDM, SLA, SLS, and Polyjet. The site is very versatile because it also accepts different types of files and materials.

The process is very easy because you can have a MakeXYZ print manager to handle everything. If you have a 3D file, you can also upload it and the print manager will handle the logistics. If you just want to connect to a 3D printer directly, that is possible too.

The site includes a "Find 3D Printers" list that includes the printer's name, location and his/her 3D print capabilities. One advantage of this is that working with a 3D printer may speed up the process and you might get the print soon, like on the same day.

Pros

  • Offers different technology like FDM, SLA, SLS, Polyjet
  • Work with materials like ABS, PLA, Nylon, Wood, Paper, sandstone, ceramic, resin, etc
  • Can provide a print manager to handle the complete process

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Source: Skilled Up

This site is a 3D printing marketplace because it connects the customers to manufacturers. Ponoko doesn't do the manufacturing itself but uses a network of manufacturers all over the world who perform the additive manufacturing process using their own machines.

Ponoko has a standard turnaround period of 1 week but it is also possible to ship the 3D printed parts on the same day. It has 180,000 designers, 550,000 custom products, over 99 beautiful materials and big-time customers like Oracle, Google, Cisco, Disney and Autodesk to name a few. Most importantly, they offer one of the cheapest services.

Pros

  • 3D printing marketplace and network that connects customers to manufacturers
  • The process easy, fast and low-cost
  • Offers over 99 types of materials

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This 3D printing service uses Industrial 3D printing, an additive manufacturing process that works best for rapid prototyping, complex designs, multipart assemblies, and functional end-use parts. Proto Labs is one of the companies with the fastest turnaround time.

They can ship or deliver custom prototypes and low-volume production parts in as fast as one day. It has global facilities in Europe and Japan. The company is now the world's fastest on-demand manufacturer of custom and functional prototypes and low-volume production parts with manufacturing facilities in seven countries.

Pros

  • Fast product development
  • 3D printing service uses industrial 3D printing
  • Uses materials like ABS, aluminum, Polypropylene, nylon, stainless steel, cobalt chrome
  • With global facilities in Europe and Japan

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This 3D printing service aims to connect you to 3D designers to give you access to thousands of ideas from designers and businesses. You can browse their collection and customize your 3D model for printing. If you need training resources to learn 3D printing or expand your expertise, the site includes ebooks, webinars, and tutorials.

Sculpteo uses different technologies to cater to different materials. These are the technologies they use for each material you wish to utilize on your application.

  • Plastic/Alumide
  • Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
  • Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
  • Resin/Wax
  • Stereolithography (SLA)
  • Digital Light Processing (DLP)
  • Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)
  • MultiJet Printers
  • Metal
  • DLP
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
  • Electron Beam Melting (EBM)
  • Multicolor
  • Binder Jetting
  • Selective Deposition Lamination
  • Triple-jetting technology(PolyJet)

Here’s a table of the technology, process, materials used by Sculpteo including the advantage and disadvantages of using it in delivering the 3D printed objects you desire.

Just like other 3D printing services, Sculpteo is very easy to use. Just upload your file, the website allows over 25 formats for your convenience. They will repair it if there are issues and give you an instant online quote. Then, set up the quantities, optimize your object using their 3D tools and place your order.

Their normal turnaround time is 24 to 72 hours. The company is asking for an extra 2 days for dyed plastic. As for silver material, the average delivery time is 21 days.

Pros

  • Just upload your file, allows over 25 formats
  • They repair if there are issues
  • Set up the quantities, optimize your object, and just place order

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SD3D aims to be the one-stop-shop for 3D printing services in San Diego, CA by bringing you a group of aspiring entrepreneurs from different fields of background including engineering, design, business, and economics.

The company has an automated system that offers one of the most affordable prototyping and manufacturing solutions in the 3D printing market. They also use a Cloud-based network to monitor print status and print objects in batches.

SD3D offers a huge variety of materials. Their standard turnaround time is 3 to 7 days but they also offer an expedition service with a $40 fee depending on the size and quantity of your project.

Due to the extensive options that the company offers, you can surely find a service that is within your budget be it for pure rapid prototyping, high-resolution 3D prints with an added finish or large volumes.

Pros

  • Uses cloud network to monitor print status
  • Materials include PLA, ABS, T-Glase, PET+, Bridge Nylon
  • Services include pure rapid prototyping, high-resolution 3D prints with a finish, large volumes and more

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Shapeways is one of the leading 3D printing services in the world. It is a marketplace where users can design and upload their own files. As these designers easily sell their work, Shapeways process the manufacturing, distribution, customer service, and payment.

The company offers over 50 materials to 3D print your project including plastics, porcelain, aluminum, porcelain, silver, and sandstone to name a few. Standard turnaround time with Shapeways depends on the material ordered and the shipping option.

