Do You Need Any 3D printing, Injection Molding, 3D CAD design or Prototyping?

[Nathan Douglas]

BuildingBots.com
1-800-326-0188​

Hi Fastlaners,


Do you need some help going from idea to product? At BuildingBots, the Fastlane Forum's resident 3D printing company, we got you covered. Whether you need us to 3D print your object using our fleet of over 14 commercial 3D printers, or have us make a 3D CAD of your object, we will work with you throughout the whole process until you are completely satisfied with the end result. When your prototype is ready, we offer Injection Molding and packaging, so you can add "Made in USA" on your product.



Design Assistance | Call 1-800-326-0188

Here's How It Works!

1) Message us at service@buildingbots.com or give us a call at 1-800-326-0188, briefly explaining your idea. We ask that you also send us drawings or sketches of your idea/object to help us better assist you.

2) We will message you back with a quote for your project, or any further questions we have about your idea/object

3) If you accept the quote, we will work with you so we have a clear idea of your design. This process will include messaging back and forth, and having you send more drawings and sketches if applicable. Throughout the process, we will provide 3D renderings of your object so you can provide feedback and perfect the design. We require the full payment be paid before we start the design process.

4) Once your design is completed to your satisfaction, we will transfer the files to you.



AVAILABLE MATERIALS
All of our materials and finishes are as follows...


Available Metals (No Pictures Available Yet)

Stainless Steel
Cobalt Chrome
Maraging Steel
Titanium Alloy
Aluminium
NickelAlloy

Non-Metal Materials

ABS CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Digital ABS CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Full Color Sandstone CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

PLA CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Polypropylene CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Rigid Plastic CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Rubber CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Transparent CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Ultraviolet-cured resin CLICK HERE FOR SPECS

Finishes (Pictured from left to right)

1. Support Removal Only (SRO)
2. Shot Peen (Media: Ceramic & Metal Beads)
3. Shot/Sand Blast (Media: Aluminum Oxide)
4. Medium Polished (Add .008’’ of Material)
5. Brush Finish (Polished First)
6. Mirror Polish (Add minimum of .015’’ of Material)
7. Light Sanded (No extra material required)

Meet the Fleet (Not all printers are shown)

CONNEX 500

Color-material-based

Resolution-16 microns

Build Tray Size-19.70 in x 15.70 in x 7.90 in

Materials-Over 107 Materials Including

RIGID PLASTICTRANS, PARENT MATERIAL, DIGITAL ABSPOLYPROPYLENE-LIKE MATERIAL, RUBBER-LIKE MATERIAL, HIGH-TEMPERATURE PLASTIC

CONNEX 500 3

Color-material-based, 10 color pallets

Resolution-16 microns

Build Tray Size-19.70 in x 15.70 in x 7.90 in

Materials-Over 180 Materials Including

RIGID PLASTIC, TRANSPARENT MATERIAL, DIGITAL ABS, POLYPROPYLENE-LIKE MATERIAL, RUBBER-LIKE MATERIAL, HIGH-TEMPERATURE PLASTIC

FORTUS 250MC

Color-9 colors

Resolution-178 microns

Build Tray Size-10.00 in x 10.00 in x 12.01 in

Materials-

ABS PLASTIC

PROJET 660 PRO

Color-full-color

Resolution-100 microns

Build Tray Size-10.00 in x 15.00 in x 7.99 in

Materials-

FULL-COLOR SANDSTONE

PROJET HD 3500 MAX

Color-crystal (natural)

Resolution-16 microns

Build Tray Size-11.73 in x 7.28 in x 7.99 in

Materials-

ULTRAVIOLET-CURED RESIN

UPRINT SE PLUS

Color-9 colors

Resolution-254 microns

Build Tray Size-7.99 in x 7.99 in x 5.98 in

Materials-

ABS PLASTIC

ZPRINTER 650

Color-full-color

Resolution-100 microns

Build Tray Size-10.00 in x 15.00 in x 7.99 in

Materials-

FULL-COLOR SANDSTONE

Visit www.buildingbots.com for more information...

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

Approved, cool stuff!

 

[theag]

Now thats a useful ad!

 

[justbreathe]

Thanks for sharing @Nathan Douglas.
What is the ideal format for Building Bots to receive drawing/sketches? (Digital? CAD? Paper sketches? Etc.)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Nathan Douglas]

@justbreathe

You could take a picture of a drawing, and send it to our email, that would be the best way. Unless you already have a CAD file you could send us.

