Materials and Finishes

The right starting point is the job your part needs to do. Material names alone do not tell the whole story: geometry, orientation, production settings and the environment also affect the result.

Tell us about the environment

• Will the part be used indoors, outdoors or near a source of heat?
• Will it carry a load, flex repeatedly, slide against another part or be exposed to impact?
• Could it encounter moisture, sunlight, oils or cleaning products?
• Is appearance more important than mechanical behaviour, or do both matter?

Appearance and surface finish

3D printed surfaces can show layers, texture or marks from the manufacturing process. The shape and orientation of a part affect which surfaces are most visible. If you have a particular face, edge or mating surface that matters, identify it in your enquiry.

Tell us whether you need a display model, a part for handling, or a component that must fit an assembly. Finishing requests, including any smoothing, coating or assembly work, are reviewed before they are included in a specification. No finishing process is assumed to be part of a quote.

Colour preferences

You can name a preferred colour, describe the look you want, or choose “not sure” in the quote form. Exact shades, matching requirements and available options need to be agreed before production. A colour shown on screen is a reference, not a guarantee of the finished shade.

Applications that need specific evidence

Let us know if a part is intended for food contact, medical use, electrical insulation, load-bearing work or another safety-critical application. A generic material description is not evidence that a finished part is suitable or certified. We do not make those claims on this website.

For an introduction to the trade-offs, read our guide to choosing materials.