Tazz9924
Tazz9924 New Reader
6/20/23 10:17 p.m.

Is there a company like SCS that does general 3d printing with no/low minimums? Looking to get some unique led tail light housings made. 

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
6/20/23 10:41 p.m.

There are a bunch.  Be prepared to pay a LOT.

Protolabs is a big one.

RacetruckRon
RacetruckRon Dork
6/20/23 11:43 p.m.

Craftcloud is by far the best option I've found. I just had some titanium printing done through them. $68 for two titanium 3d printed rings I designed. Got them a week later from China. 
 

Oapfu
Oapfu Reader
6/21/23 12:43 a.m.

Try searching for "3d printing service" or similar phrases.  Many of the big companies will auto-generate a quote when you upload a 3D file to their website.  Also there are some 'broker' meta-sites which will return quotes from multiple companies who do the actual printing.

Or maybe see if these students are still trying to raise $ for a Challenge entry: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/parts-sale/wts-3d-printing-services/237369/page1/

Also keep in mind that the thing coming off the 3d printer doesn't have to the final part, you can use it to make a silicone mold, or in some cases directly 3D print the mold or tooling.  Resin casting is a way to make lenses, and 'forged' wet-layup carbon fiber could make the housings?

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
6/21/23 12:44 a.m.

In reply to RacetruckRon :

Craftcloud does beautiful work. Printed SS done in CA. 

Tazz9924
Tazz9924 Reader
6/21/23 9:39 a.m.

Thank you everyone, I've got some options to work with now!

obsolete
obsolete Dork
6/21/23 12:51 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Whoa, that's awesome. Looks like a casting. Do I want to know what it cost?

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
6/21/23 12:58 p.m.

In reply to obsolete :

Sure, since we're going to cast the ones we sell - this is just a prototype :) I think it was about $1200. It's fairly large. The surface quality is unbelievable.

The manifold in this pic was cast from a 3D printed mold, and most of the prototyping was done in PLA to get these designs finalized. The metal parts will be used for driving prototypes.

obsolete
obsolete Dork
6/21/23 1:34 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Cool! That seems like quite a fair price for the size and quality.

Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter)
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
6/21/23 2:04 p.m.
obsolete said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Cool! That seems like quite a fair price for the size and quality.

It's almost affordable considering it's a one-off.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
6/21/23 2:34 p.m.

In reply to obsolete :

I'd call it cheap. No complaints at all. There's really no other remotely affordable way to do this. 

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
6/21/23 2:48 p.m.

Thats definitely cheap for a prototype like that.

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