However, they offer a rush production that delivers within 2 business days. The website has a Customer Service team to help customers deal with late orders, returned items or issues after delivery.

Pros

  • The leading 3D printing services in the world
  • Offers over 50 materials to 3D print your project
  • Marketplace where users design and upload their own files

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Voodoo Manufacturing offers small-batch manufacturing with high-volume 3D printing. It offers to bridge the gap between prototype and mass productions, which makes it one of the best 3D printing services in the US.

The process with Voodoo is very easy. First, you will start with your own 3D model or have their professional designers create one for you. You can make one anywhere from 1 to 10,000 parts in as fast as 24 hours.

The company offers direct print, volume printing, print API, and 3D design. They have worked with Autodesk, Syfy, Intel, Universal and Microsoft to name a few, so you can guarantee the quality of their output as they have worked with these prominent companies.

Pros

  • 3D prints high-volume for mass productions
  • Start with your own 3D model or have professional designers create
  • Offers direct print, volume printing, print API
  • Offers small-batch manufacturing with high-volume 3D printing

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Xometry

Xometry offers high-quality 3D printing services including prototypes and production parts. The best part that I love about it, is that it offers free shipping on all US orders with no minimum orders. You can order any type of 3D project because they have over 60 metal and plastic materials in different colors. They have materials for all applications.

Xometry is making waves and is becoming more and more popular because it is versatile. It 3D prints anything you have in mind. It offers millions of possible combinations of materials, finishes, tolerances, markings, and certifications for orders. They are also easy to use. You can get the parts delivered right to your door without the hassle of sourcing, project management, logistics, and shipping.

They also deliver custom parts to your specifications. Most importantly, they guarantee quality because they back every part they ship with the Xometry Quality Guarantee. You can get an instant quote for any 3D printing service you desire to get from them by just uploading the 3D model. If you have a lot of 3D models, no worries, Xometry allows you to drag and drop unlimited numbers of 3D models.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • No minimum order
  • Guarantee quality
  • Offers instant quote to any project
  • Endless options with over 60 materials
  • Free shipping on all U.S. orders

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Conclusion

Getting online 3D printing services or a professional 3D printing service is the most convenient solution if you want to get a prototype or a certain 3D project done fast without spending too much. If you own industrial 3D printers, this is also a good chance for you to offer a printing service online.

If you need to learn more about 3D printing technology or additive manufacturing, feel free to check our homepage.

Best cheap 3D printing service – Real use case example

In this definitive guide, we will be taking a look at the most economical way to get custom 3D printing projects done from start to finish. We will start with the idea, then design and finally to getting that custom design 3D printed. For this we will be looking at online 3D printing services for the design phase as well as the 3D printing phase.

Disclosure: This post contain affiliate links, we may earn advertising commissions for sharing products we know and love.

The idea is to design and 3D print a character model. The plan is to hire a designer to design a 3D model based on the character model of a charming llama with sunglasses, budget $30.00 to $90.00. To test both ends of the price points we’ll also hire a different designer to model a low poly Shiba Inu. We’ll set the budget to $30.00 to $90.00, and try to keep the total under $55.00.

These models once 3D printed would serve as a custom decorative piece for a room in the house. The models would possibly be added as a video game characters or even sold as props.

There are quite a few online 3D printing service providers that can help us achieve the end result of producing this custom print at a relatively low cost. 3D printing services on the Fiverr platform are arguably the most economically priced 3D printing, 3D modeling and design services.

Until recently, the 3D printing services offered on the platform flew cleanly under the radar. What makes Fiverr unique in our case is that it offers the most flexibility, in that we can communicate our ideas directly with a product designer or CAD 3D modeler in order to produce the exact design we’re after.

The value per dollar offered by freelancer on the platform easily exceeds other competing 3D printing services, as well as other freelance marketplaces. Though it must be noted that the $5 service cost often cited with this platform serve as a base price, whereas detailed custom work generally run upwards of $30.

Thanks to the immediacy of online platforms, it is tempting to jump straight in and get started with a custom 3D printing project. While that may seem like the right thing to do, if you have precise details for the 3D print, then this approach is unfortunately, not recommended.

Some key preparations that one should always do before hiring design services are given below:

  • It is best to have a budget in mind beforehand. The budget for our project was set to $30-$90 per model. To do this, simply “shop around” for 3D modeling design and 3D printing services to gauge the “standard” rates and try to set your budget below that. No point in going through all the trouble of buying services online if it would cost you more, instead of less.
  • The designer would most likely want a better idea to get started on the 3D model than just a verbal description. While there are 3D print designers with exceptional sketching and perspective drawing skills, it is best to discuss the conceptualization and design requirements ahead of time. Else it would be more time/cost effective to find a sketch and perspective artist to draw out your idea in 2D, whether on paper or digital form, before finding a 3D artist for the 3D modeling and printing.
  • It is also important to consider the scale and physical size of your proposed custom 3D print. Try to account for that in both the budget as well as in the initial sketch-ups or modeling.