 

[Ramble On]

Can you do anything with silicone?

 

[Nathan Douglas]

@Ramble On

Not at the moment. We will be adding new materials soon. If we add silicone I will let you know.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ramble On]

@Ramble On

Not at the moment. We will be adding new materials soon. If we add silicone I will let you know.

Thanks for your response. I understand you not offering it at the moment but is it even possible to use silicone with 3d printing?

 

[TJPB]

Handy! Very cool.

 

[Nathan Douglas]

Thanks for your response. I understand you not offering it at the moment but is it even possible to use silicone with 3d printing?

You're welcome.

Absolutely, it's possible using certain types of 3D printers or attachments with the extruders.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Robbypz]

What is the maximum size your company can print?

 

[Robbypz]

Scratch that question, I just seen the tray sizes.

 

[Nathan Douglas]

@Robbypz

If larger objects are needed, we can always print in pieces as well.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[biophase]

Can you explain why I would use 3D printing? Is it just to prototype or is it a viable production avenue also? I have a few product ideas but don't understand if a 3D printer can run say 600 units for me cost effectively, after the prototype is made.

 

[Developmental]

Couple of questions for a project I might have in the future

What grade of stainless do you use?
What kind of microstructure are you getting with this process?
Any issues with porosity/voidage?
hardness?
Do you have the facilities to heat treat items after production? (long shot)

I haven't really considered 3d printing for my project as I'm not too sure of metallurgical properties of the process. As you know using machining stainless in a chip forming process is a nightmare when it comes to keeping hardness within spec even worse with the nickel alloys

Cheers

 

[Nathan Douglas]

Can you explain why I would use 3D printing? Is it just to prototype or is it a viable production avenue also? I have a few product ideas but don't understand if a 3D printer can run say 600 units for me cost effectively, after the prototype is made.

A big reason to 3D print is to prototype, of course. It's more cost effective than traditional prototyping, and we can tweak the CAD file before it gets to the printer to make sure everything will come out just right. It also takes less time to go from idea to physical product.

Using 3D printing to do small runs of product is great as well, as you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on tooling. Now if you were going to do a few thousand units, injection molding is definitely the way to go.

To see if your product would be cheaper to produce with 3D printing, I would need to quote it. I could also quote injection molding pricing as well.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Nathan Douglas]

@Developmental

I have answered your questions in red.

1. What grade of stainless do you use?
a. Technically we offer two types, 15-5 & 17-4. However, we have found 17-4 to be less than ideal for use in some cases – I always steer people to 15-5. PH1 or 15-5 is a precipitation hardenable stainless steel.

2. What kind of micro structure are you getting with this process?
a. As a result of the building process we have a duplex microstructure (martensite and alpha ferrite). This forces use to use modified H900 heat treatments to get to a respectable HRC value.

3. Any issues with porosity/voidage?
a. Being a power metallurgy process, there is always risk for porosity. However, our process typically produces 99% or greater part density. Fully functional products are produced on a daily basis

4. hardness?
a. As Built ~ 30 – 35 HRC
b. Post Hardened ~ 40 HRC

5. Do you have the facilities to heat treat items after production? (long shot)
We can heat treat most parts at our location. Specific ASTM standard etc. will need to go out to our local partner.

 

[Nathan Douglas]

@Developmental

Also- here is a link to the stainless steel page on our site, just in case you find any of that information useful. http://www.buildingbots.com/stainless-steel/

 

[Marc B.]

This is a rare service; thank you for offering! I browsed your website, but couldn't find an answer to this question:

How much can I expect to spend on your service? Which factors determine the price per item? e.g. size, time, material(s)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Nathan Douglas]

@Marc B.

Just the material usage and shipping are the only factors determining pricing. Shipping is typically only 5.99 for most objects we have been doing. A average price with customers ordering prints is about 120 per print. These are items that are larger than 4x4x4 inches.

3D Design time is $75/hr. Most projects take between 2-4 hours to design. Depending on size and complexity.

 

[Marc B.]

@Nathan Douglas
I have several parts drawn and rendered in Solid Works, and now I have some questions for you.

1. Can Building Bots do one-off prints for prototyping, or only bulk orders?
2. Which file types work best with the Building Bots system?
3. Which rates apply since no 3D-design time is necessary on your part?
4. Are hourly rates always prorated?

Thank you.

 

[yahdmon]

Site down? Can't get on. Too many interests?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.