3D printing company similar to PCBWAY for circuit board - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Wilson__
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 07:25:43 pm
content: Which is the "goto" (popular and many people use them) 3D printing service company.You send them file (and $$) and them mail you finished (3D printed) product. A (5-sided) (a bit roung edges so it is not 'sharp' for safety in use) box to house electronic and a lid (as the 6th side).Size W and L is less than 100mm. H is less than 50mm.Good for quality of one and small batch runs of tens.Many thanks

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 08:18:52 pm
content: PcbWay does it. I used them a couple times with no issues. You have a number of material options, but the prices go up sharply for anything outside of the basic resins.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 08:39:25 pm
content: There's a lot of such services. Yes PCBWay does that, but also many companies dedicated to just 3D printing. A simple Google search should give heaps of links.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 11:14:49 pm
content: then you discover subtractive metal enclosures are about the same price....

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 11:40:10 pm
content: Where can you get machined metal for the same price as 3D printed ones? I just tried with a basic half box and 3D printed one was $1.55 at 50 pcs. Machined aluminum one was $17.You can probably get it cheaper with extruded stuff, but that limits your options quite a bit.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 12:51:43 am
content: As above PCBWay, also JLC does ithttps://jlc3dp.com/

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 01:54:05 am
content: Note that an alternative to 3D printing for small-series plastic enclosures, often overlooked, is plastic machining. Some companies offer custom enclosures this way, like:https://www.polycase.com/customized-enclosuresOf course you'll have to pick from existing shapes, but after that, there's some amount of customization possible.The result is usually much better looking than 3D printing and more durable.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 02:57:32 am
content: I've had a number of things 3D printed in resin by PCBWay, really happy with the results and price, I don't even bother 3D printing stuff myself now.

author: Wilson__
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 03:31:20 am
content: New to 3D printing. What is resin? How much is tolerance?Is "resin" means focusing UV light onto liquid and the focus UV spot turn liquid into solid?How about the other Powder Bed Fusion printing method compare with liquid 'resin'? It uses very fine powder. Focused laser 'melt and fuse' the powder and a new very thin layer of powder is sprayed on top and repeat.I need plastic not metal. Not to specfic about what plastic. Only need basic duarability and mechanical strength, nothing special. Basically similar to photo

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 03:37:16 am
content: Quote from: Wilson__ on April 28, 2024, 03:31:20 amGo to PcbWay, they describe all the materials they have and the properties of those materials.Yes, resin here is UV curable resin, so the parts are printed on the SLA printers. It ends up being like hard plastic. It is dimensionally accurate, but keep in mind that there is some amount of manual sanding after the printing to remove marks left by the printing process.The best way to figure out if it works for you is to order a few sample parts from different materials.

author: sw_guy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 04:46:44 am
content: www.shapeways.com