3D Printing Service
Get parts 3D printed — designed, optimised, manufactured
I manufacture parts using FDM — and design them if they don't exist yet. Send me a file, a sketch or the broken original.
Die Tüftlerei in Taufkirchen an der Pram manufactures parts by FDM 3D printing — from a single piece. If you have a file, you get printed parts. If you don't, you get the design too. And if your part can't be bought anywhere anymore, you get it rebuilt.
Services
Four things I do for you
From a simple print job to your own in-house production — pick the point where you are right now.
Printing
You have a finished file — STEP, 3MF or STL. I check wall thicknesses, overhangs and part orientation, print it and send you the part. If you prefer, you can get just the print-ready file or the G-code instead of the part.
Design
We develop your part together — an idea, a sketch or a few dimensions become a CAD model. And if you already have a file, I rework it so it prints cleanly and holds up in use.
Reverse Engineering
A part has broken and can't be found anywhere. I measure the original, redraw it as a CAD model and manufacture it — reinforced, if you like, right where it always breaks.
Set up production at your site
You need your parts constantly and want to produce them yourself. I select the right printers, set them up, configure the profiles and train your people. After that, production runs at your site — without me.
Design
Printing is the last step
- New developmentAn idea, a sketch or a few dimensions become a finished CAD model.
- Reworking existing partsYour file is adapted to the printing process instead of just being pushed through.
- You get the modelAs a STEP file on request, so you can have it modified later.
A part designed for a mill or a lathe can be printed — but it usually ends up heavier, more expensive and weaker than necessary. Solid material only costs time. And a screw joint that holds in aluminium will strip in plastic the second time you tighten it.
That's why I look at every model before printing. Sometimes a different part orientation is enough so the load doesn't run across the layers. Sometimes it makes more sense to redraw the part. What comes out isn't a copy of the old part, but the same component — built for the process that will make it.
Reverse Engineering
Rebuilding what no longer exists
A gear breaks, a bracket snaps, a cover is missing — and the manufacturer stopped supplying the part years ago.
- Technical parts with edges, holes and radiiExactly the case that actually gets better without a scanner.
- I can't rebuild freeform surfacesOrganic geometry or heavily worn surfaces need a scanner — I'm not the right person for that.
In cases like these I rebuild the part: I measure the original, redraw it as a CAD model and manufacture it. If the part kept breaking in the same spot, it gets reinforced during the rebuild.
I don't scan — I measure. A scan gives you a mesh of triangles; a measurement gives you a clean CAD model with real dimensions. That can be changed, adapted and reproduced as often as you like.
In-house production
I'll set up your print production
Some businesses don't need their parts once, but all the time — and then it's cheaper to print them yourself than to order every time.
For them, I set up the production: suitable printers selected and installed, material and drying sorted, profiles configured and tested, your people trained. In the end, production runs at your site, and you only need me when a new part has to be designed.
Billed by time at €70 net per hour. Your business buys the printers and accessories itself — I tell you what fits, and you order without any markup through me.
Material and build volume
Which material for which part
Printing is done on FDM printers with a heated chamber and multi-material system. The question is rarely whether I can process a filament — but which one is right for your part.
- Dimensionally stable and affordable — PLAJigs, gauges, display models. Not for heat.
- Tough and practical — PETGShop equipment, housings, parts that need to take some abuse.
- Heat and sun — ASA, ABS, PCAnything that goes outdoors or near heat sources.
- Flexible — TPUDampers, gripper pads, edge protection, sealing lips.
- Stiff and load-bearing — fibre-reinforcedPA-CF or PET-CF for parts that must not deform under load.
- Several materials in one partFor example, soluble support material for geometries that can't be done any other way.
Build volume: 256 × 256 × 256 mm in one piece. Larger parts on request — or split and joined, which for many parts is more stable anyway than a part that maxes out the build volume.
Applications
What businesses use the printer for
Four cases that land on my desk most often.
Process
From model to part
Six steps, so you know what you're getting into.
Files
Which file I need from you
In short: STEP is my favourite. But it works without any file at all, too.
- STEP — preferredLets me make design changes: adjust wall thickness, add a rib, modify a hole.
- 3MF — goodComes with orientation and settings included.
- STL — worksAn STL is a mesh of triangles, not a model. Almost nothing can be changed. If your part needs adapting, I'd rather redraw it than repair the STL.
- Sketch, photo or the original part — also fineA dimensioned hand sketch, photos from all sides or the broken part by post. The CAD model is created here.
