How Long Does It Take To 3d Print Something

3D printing a part can accept anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 days or more. There are a several factors that dictate how long it takes to 3d print a part. These include the overall size and geometry of the part as well as the 3D printing engineering science being used. The larger the office or the more complex the geometry, longer it will accept to 3D print.

However, we can offer a quick and dirty answer by providing a few reference points. The parts above correspond the typical size and shape of parts that we 3D print hither at 3 Infinite and should provide you lot with a general idea of how long it might have to 3D impress your ain parts. Of course, this is just an estimation. Read on to learn more than about the various factors that dictate build time for diverse 3D printers.

Role Size

3d-printing-duration-size — *Taller parts will ordinarily have longer to 3D impress than shorter parts, fifty-fifty if their volume is the same.*

Book

Several factors dictate how long it takes to 3D impress a part, but the volume of the part is ordinarily the kickoff indicator. Every bit a general rule, the larger the office the more than time it will take to impress. Nosotros've seen small parts (almost 1 cubic inch) accept equally piddling as 5 minutes to 3D print, while very large parts (100+ cubic inches) can take up of 200 hours.

Footprint (XY)

The office'southward footprint, or the area information technology occupies on the build surface, plays a office in determining the time to 3D print. The larger the footprint, the further the impress caput has to travel from its home position to consummate each layer.

Height (Z)

While the overall size and footprint of import, the build height of a part is probably the unmarried virtually important dimension in determining how long it volition have to 3D print. A office that is 4x4x8" will typically take longer to 3D print than a part that is 5x5x5" even though they are roughly the same volume. That'southward because the taller part will accept more layers and the print caput will therefore have to brand more passes to create them. Barring wildly different geometry, each layer should take roughly the same corporeality of fourth dimension to print.

Part Geometry

3d-printing-complex-longer — *3D printing is faster when parts have simple cross-sectional layers.*

The complexity of a role's geometry is another important factor in determining how long it takes to 3D print. The more complex the part is, the more than circuitous each layer volition be. And the more complex the layers are, the longer information technology will take for the impress head to replicate them.

A function with many small features will have layers that await similar a group of small islands, while a simple cube or sphere volition have 1 large island. The print head will have to draw the boundary each isle and then fill it in, so more islands means more time. Yet, that the degree to which part geometry affects build fourth dimension is highly dependent on the 3D printing engineering being used.

3D Printing Applied science

time-3d-printing-technology — *3D printing technologies with print heads that work like a paint roller are faster than those that work like a paint castor*

At this betoken in that location are about a dozen dissimilar 3D printing technologies and they each create parts using their own unique processes. FDM melts plastic like a hot-glue gun, SLS uses lasers, PolyJet and stereolithography use UV low-cal to solidfy liquid photopolymers and so on. But when discussing how long it takes to 3D print a part, the most important factor is the configuration of the print caput. We can broadly divide impress head configurations into two categories: paint brush and paint roller.

Paint Brush

These are 3D printing technologies where layers are created the same way that yous would paint them on canvas with a castor. The impress extrudes material (or fires a laser, as the case may be) from a single point as it moves all over the build tray, drawing out each isle in the layer. These technologies include FDM, selective light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation sintering and stereolithography.

Pigment Roller

For these technologies the print head evenly passes dorsum and forth beyond the unabridged build tray, the mode y'all might paint a wall with a paint roller. Material is extruded from an array of points on the impress caput, rather than just a single pinpoint. These include PolyJet, MultiJet, and ColorJet 3D printers.

The result of this difference is that "paint brush" printers typically take longer to 3D impress than "paint roller" printers. While the FDM print head has to go spiraling all around the build chamber, cartoon out and filling in each shape in the layer, the PolyJet print head makes a few quick and even passes across the entire bed, regardless of the geometry it'southward printing.

Layer Pinnacle

We've discusses how of import the summit of the overall part is, but the height of the individual layers also determines how long 3D printing takes. Our FDM machines, for instance, tin can build parts with layer heights of 0.005", 0.007", 0.010" or 0.013". Using different layer heights allows you lot to prioritize speed or detail, depending on your part's requirements.

Shorter layer typically mean smaller features, college item and a smoother surface terminate. Only shorter layers also mean that there will be more layers and therefore a longer build time. For case, FDM parts with 0.005" layers tin can accept up to five-10 times longer to 3D print equally parts with 0.013" layers.

Quantity

All of the to a higher place factors that decide how long 3d press takes are compounded when you are printing more than than i copy of the aforementioned object. You will always reduce your per-part time when press multiple copies, but the more factors you already have in your favor, the more time you will relieve.

For example, it takes about an hour to 3D print one re-create of a one" cube on PolyJet, but it only takes two hours to print 25 copies. Meanwhile, printing two copies of a large FDM part with short layers will generally accept almost twice as long as press one.

Post-processing

Post-processing activities include support removal processes to ultimately make clean, rinse, and/or dry out 3D printed parts. Each applied science requires different methods of postal service-processing. Of course, average times vary depending on factors such as size and geometry of the parts. A modest part may simply take xx minutes to clean, while a larger part could take several hours. The most important part of the post-processing activities is to be careful not to break or damage the parts as they can often exist frail depending on their design.

3D Press at 3 Space

At 3 Infinite we offer a diverseness of 3D printing technologies and dozens of materials. Whether you need rapid prototyping or end-use parts, 3D printing is almost always fourth dimension-sensitive. We strive to maintain short pb times for all of our 3D printing services. Click here to learn more than about our services.