Hello Machine Bros!
Today we are going to analyze the one that we consider the best online 3D printing service of 2022. A service that it’s easy to use, affordable, and has worldwide shipping!
Every day many people and companies are requiring the use of 3D printing and sometimes they do not have a 3D printer, either for prototyping, part replacement, decoration, or fun, among other services, so they must look for local or online solutions to get their 3D parts.
After testing different pages of online 3D printing services, we found one that has caught our attention due to its ease of use and price.
JLCPCB a world leader in the production of printed circuit boards is offering a very interesting online 3D printing service, with different 3D printing technologies, and materials at very affordable prices.
So, let’s see more details about this.
What Does the JLCPCB 3D Printing Online Service Offer?
JLCPCB’s online 3D printing service has different additive manufacturing technologies which allow obtaining 3D printed parts for different professional and personal purposes.
They have from the popular 3D printing technology SLA and FDM to 3D printing of stainless steel (SLM), among other technologies.
Let’s see below its portfolio of 3D printing technologies and materials:
3D Printing Technologies Offered by JLCPCB
SLA (Stereolithography)
Stereolithography is one of the most popular 3D printing technologies used today. It uses a container of photosensitive resin and with ultraviolet light generated by a laser, the resin hardens layer by layer until the desired shape is obtained. Depending on the technology, this light can be generated by a laser, by an LCD screen or by a DLP projector.
Available materials and applications:
- LEDO 6060 Resin: High dimensional stability, low shrinkage, and excellent yellowing resistance. Good temperature resistance. Suitable for batch parts. Heatproof: 56℃. Applications: Functional prototypes, moisture-proof/waterproof conceptual models and small batch production in automotive, medical, consumer electronics fields.
- 9000R Resin: High dimensional stability, low shrinkage, and excellent yellowing resistance. Heatproof: 46℃. Applications: Master molds, conceptual models, general accessories, and functional parts in the automobile, medical, and consumer electronics fields.
- 8000 Resin: Natural white, Good Surface Finish, High Toughness/Strength. Heatproof: 46℃. Applications: Accessories, prototypes, enclosures, and art sculptures.
- 8228 Resin: Good surface finish, good toughness, high dimensional stability, low shrinkage, excellent yellowing resistance. Good temperature resistance. Suitable for batch production. Not suitable for high temperature & strong sunlight environment. Heatproof: 56.4 ℃. Application: Master molds, conceptual models, general or functional parts in automotive, medical, and consumer electronics fields.
- Black Resin: Good surface finish, good toughness, high dimensional stability, and low shrinkage. Good temperature resistance, durable, suitable for batch production. Not suitable for high temperature and strong sunlight environment. Heatproof: 58 ℃. Application: Master molds, conceptual models, general or functional parts in automotive, medical, consumer electronics fields.
- 8111X Resin: Good surface finish, fast manufacturing time, high dimensional stability, low shrinkage, excellent yellowing resistance, good temperature resistance. Not suitable for high temperature & strong sunlight environment. Heatproof: 59.1 ℃. Application: Prototype of enclosure verification, general assembly parts, functional parts.
MJF (Multi Jet Fusion)
The MJF technology is a technology owned by HP that uses a plastic powder, a “fusing agent” and a “detailing agent” that, through lamps, generates a reaction that allows the mixture between the powder and the agents to melt and unite creating the desired shape.
Available materials and applications:
- PA 12-HP Nylon: Natural gray, Strong and durable, Watertight, Good chemical resistance. Heatproof: 100℃. Applications: Mechanical & structural parts, mounts, cases, tech accessories, and drone parts.
- PAC-HP Nylon: Full Color, Smooth Surface, Very High Detail. Heatproof: 80℃. Applications: Toy modules, crafts prototypes.
SLM (Selective laser melting)
SLM technology is metal 3D printing technology. This technology uses a powder of conductive material, each layer of which is melted through a laser in a controlled atmosphere with some inert gas, for example, argon or nitrogen.
Available materials and applications:
- 316L stainless steel: surface roughness: Ra3.2-6.3, easy to process. Applications: Functional structural parts with complex shape and high strength requirements.
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
FDM technology can be considered the most popular in additive manufacturing. Where an extruder applies melted plastic filament layer by layer forming the three-dimensional object.
Available Materials and applications:
- ABS: Textured surface, good mechanical properties, and excellent impact strength, Heatproof: 98℃. Applications: Functional prototypes & production parts, automobiles, household appliances, etc.
SLS (Selective laser sintering)
The SLS technology is similar to the SLM technology, a powder of the desired material is used, in this case Nylon, which each layer is melted through a laser, thus forming the three-dimensional object.
Available materials:
- 3201PA-F Nylon: Good toughness, excellent mechanical properties, good printing accuracy, heatproof :147℃. Application: High-performance parts, grain surface textures.
How Does the Online 3D Printing Service Work?
To see how does the JLCPCB 3D printing service works, we will use the STL of this beautiful Pikachu model, which you can download at this link.
Access the JLCPCB 3D printing online service at this link and you will find the following:
Attach the STL file you want to 3D print in “Add 3D Files”.
Select the 3D printing technology, the desired material, the number of units to print, and the product description and you will see that, depending on these, the price of the service will vary.
Once you have completed your order, you will see the order details on the right side:
You can also select different shipping services:
And just like this, you can check out your order which will be reviewed by JLCPCB professional 3D printing technicians, and they will give you some feedback in case of any inconvenience in the 3D printing of your order.
Conclusions About the 3D Printing Online Service
Definitely, this JLCPCB online 3D printing service is a good, fast, and cheap option to print 3D parts for different purposes. They have an exciting range of technologies and materials that can suit professional and personal purposes, plus they ship worldwide!
We also checked their YouTube channel and found out some videos of their facilities and their additive manufacturing machines (MJF, SLS, SLM, etc).
You can check below one made by Action Lab:
In case you are also interested in other types of services such as PCB (Printed Circuit Board) assembly and prototyping, JLCPCB is a world leader that provides the rapid production of high-reliability and cost-effective PCBs and creates the best customer experience in the industry.
If you have comments or questions about this service, leave them in the comments section and we will gladly help you!
Until next time The Machine Bros.