FDM 3D PRINTING

FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) builds parts by extruding melted plastic filament one layer at a time. It's the most common and most cost-effective 3D printing technology, ideal for functional prototypes, brackets, jigs, enclosures and parts that need to take real load. Bicester3D runs production FDM printers in PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU and polycarbonate, with 0.2mm tolerance and build volumes up to 340×320×340mm.

FDM for functional parts: brackets, enclosures, fixtures, anything that needs to take load. Wider material range, larger build volume, lower cost per part. SLA when surface finish has to look injection-moulded or fine detail matters: miniatures, jewellery casting, presentation prototypes, fine-feature parts. Most engineering projects start FDM and only move to SLA if surface finish becomes critical.

Single-piece up to 340×320×340mm — the build volume of our production FDM printers. For larger parts we split the model into bondable sections (we can advise on cut lines), then assemble after printing. Most engineering parts and prototypes fit comfortably inside the single-piece envelope.

Standard FDM tolerance is ±0.2mm for PLA, PETG and TPU; ±0.3mm for ABS and ASA. For tighter tolerances, SLA on our Formlabs Form 4 holds ±0.15% (min ±0.05mm) on small parts. Real-world tolerance varies with part geometry, orientation and material shrinkage — if your design is tolerance-critical, send us the drawing and we'll advise on the most accurate process.

FDM prints start from £5 per part (small PLA), with most prototype-sized parts in the £10–£50 range. Cost scales primarily with material volume (cubic centimetres of plastic), then layer height (finer = slower = more expensive), then quantity (volume discounts kick in from 10+ identical parts). Upload your STL or STEP for an instant volume-accurate quote in seconds — no signup required.