At a glance
| Best for | Batches of roughly 5 to 100 identical parts, or a product still changing between runs |
|---|---|
| Material | PETG — black as standard, white and other colours on request |
| Typical price | Per-part cost falls with quantity — ask for a batch price above about 10 |
| Lead time | Small batches 2–5 working days; larger runs quoted on the file |
| Minimum order | None, but the economics start making sense around five |
| Maximum part size | 256 × 256 × 256 mm in one piece; larger parts split and joined |
What we take on
- Pre-production batches before committing to a mould
- Small product runs sold in low numbers
- Spares kept in stock for equipment you support
- Bridge production while tooling is being made
What to send
Batch work is quoted properly rather than through the instant calculator, because the sums change with quantity.
- The STL, ideally the version you are confident is final
- The quantity, and whether that repeats monthly or is one-off
- Any dimension that must stay consistent across every part
- When you need them — batches are scheduled around single orders
How the price is worked out
The instant tool prices one part at a time and applies the handling fee per order, so a batch quoted through it will read high. Send the file with a quantity and we will price the run properly: material stays the same per unit, but machine time drops when parts are nested on one plate, and handling and packing is spread across the batch.
Where this works well
- Runs where the design might still change — no tooling to write off
- Parts too big or too few for moulding to make sense
- Getting a product to market before committing capital
Where it doesn’t
- Thousands of units — moulding wins decisively somewhere in the high hundreds
- Parts needing identical cosmetic finish across the whole run
- Very tight tolerances repeated across many units
Where printing stops being the cheaper answer
A rough guide rather than a rule: below about a hundred parts, printing almost always wins because there is no tool to pay for. Between one hundred and a thousand it depends heavily on the part — small simple shapes tip towards moulding earlier, large or complex ones later. Above a thousand, a mould is usually the right answer and we will say so. We would rather tell you that at the quote stage than take a run you will regret.
Questions people ask about this
Do you hold stock for repeat orders?
We do not stock finished parts, but your file stays on record, so a repeat is a message rather than a fresh setup. Regular customers often place a standing order every few weeks.
Will every part be identical?
Dimensionally, very close — the machines are consistent. Cosmetically there can be slight variation in surface sheen between batches if filament comes from a different roll.
Planning a run?
Send the file and quantity and we will price the batch properly.