We’ll continue with the Fiverr approach since it is the service we tend to use. We’ll also include below other alternative should a more industrial grade service be required.  

Like other freelance marketplaces, browsing services on the site does not require one to create an account. Looking up services by the various sellers couldn’t be simpler: simply type “3D printing design” in the search box and presto! Fiverr will give a list of matching 3D printing services, such as 3D modeling and 3D printing for you to examine and choose from.

Remember to consider the following few pointers when browsing all the sellers to get to the right one for you:

  • First and foremost, filter the given search based on your decided budget. To do this, you can click on the “Budget” button and put in a maximum and minimum (optional) amount in the two boxes and let the revised search list load.
  • Some sellers may pop up in your search results simply based on their lowest priced package. This may or may not cover your needs, so you still need to peruse further in and filter out sellers based on other criteria such as “Service Options” and other details.
  • New sellers would most likely charge you less for their services, so it is a smart option to not exclude them.
  • If you plan on selecting a seller who can design as well as 3D print the custom item, then be sure to consider an option that will best account forshipping.

Never move the deal off the platform. Even if the seller requests so (some will). Remember that the platform is there to guarantee delivery and satisfaction. Also, you are still working with a real person. So, finding the right person and setting the right expectation from the start is key.

Once you have shortlisted potential service providers, contact them via private message and ask them to quote their best price to you if they can do the described job.

You would first need an account if you decide buy a service on the platform.

As a buyer, you don’t need to do anything more than just sign in and start communicating with sellers. This would give you at least a chance to somewhat haggle the price if the seller is open to negotiate.

We chose a level 2 seller who had completed several projects similar to what we were after.

Don’t simply place an order without communicating first, as this may end up with the service provider not being on the same page as you in achieving your vision.

Make sure to agree to the terms before placing an order, including delivery time, 3D model file format, revisions allowed and any other criteria in addition to the price.

After communicating our plans with the designer and submitting the photo shown above, along with another photo of a cartoon llama with sunglasses as a reference, he sent an offer for the price of $80.00, with details on delivery times, revisions and the number of renders.

We did not try to haggle the price down since that was everything included in the seller’s package for $80. We certainly could have found a better deal, but maybe the skill level would have dropped a bit. Instead, we kindly asked to increase the number of renders up from 4 to 5, accepted the offer and proceeded to wait for the 5-day delivery time.

As for the Shiba Inu model, we messaged several designers on the platform and settled on the price of $50.00, with 10-day delivery. We tried to negotiate the price down to $30, however that would require longer wait time. So, we opted for the faster option.

If all the terms have been discussed and agreed upon, you can simply ask the seller to send an offer. Another alternate route for finding the right seller is to post a job request. To do this, once you are logged in, click on the light blue “post a request” button and give an in-depth write-up with regards to what your ideal service package would be.

Select a reasonable budget and an acceptable delivery timeline. And be sure to attach the sketch/drawing of your desired custom 3D print.

Select the category as, “graphics and design, industrial and product design”.

Once posted, the request will show up for eligible sellers and the interested sellers will send you a custom proposal. Simply begin a conversation with the most promising sellers and work out a mutually beneficial arrangement and place an order or accept their custom offer.

Payment occurs at the buyer’s end when one confirms and places an order. These funds stay in an escrow system till the buyer accepts the seller’s delivery.

The platform charges $2 service charges on orders under $40, and 5% service charges on orders exceeding $40. This cost is borne by the buyer and paid directly to Fiverr.

The $80 order came up to a total of $84 and the second order came up $52.75.  Both orders together totaled up to $136.76, $44.00 less than the max budget.

Two days into the wait, the designer for the llama gave update on the progress with the following photo.

Shortly after, we get the typical email from the platform informing us on the delivery. Here are the results for the first project, the llama.

Once the seller makes a delivery, the buyer has 3 days to either accept, reject the delivery or request a revision. Upon expiration of the 3-day period, the order would automatically be marked as delivered and the funds would be released to the seller.

One thing to note about ordering 3D printing services on platforms such as Fiverr is that the service providers often try to undercut the time necessary to generate the best work. While some sellers are able to over deliver on both quality of work and turnaround times, others tend to fall behind. From our experience, about 5 percent of projects require a revision or extension. So, it is a good idea to plan for additional time on top of the seller’s quoted delivery date.

