Where can i get 3d printing done near me


3D Printing | 3D Print Services

Find a 3D Printing Location

Print Functional Prototypes

You can use 3D printing for prototypes or one-of-a-kind items. Let The UPS Store® bring your ideas to life. We can even use your 3D CAD file.

Construct Manufacturing Jigs and Fixtures

We understand when you do your own manufacturing, jigs and fixtures are critical for insuring high-quality and efficiency during assembly and testing. Our 3D printer can create complex parts so you are not dependent on a CNC machine.  

Create Custom Accessories

Want to design your own smartphone case or money clip? Most items that are smaller than a breadbox and can be made out of single color of plastic are perfect for 3D printing.

Build Architectural Models

You can work in just about any 3D architectural design program and then export to common 3D CAD file types. The finished product is ready to show off or you can sand and paint your building to give it just the right look.

3D Printing Services Expanded Across Nation

The UPS Store continues to expand 3D printing services nationwide to meet the growing demands of its small business customers. 3D printing now available at approximately 20 The UPS Store locations. Use the interactive map below to find a participating location near you, or check out the full list of all The UPS Store locations offering 3D printing services.

3D CAD and 3D Scanning Services

The UPS Store 3D print locations can now also offer you 3D CAD and 3D scanning services through HoneyPoint3D. Getting a custom 3D print has never been easier - you dream it, HoneyPoint3D designs it, The UPS Store prints it. Enjoy the HoneyPoint3D benefits of an easy quoting process, affordable and quality engineering, online viewing of your 3D files, and efficient turn-around times. Get your 3D CAD or scan quote today!

Netfabb® at The UPS Store®

Participating The UPS Store 3D print locations are utilizing Netfabb software for 3D print file preparation and customization. Services available at these locations include:

  • File fixing
  • Text labeling
  • Logo labeling
  • Cutting

Contact or visit these Netfabb locations to learn more about their advanced 3D offerings.

3D Printing Frequently Asked Questions

Here a few questions we frequently hear about 3D Printing.

Please feel free to contact your local The UPS Store for any other questions you may have

What is 3D printing?

3D Printing is a manufacturing process that uses a digital file to create three-dimensional objects one layer at a time. We run a system that uses ABS plastic and soluble supports to create realistic prototypes and marketing models.

What kinds of things can I 3D print?

Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to print prototypes as part of the new product development process. With this printer, The UPS Store locations will be equipped to produce items like engineering parts, functional prototypes, acting props, architectural models, fixtures for cameras, lights and cables.

How long does it take to print?

The time it takes to print an object will depend on the complexity of the design. A simple object may take 4-5 hours, while a complex object may take 24 hours.

Which UPS Store locations are offering 3D printing?

The UPS Store is in the process of rolling out nearly 100 3D printing locations across the country. Visit /print/3d-printing/locations for more information.

3D Printing in 3 Steps (Yes, Only 3!)

Skip to main content

Skip to footer

Black Friday deals are here! Staples Business Advantage 

Search

3D Printing in 3 Steps (Yes, Only 3!) | Staples.com

by Kevin Ackerman, Staples® Contributing Writer

Since it gives computer users the ability to produce tangible objects in a variety of materials and colors right from their desktop, 3D printing seems as if it would be technically complicated (or just magical). But in reality, it’s not all that different from printing in two dimensions on paper.

To produce a printed page, all computer users need is a document, a computer and access to a printer — and, of course, ink and paper. Likewise, printing in 3D only requires three similar things. Sure, the technologies differ, but that’s the basic gist, as these three steps explain.

Step 1: Develop a Concept

If you were to open a document file on your computer, hit some random keys on your keyboard and press Print, you’d have a paper printout — though it wouldn’t make much sense. With 3D printing, you can’t make a shape that easily, not even a poor one, so it’s worth beginning the process by putting some thought into your object.

Start by knowing what you’d like to print in three dimensions. If you don’t have an idea or concept, there are plenty of free suggestions online to get you started. Web sites like Thingiverse. com offer a library of pre-designed objects that you can print with any 3D printer to gain experience. Or you can be inspired by people who are already using 3D printing technology.

Phoenix-based sculptor Kevin Caron uses 3D printing to refine his artwork before making full-sized versions. "Mostly what I'm doing is proof of concept designs. You know, will it stand up, does it look right and are the proportions correct on it?” he says.

And Chris Considine, CEO and founder of Los Angeles–based CXC Simulations, uses 3D printing to prototype custom-designed parts for racing simulators that are so realistic, they are used by professional race car drivers. "We need 3D orienting to see if the part feels exactly how we want it to feel,” he says.” We went through about 30 versions before we found the one that was perfect for us. Other than 3D printing, there’s truly no way you could have done that without building it over and over again."