Prices
What 3D printing costs with me
Calculated openly so you can follow the quote. All amounts net.
| Item | Price | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | €70/h | Design, rework, reverse engineering, print preparation, finishing, on-site setup |
| Setup | 15,00 € | once per order |
| Print time | €5.00/h | up to 25 print hours |
| Print time from 25 h | €4.00/h | on the entire order |
| Print time from 100 h | €3.50/h | on the entire order |
| Material | Cost price | passed on 1:1, no markup |
| Minimum order value | 40,00 € | even if the invoice is lower |
The setup covers ordering material, loading the file and getting the machine ready to start. Everything I do myself at the computer or on the part — designing, slicing, finishing — is billed as labour and estimated for you in advance.
One part
A bracket, 180 g, 6 hours of print time, 12 minutes of print preparation.
A small batch
25 gripper jaws, 120 g and 2.5 hours each. 62.5 print hours in total — so the rate from 25 hours applies.
I charge filament at cost price: what the spool costs is on the invoice, nothing is added. From 100 print hours there is also an individual discount — just ask.
Consulting
What I advise you on
Not sure yet whether your part belongs in a printer at all? That's exactly what the first conversation is for.
- MaterialWhich filament your part can handle — temperature, load, UV, chemicals. It's usually not what the internet recommends.
- FeasibilityWhether FDM makes sense for your part, or whether milling, an off-the-shelf part or a different design fits better.
- DesignWhat needs to change on the part to make it printable — and roughly what that costs before you place the order.
- Orientation and processHow the part has to sit in the build volume so it holds, and which settings that requires.
The first conversation is free. If it turns into design work, I charge €70 net from the first hour — and tell you in advance how many hours to expect.
Questions
Questions about 3D printing
How much does a 3D-printed part cost?
The price is made up of four parts: €15 setup per order, labour at €70/h, print time at €5.00/h (€4.00 from 25 hours, €3.50 from 100 hours) and material at cost price. The minimum order value is €40. A bracket weighing 180 g with 6 hours of print time therefore costs €61.70 net.
How large can a part be?
256 × 256 × 256 mm in one piece. Larger parts are possible on request — or they are split and joined, which for many parts is more stable and cheaper anyway than a part that maxes out the build volume.
Which materials do you print?
PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, TPU and fibre-reinforced materials such as PA-CF or PET-CF. Printing is done on FDM printers with a heated chamber and multi-material system, so soluble support material is possible too. Tell me what your part has to withstand — I'll take care of choosing the material.
Which file do you need from me?
Preferably STEP, because it lets me make design changes. 3MF works well too. STL works, but can hardly be changed. And if you have no file at all, a dimensioned sketch, photos from all sides or the original part by post is enough.
I don't have a CAD model at all — does that still work?
Yes, that's one of the most common cases. The CAD model is created in-house from your sketch, your dimensions or the existing part. Design costs €70 net per hour, and you get an estimate of how many hours it will take beforehand.
Can you rebuild a spare part that no longer exists?
Yes, I do that regularly. I measure the original, redraw it as a CAD model and manufacture it. If the part always broke in the same spot, it gets reinforced during the rebuild. You get the part — and, on request, the file, so you can have it reproduced at any time.
Do you do 3D scans?
No. I measure by hand and redraw the part. That has an advantage: a scan gives you a mesh of triangles, a measurement gives you a clean CAD model with real dimensions that can be changed later. With freeform surfaces — organic geometry or heavily worn surfaces — this approach does reach its limits, though.
Can a milled or turned part simply be printed?
Usually yes — but rarely sensibly without changes. A part designed for a different process often ends up heavier, more expensive and weaker than necessary when printed. I'll look at the model and tell you whether a redesign is worth it and what it costs.
How long does it take?
The quote arrives within 24 hours. How long manufacturing takes depends on part size, quantity and machine workload — you get the date together with the quote, not afterwards.
What if my model has errors?
Then I'll get in touch before printing. Before every order I check wall thicknesses, overhangs and part orientation. I fix small things along the way; if more is needed, you get an estimate of what the rework costs in advance.
Can I get just the file instead of the part?
Yes. You can get the print-ready model, the finished G-code or a slicer profile tuned to your printer and your material. Then you produce yourself, whenever and as often as you like.
What does it cost to set up print production in my own business?
The setup is billed by time at €70 net per hour — from choosing the printers through installation and material logistics to configured profiles and training your people. Your business buys the printers and accessories itself, without any markup through me.
Enquiry
Request a part
Send me your part — as a file, a sketch or a photo of the original. The quote arrives within 24 hours.
Still unsure? Just give me a call. The first conversation is free, and often within five minutes it's clear whether 3D printing is the right process for your part.
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