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Insight · RYSE 3D

3D Printing Guides & Engineering Insight

Practical 3D printing guidance from a UK production bureau — not a content farm. Every article here is written by the engineers who run the machines: how to choose between SLS, MJF, FDM and SLA, what tolerances really hold, which finishing process suits which part, and how parts are actually priced. Written against our own process data, across 24 production material grades and more than 2.5 million components in service.

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3D printing blog · additive manufacturing guides · material selection · design for 3D printing · UK

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Six subjects, covered properly

We write about the questions that actually come in on quotes — the ones where a wrong answer costs a tool, a programme slot or a redesign.

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Material selection

Choosing between nylons, carbon and glass filled grades, TPUs and resins on real mechanical data rather than marketing figures. Start with the material datasheets.

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Design for additive

Wall thicknesses, clearances, hole sizes, orientation and the geometry that quietly fails on a powder-bed or FDM machine. See the design guidelines.

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Process comparisons

SLS against MJF, FDM against both, SLA where detail matters more than toughness — with the honest limits of each. Start with SLS vs MJF, or compare on the SLS, FDM and SLA pages.

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Finishing & post-processing

Vapour smoothing, shot blasting, vibro polishing, dyeing and A-class paint — what each one does to the surface, and to the dimensions. See all finishing processes.

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Pricing & lead times

Why nesting density drives powder-bed cost, what makes a part expensive, and how volume changes the maths. See pricing and lead times.

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Applications in service

How printed parts are used in production programmes — automotive, drones, robotics, marine, machine build and beyond. Browse the industries.

SLS FDM SLA SLS vs MJF Finishing Design guidelines Datasheets Pricing FAQ

Reference library

Where to look for what

Reviewed by the RYSE 3D engineering team · August 2026

If you need	Go to
Mechanical data for a material	Material datasheets — tensile, modulus, elongation and heat deflection with the ISO method cited against every value
Wall thickness and clearance rules	Design guidelines — minimum features, tolerances and orientation guidance per process
Help choosing a nylon process	SLS vs MJF — thirteen attributes compared, with an honest verdict on each
A surface finish decision	Finishing — including vapour smoothing, vibro polishing and shot blast polishing
A price and a lead time	Pricing and lead times, or go straight to the instant quote for up to 100,000 parts
A part in your hand	Request a sample — printed and finished parts, posted UK wide
A quick answer	3D printing FAQ — ordering, file formats, tolerances, materials and lead times
Every article	The full article index

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FAQ

Questions we answer most often

Which 3D printing process should I choose?

It comes down to what the part has to do. SLS and MJF suit tough, isotropic nylon parts and nest well for volume, so they are the usual production choice — and SLS vs MJF compares the two properly. FDM is the route for large parts and for high-temperature, fibre-reinforced grades. SLA wins where surface finish, fine detail or optical clarity matter more than toughness. If you are unsure, send the CAD and we will tell you which process we would run it on and why.

How accurate is 3D printing?

Achievable tolerances depend on the process, the material and the geometry — a small, stiff part holds far tighter than a long, thin one that has to resist thermal movement in the build. Our design guidelines set out realistic figures per process, and every quote gets a free design review that flags features unlikely to hold before you commit.

Can 3D printing be used for production, not just prototypes?

Yes — it is most of what we do. We run more than 100 printers across an 8,000 sq ft facility with ISO 9001 certification and PPAP level 1–4 approval, and over 2.5 million components have gone into service from it across 25 vehicle programmes. Our instant quote prices up to 100,000 parts, which is the point at which additive stops being a prototyping tool and becomes a manufacturing one.

How much does 3D printing cost in the UK?

Cost is driven by the volume of material a part consumes, how efficiently it nests alongside other parts in the build, the process and any finishing. The fastest answer is the instant quote — upload the CAD and get a real price in seconds rather than waiting on a sales call. Pricing and lead times explains what moves the number.

What file format do I need to send?

STL and STEP are the two we ask for. STEP is preferred where you have it, because it carries the exact geometry rather than a triangulated approximation, which matters on curved surfaces and tight-fitting features. Upload straight into the instant quote.

Which finishing process should I specify?

For a glossy, sealed, moulded-look surface, vapour smoothing. For an even satin finish that holds dimensions across a batch, vibro polishing. For powder-bed parts headed for dye, shot blast polishing gives the most even result. All the options sit on the finishing page.

Where are your articles written, and by whom?

In-house, by the RYSE 3D engineering team at our facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, against our own build and inspection data. Where an article quotes a material property we cite the test method with it, and where a process has a limitation we say so rather than writing around it.

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