Step 2: Hop on a Computer

Once you know what you want to produce, it’s time to sit down at a computer and make it happen. 3D prints are most commonly generated from an STL or .stl file. Standing for “stereolithography” (what 3D printing was named when it was first invented), this file format is to 3D printing what the .doc file is to document output.

To open and manipulate an STL file, you’ll need computer-aided design (CAD) software. For decades, these programs have been used by everyone from architects to product designers, so there are many kinds of CAD software available.

SketchUp is a free modeling program designed to be straightforward and allow anyone to create three-dimensional renderings, whether simple or complicated. Likewise, Tinkercad keeps the design process easy by providing just three simple tools. It also runs in a Web browser and offers step-by-step design lessons to demonstrate how easy 3D printing can be.

Meanwhile, programs like AutoCAD are favored by many experienced professionals, having been used in the design and prototyping of millions of products throughout the years.

To run these programs, you don’t need a particularly powerful computer. Caron uses an HP desktop machine to create his digital sculptures. "It's not a big screaming gaming computer by any means,” he says. "It's just a small office computer and it handles the CAD program just fine.”

Step 3: Get Access to a 3D Printer

Most people assume they need to own a 3D printer to produce digitally rendered objects, but that isn’t true. Sure, owning a desktop 3D printer can put your designs within arm’s reach. But driving across town to pick up your objects at a Staples 3D printing service location or having them delivered by mail can be just as convenient for some businesses.

For example, Caron owns a CubeX™ commercial 3D printer. With the ability to print objects up to the size of a basketball, this device produces designs in plastic and in more than 4,000 different colors. He’s also used print-on-demand services to produce sculptures that he couldn’t make on his office’s machine.

"They’re breathtaking when you see them,” he says of the two acrylic sculptures. "The detail that I could view on the computer came out in the print — it just blew me away.” Caron is planning to scale his designs down and turn them into jewelry to sell. "I've gotten one back in a polished glass and it's stunning. You can’t tell it from gold other than by the weight."

If you are interested in using 3D printing but need help with these steps, visit one of our stores that offers 3D printing services (currently in Los Angeles and New York City). There, we can help you with all the steps, from getting in touch with designers to actual 3D printing. You can even get in our 3D printing photo booth and have your face put on a figurine.

Go from Concept to Reality

Some businesses would argue that 3D printing, whether it’s done in the office or at an outside service, is worth its weight in gold. "I can go from concept in my head to holding the part in sometimes as quickly as an hour,” says Considine. "It’s a very powerful thing for an engineer to have. It's liberating."

Related Articles

7 Things You Didn't Know About 3D Printing

In the ever-expanding universe of 3D printing, no one knows it all. Though the technology has been around since the 1980s, it’s only recently... Read more

8 Tips from MakerBot for Making Better 3D-Printed Objects for Your Small Business

Both an art and a science, 3D printing is actually easy to do, but difficult to master. The experts at MakerBot have seen... Read more

Carrie Mae Rose

Does mankind’s destiny lie in the stars? Artist Carrie Mae Rose thinks so. Her show... Read more

3D printing to order in Nizhny Novgorod, the cost of services

The cost of printing on a 3d printer allows you to use the service not only for commercial and state enterprises, but also for individuals - innovative production technologies have become widely available. Prototyping of 3d models is the reading of information from a computer program by special equipment and translation into a real object by successive building up layer by layer until the formation of a finished product. ProPlast-NN LLC carries out 3d printing to order - the price of is calculated individually depending on the size of the object, the number of samples ordered, the material from which they will be made and the method of prototyping.

3d printing and prototyping - the latest technologies in practice

The combination of computer technology with production allows you to multiply the speed of production, reduce the cost of creating the necessary items. Volumetric printing is developing at a rapid pace, from the realm of fantasy, it has become a familiar production process, which can be carried out using various methods. Order 3d printing in Nizhny Novgorod for one model or batch of products, just call Pro Plast-NN LLC at the numbers listed on the site. The customer will receive a three-dimensional plastic part, made with a high degree of accuracy according to the drawings or based on a real analogue. Small-scale production of products by 3D printing and prototyping is possible.

Where the created 3d models and prototypes are used

Prototyping on 3d printers allows you to quickly and at low cost get a sample of the desired part from a polymer material, made with a high degree of accuracy, without roughness or distortion. Depending on the technology used and the material from which the sample is made, the product acquires high-tech properties: ideal shape, strength, plasticity, temperature stability. Models have found application in many areas, so they make custom 3d printing companies of different specializations:

  • medicine;
  • automotive;
  • serial industrial production: mechanical engineering, instrumentation, metallurgy;
  • architecture - when creating models of buildings and complexes;
  • design;
  • souvenir production.

