3D printing for businesses – prototypes, parts and batches
Prototypes, replacement parts, signs, branded items and batches for businesses, from one piece to a few hundred.
Last updated 13 Oct 2026
The short answer
We 3D print for businesses: prototypes, replacement parts for equipment and fixtures, jigs and holders, signs, scan-to-review QR stands and branded items, from one piece to a few hundred. You get a fixed price within 24 hours (Mon–Sat), volume discounts from 2 pieces, and an invoice with your PO number. We're not VAT registered, so no VAT is added: the price you see is final.
Who we print for
Car dealers and garages
Key tags and number-plate keyrings for handovers, phone and tablet mounts for the workshop, discontinued trim clips, tool holders and fixtures for jobs you do every week.
Estate and letting agents
Branded key tags with property codes, logo blocks for the desk, door signs for the office, and scan-to-review QR stands for the counter.
Salons and cafés
Scan-to-review QR stands with your Google review link, menu and price holders, logo signs, and replacement parts for equipment.
Trades
Drill guides and jigs, case and toolbox inserts, cable guides, spacers and packers, and sealant nozzles. Repeat the same jig as often as you need it.
Schools and clubs
Name keyrings for a whole class or team, desk name plates, trophies and medals in club colours, and labels and signs.
Small manufacturers
Prototypes before tooling, jigs, fixtures and gauges for the line, spare covers and knobs for older machines, and short runs of plastic parts.
Retail
Price-tag and card holders, display risers and stands, shelf-edge signs and product-specific display pieces in your brand colours.
Events
Table numbers, name places, signs, props and branded giveaways, printed in batches with a different name or number on each.
What we make
- Prototypes: test a shape, a fit or a product idea before paying for tooling. One piece, then changes, then another.
- Replacement parts: discontinued knobs, clips, covers and brackets for equipment, fixtures and machines, made from a photo and measurements. See replacement parts from a photo.
- Jigs, fixtures and holders: drill guides, assembly jigs, tool holders and organisers made to size.
- Signs and review stands: door signs, desk plates and scan-to-review QR stands with your business name.
- Branded items: your logo or name in more than one colour, printed in one go. No painting or stickers.
- Small batches: from 2 pieces to a few hundred, each one printed from the same file so they match.
Volume prices
Each job is priced on the plastic and printer time it uses, then the discount comes off for every item when you order more of the same thing. These are the same tiers our instant estimate uses:
| How many of the same item | Discount |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full price |
| 2–9 | 5% off |
| 10–49 | 10% off |
| 50–99 | 20% off |
| 100 or more | 25% off |
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Business batches and branded items (10+) | from £1.50 each |
| Bigger parts and prototypes | quoted, design time shown |
| Volume discount | 5% at 2+, 10% at 10+, 20% at 50+, 25% at 100+ |
| Postage | Royal Mail 2nd Class from £2.99, or collect free in Colchester by arrangement |
Upload a file to the instant estimate to see the discount applied, or send a photo or sample through the request form for a quote.
Lead times
- Quote: a fixed price and a ready date within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday.
- Standard jobs: ready in 3–5 working days after you approve the quote.
- Express: next working day, if we have room, at 1.5× the standard price.
- 50 pieces or more: we give you a date with the quote, based on how long the batch takes to print.
- Prototypes: if a part needs a test fit, we print one first so you can check it before the batch.
Then we post it (Royal Mail 2nd Class from £2.99, or Royal Mail Tracked 48 for bigger parcels), or you collect free from our Colchester office, by arrangement.
Invoices, PO numbers and VAT
- Invoices: we send an invoice for every business order, with your company name, your PO number if you give us one, and the job reference.
- Payment: by bank transfer against the invoice.
- VAT: we're not VAT registered, so no VAT is added. The price you see is final.
Repeat orders
Every request gets a job reference: CR followed by five letters and numbers. We keep your file on record, so you can reorder by quoting the reference and how many you need, for example "Reorder CR7K2QM, 50 more". Repeat prints come from the same file and settings, so they match the last batch.
Confidential designs and NDAs
We're happy to sign your NDA before you send files. Your files are only used for your order: we never share them, sell them or use them for anyone else.
Files we accept
- 3D files: STEP is best for engineering parts (we quote these by hand), plus STL, 3MF and OBJ. See printing your STL file.
- No file? Photos with a ruler in shot, a sketch with measurements, or a sample part.
- Size: up to 34 × 32 cm in one piece. Bigger parts can sometimes be printed in sections and joined.
- Detail: walls at least about 1.2 mm thick.
- Materials: PLA, PETG and TPU, with ASA on request. See the materials guide.
A free sample card for local businesses
If you're a business in or near Colchester, ask for a free material sample card. You can feel the plastics and see the colours and finishes before you order. Ask through the request form and choose "A batch for my business".
What we won't print
Other companies' logos or designs without permission, weapons, safety-critical parts (brakes, steering, seat belts, child seats, anything carrying weight over people), and anything that touches food or drink.
Questions
Is there a minimum order for businesses?
No minimum quantity. The minimum order value is £10, and the price per piece drops from 2 pieces upwards.
Do you add VAT?
No. We're not VAT registered, so no VAT is added and the price you see is final.
Can you put our PO number on the invoice?
Yes. Give us your PO number with the order and it goes on the invoice, along with the job reference.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. Send it before your files and we'll sign it. Your files are only ever used for your order.
How do we reorder the same part?
Quote the job reference from your first order and tell us how many. We print from the same file and settings, so the parts match.
Can you make prototypes?
Yes. We print a first version, you test it, and we change the design and print again. Design time is shown in the quote before anything is printed.
Do you only work with Colchester businesses?
No. We post across England, Scotland and Wales. Local businesses can also collect from our Colchester office by arrangement.
More 3D printing services
- Custom 3D printing serviceSend a photo, a sketch or a file. Free quote within 24 hours.
- Print your file – instant estimateUpload an STL, 3MF or OBJ and see a price range straight away.
- Replacement parts from a photoKnobs, clips, covers and brackets, made from a photo of the broken one.
- STL, 3MF and OBJ printingWe print your file in PLA, PETG or TPU, up to 34 × 32 cm.
- Car interior partsClips, trims, holders and cup holder adapters. Interior, non-safety parts only.
- Materials guide: PLA, PETG or TPUWhich plastic suits your part: heat, sun, flex and strength.
- 3D printing in ColchesterOur studio, collection by arrangement, and printing for local businesses.
- 3D printing in EssexPosted to every Essex town, or collect in Colchester.