Engineering-Led 3D Printing Services
Plan D Design provides engineering-led 3D printing services for rapid prototypes, functional components, jigs, fixtures, tooling and low-volume production. Our engineering background means we can do more than simply print a supplied file — we can help develop, optimise or reverse engineer the component and select an appropriate material and manufacturing process for the application.
Rapid Prototyping
Quickly turn your CAD or STL files into tangible prototypes, accelerating product development and innovation cycles.
Diverse Material Options
Choose from a wide range of plastics in-house like PETG-CF, Nylon 6, Nylon 12, PPS, PPC, PAHT or high-grade metals like steel and titanium through our technology partners for tailored engineering solutions.
Scalable Production
From single units to large batch runs, our flexible production capabilities ensure consistent quality and timely delivery for your projects.
Explore Our 3D Printing Expertise
3D printing is a manufacturing process, not an engineering solution in itself.
Material, print orientation, wall thickness, tolerances, temperature, loading, surface finish and the printing process itself can all determine whether a component works successfully.
Because we’re an engineering design company as well as an additive manufacturing provider, we can assess the application and help optimise the design, material and manufacturing method for the required performance.
Print From Existing CAD
Send STEP, STL or other suitable data and we’ll review it for manufacture.
Design & DfAM
We can design new components or optimise existing designs for additive manufacturing.
Reverse Engineer Existing Parts
No CAD? We can 3D scan or measure an existing component and recreate it.
Select the Right Process
We’ll recommend an appropriate material and manufacturing process based on what the component actually needs to do.
Prototype Printing
Bring your initial designs to life with high-precision, one-off prototype printing.
Metal Printing Options
Access durable metal parts, including steel and titanium, through our trusted partners.
Batch Production
Efficiently produce large runs with consistent quality using diverse plastic materials.
What We 3D Print
Discover our clear, step-by-step guide to bring your 3D designs to reality with ease and precision.
- Rapid prototypes
- Functional prototypes
- Replacement and obsolete components
- Jigs & fixtures
- Manufacturing aids
- Low-volume production parts
- Composite tooling
- Patterns, moulds and tooling
- Product-development prototypes
- Large-format components
- Specialist engineering parts
Our Process
Step One: Submit Your Design
Upload your CAD or STL files to start. We review every detail to ensure accuracy before printing.
Or talk with us about our 3D scanning & Reverse Engineering service.
Step Two: Material Selection
Choose from a variety of plastics or metals like steel and titanium to suit your project needs.
Final Step: Production & Delivery
We bring your prototype or production batch to life with expert 3D printing and timely delivery.
Materials & Technologies
Showcasing our precise 3D printing capabilities, tailored materials, and flexible production options that set us apart in delivering your custom engineering needs.
Engineering FDM – Functional parts, jigs, fixtures, tooling, prototypes and larger components
Resin Printing – High-detail prototypes, small complex components, patterns and presentation models
Nylon/MJF/SLS – Strong production-quality polymer components and low-volume batches
Composite Materials – Carbon/glass-filled polymers for increased stiffness, strength and temperature capability
Metal Additive – Specialist steel, aluminium and titanium components through trusted manufacturing partners
Not sure what material you need? Tell us what the component has to do rather than specifying a material. We can help identify an appropriate solution.
Precision Prototyping
Create detailed prototypes from your CAD files with high accuracy and quick turnaround times.
Advanced Material Selection
Choose from diverse plastics in-house and premium metals like steel and titanium via our trusted partners.
From One-Off Parts to Production
With multiple printers across multiple site we can handle single units to large batch runs, we flexibly scale to meet your manufacturing demands.
Where quantities increase beyond the point at which additive manufacturing makes commercial sense, we can also advise on alternative manufacturing processes and help transition the design into production.
Tailored Engineering Support
Collaborate with our experts to customize solutions perfectly aligned with your industry requirements.
FAQ
What file formats do you accept for 3D printing? – STP, Parasolid, STL, 3DF or OBJ
Can you 3D print a part if I don’t have a CAD model? – We need a 3D model for printing, but we can help create 3D models where neccessary.
Can you copy an existing or obsolete component? – Yes, we refer to this as reverse engineering and it is a service we offer.
What materials can you 3D print? – PLA, Nylon, ABS, ASA, PETG, PPS, PPC, PC, PBT are all plastic materials we print with. For metal additive manufacture we can print in a range of grades of steel, aluminium and titanium.
Can you produce functional engineering parts? – Yes many of the parts we produce are functional engineering parts. We can help determine the materials required for your use as well if needed.
Can you manufacture batches rather than one-off prototypes? – Yes, we can manmufacture batches of any size, however there are quantities above which other manufacturing processes might be more suitable and we can advise and help with that determination too.
How large a component can you print? – 420mm x 420mm x 420mm as a single component, but we can plit larger parts into pieces and print and reassemble if larger parts are required.
How much does professional 3D printing cost? – This is all dependent on the component. Material quanties, support material quantities, time to print all impact the cost of a 3D print. Contact us and we’ll be able to quote your specific needs.
Can you help choose the right material? – Yes we are engineers with 3D printing capability, so we are able to understand your components use and advise on suitable materials.
Can you design the component as well as print it? – Yes, we are 3D CAD designers with 3D printing capability so we can create designs for 3D printing and other manufacturing processes too.