How 3d prototyping is carried out

The basis for prototyping is a 3d image of an object, compiled by a computer program with three-dimensional modeling functions. 3d custom prototyping is performed with high accuracy of transferring an image into a physical object using one of several possible methods:

  1. FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). A moving molten polymer thread forms an object of complex geometric shape in layers, which can subsequently withstand high mechanical and thermal loads.
  2. SLS (Eng. Selective Laser Sintering). This is the sintering of a powder in a container under the targeted action of a laser beam.
  3. MJM (from the English. Multi Jet Modeling - modeling with many nozzles). Multi-nozzle 3d printer prototyping , applying molten material with multiple inkjet heads, based on the principle of laser printer.
  4. LOM (from the English Laminated Object Manufacturing - the production of an object by lamination). Bonding layer by layer of thin films, as is done with lamination. After reaching the desired volume with a laser tool, an object of the desired shape is cut out of the mass.
  5. SLM (from English Selective Laser Melting - selective laser melting). Selective fusion of metal with a targeted laser beam, resulting in a solid object.
  6. EBM (from the English Electron Beam Melting - electron beam melting). Creation of a product from a powder that is melted by a directed electron beam.
  7. STL (from English stereolithography - stereolithography). Purposeful formation of a solid object by a laser beam directed into a container with liquid polymer rubber.

Benefits of 3d printing and prototyping

What are the advantages and benefits for a customer who decides to order 3D printing with printer?

Before launching a new product into mass production, an enterprise can purchase a prototype, test it, make changes to avoid errors in the design development of the product, and reduce the cost of production.

If a private or public enterprise needs to produce a small batch of products, it is more profitable for him to apply for a small-scale prototyping service than to carry out design and engineering development and testing of prototypes, reconfigure production, use labor resources and equipment. Printing on a 3D printer at affordable prices will save businesses a significant amount, reduce production costs.

The desired samples can be obtained in a short period, regardless of the degree of complexity of the object being created. Typically, the prototyping process lasts from one to ten days, depending on the specifics of the chosen manufacturing method. You can place an order for 3D printing at Pro Plast-NN LLC - we will answer your questions, calculate the cost, conclude an agreement and print products in a short time.

The cost of 3d printing on the printer is low, which allows customers to reduce their own costs for design development, testing and sample production. LLC "Pro Plast-NN" makes high-quality 3D printing - the price is calculated by managers individually, depending on the volume, complexity of the work, the chosen manufacturing method and the material from which the sample is printed.

The cost of prototyping and creating 3d models

Answer to question how much it costs to print on a 3d printer depends primarily on the number of ordered products, the material from which the product is made, the size of the object, and the technology of its manufacture.

The company "Pro Plast-NN" has the possibility of small-scale production of parts - we can produce a whole batch of products. The cost of a single sample is higher than products produced in batches.

Pro Plast-NN LLC offers 3D printing in Nizhny Novgorod at prices below market prices. Many businesses and individuals who once applied for the service prints on a 3d printer to order become our regular customers - we guarantee the quality of the resulting products, fast production speed, meeting deadlines.

3D printing in Krasnoyarsk to order. Printing services on a 3D printer. Cost calculation.

Why choose us?

Own production of plastics

Large fleet, more than 50 units. 3D printers

More than 25 branch cities

Instant calculation of terms and costs

Name *

Telephone *

E-mail *

Desired budget

Deadline

Number of items *

Delivery available * AllowedNot allowed

Task description and product requirement *

Allow public publication of the announcement

Payment to the current account (for legal entities)

Examples of our work

3D printing in Krasnoyarsk

The VolPrint group of companies produces high-quality 3D shapes and forms in accordance with modern standards. 3D printing is a promising direction in the field of rapid prototyping of plastics and other raw materials. Advantages. The use of additive technologies in modern production, prototyping, modeling and other areas has advantages that make it possible to distinguish this technique from others. Among the main advantages we note: Wide operating vector. Printing enables customers to create a product for almost every industry - test samples, models or parts for presentations, practically functioning products. Fast production speed. Unlike common methods of obtaining primary samples, 3D printing reduces the process of their production to several hours. Extensive possibilities. With modern equipment, you can recreate all kinds of objects, you are not limited by anything. Variety of materials. We print not only from plastic, for example from other raw materials: rubber-like materials, photopolymers, etc.

VolPrint services

Our company has been printing 3D products for more than 5 years. A successful combination of experience, good raw materials, personal equipment and high skill of employees, allows us to provide our customers with 3D printing services without sacrificing quality.


Learn more