For our project the seller initially delivered this model.

It was quite clear that he had rushed the process. He himself admitted it, citing personal reason as the cause.

The revised version turned out quite nice. With the exception of the eyes.

Those eyes look like they belong on a human more than they do on a llama. But that’s no big deal, since they will be post processed with paint after being 3D printed anyways. We’ll choose a closed eye design for the post processed print. Maybe a low poly model would have been a better design choice after all. Nevertheless, this goes in as a successful project.     

The second project was delivered on the 10th day as agreed. This one did not require a revision. Here are the results for the Shiba Inu model.

If the seller is late on delivery, then the option to cancel the order also opens up. In which case the original amount paid is refunded to the buyer.

And lastly, once the delivery is made, both the buyer and the seller are asked to review their respective experience.

3D print and 3D modeling services on Fiverr start at $5, with physical 3D printing services starting from $10. Combo services tend to start over $30 for simple prints.

While these prices are enticing, based upon the complexity of your custom 3D print, the quoted price may go up so high that it would be worthwhile to check out other websites and 3D printing design services as well.

While there are numerous avenues available as alternate routes for hiring a 3D print designer, some of the available online platforms are listed below that also focus on economical services and are at the very least as easy to use as Fiverr for getting a custom part designed and printed.

Like Fiverr, Etsy is famous in its niche for its diverse product listings, as well as its customer friendliness. Etsy has loads of custom 3D printing listings available on its platform, from design services, to cheap 3D printing services to more professional 3D printing services as well.

Etsy is a good place to shop for a 3D print designer for your custom part if you are focused first and foremost on a budget conscious purchase.

Shapeways is well known for its 3D printing on-demand services. Through its partnership with Zverse, Shapeways also supports a 3D print design workflow.

You’re given the option of receiving a custom quote for the idea that needs to be converted to a custom 3D print. You can also attach a drawing for better clarity. For more complicated parts, this should certainly be an option to consider.

Cadcrowd is a specialized freelance marketplace focused on 3D modeling, CAD and other modeling services. Unlike most other freelance marketplaces, Cadcrowd is quite protective of its freelancers in that you can only apply for a quote through Cadcrowd to get a free estimate.

The website has a large listing of serious professionals. Despite its user-unfriendliness at a glance, it should be considered for projects that need that extra bit of care.

If you own your own 3D printer, you can use the STL files from the designer to print the model.

Provided you did not opt for a bundled service, the next stop to bring your custom 3D print into the physical world, is of course, a 3D printing service.

Plastic prints would certainly be cheaper and easier, whereas metal 3D prints cost more in terms of both time (for desired finishing) as well as money.

The most affordable option for 3D printing the model is by far Fiverr. The next most economical option is Ponoko. If metal is the required material, it would be best to choose a well-reputed industrial grade online 3D print service to ensure the cost is worth the quality.

Craft Cloud, is an online 3D printing price comparison service. So instead of searching through 10 different 3D print on-demand online services for quotations, one may simply upload their STL or 3D print file to Craft Cloud, and the service would then list the best available prices.

The website has very positive reviews overall and claims to achieve 50% savings when compared to other 3D printing services.

It also provides a very diverse selection of materials including plastics and metals, as well as worldwide shipping.

This marketplace is operated by Dassault Systèmes. Unlike Craft Cloud that compares prices for you, this website is much more of a marketplace where you can find a 3D manufacturer for hire.

The website provides instant quotes, a 3D parts catalog and numerous other manufacturing and machining services on-demand.

3D Hubs is the community alternative to the swathe of professional 3D printing on-demand services available. 3D Hubs has definitely grown from its community roots and now stands head and shoulders with all its professional peers.

3D Hubs is a popular destination for on-demand 3D printing. It also supports instant quotes as well as a broad selection of materials. A notable feature of 3D Hubs is that it also quotes turn-around times in addition to monetary quotations, which may or may not be a crucial factor to you, but are good to know nevertheless.

Shapeways is arguably one of the most popular online 3D printing services today, with its suite of professional 3D printers covering nearly all types of materials which includes plastics, resins and metals. It is hard to go wrong with Shapeways for your custom 3D part.

It may not be the cheapest, but it is well-known for its quality.

While it is impossible to cover every 3D printing on-demand service available, we believe the above four platforms provide a good base to work with when hunting for the best value for money, and highest bang for one’s 3D printing buck.

3D printing as a technology promises to make ideas into reality. 3D printing services open this promise up to the masses. So whenever that spark comes to you next, that you must convert to a physical 3D print, we hope that this guide serves as a trusty tool to ensure you get to do so at the most affordable of costs.

Tags: 3D design service3D modeling3D printing serviceCustomcustom 3D designCustom 3D printings

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