3D Printing | Hygrade Casting

3D Printing Technology

Our 3D printing arsenal features the latest SLA (stereolithography) printers from the United States and Asia, calibrated to a precise 45-micron layer thickness. This ensures an industry acceptable finish on castable resins, reducing the time you spend on cleaning and polishing.

We exclusively use premium OEM-approved resins and employ multiple pure solvent baths to clean each printed resin thoroughly. After cleaning, we go the extra mile by using a dedicated airbrush with 100% pure clean solvent to ensure every resin is spotless before casting. While this process involves more time, consumables, and wear on our equipment, the result is a cleaner, smoother casting for you.

3D Printing Technical

You must have the sprue already included in your CAD designs or STL files. We don’t add sprues ourselves to avoid misunderstandings, as some business owners may be sceptical, suspecting excess sprue design to increase chargeable metal weight. To avoid such concerns, we ask that your CAD designer incorporate the sprue into your design, which should only take an additional one-two minutes.

We will soon provide sample images of acceptable sprue designs.

3D Printing Fees & Turnaround Times

Below are the timeframes and pricing for 3D printing services. Please note, these timeframes only apply to 3D printing and do not include casting times, to see our casting time table please visit our casting tab above.

Standard Turnaround (3-5 Business Days):

From: $55.00 + GST per item

We do not offer CAD/STL drawing services

Express Turnaround (1-2 Business Days):

From: $175.00 + GST per item

We do not offer CAD/STL drawing services

3D Printing Terms & Conditions

The terms and conditions below are non-negotiable. The words "we" and "our" refer to Hygrade Casting.

Upfront Payment for First-Time Business Clients:
New business clients (business owners) are required to pay upfront for their first time using our 3D printing services as this helps establish trust. Starting from your second use of our 3D printing services, we will issue an invoice after we complete printing, casting, and/or post-processing.
Upfront Payment for Private Clients:
Private clients (non-business owners) must pay upfront for every order, with no exceptions. We offer these services to non-business owners as a courtesy, but due to the risk of ghosting and non-genuine inquiries, upfront payment is mandatory.
Quotes and Invoicing:
Once we assess your printing file (submitted before 12 PM on a business day), we will provide a quote/invoice within the same business day. Upon receipt of payment and remittance, we will begin the 3D printing process.
No CAD Services:
We do not offer CAD drawing, adjustments, or editing services. Your STL files must be ready for printing, including sprue design.
Turnaround Times:
We cannot print your STL files faster than 1-2 business days under our express service. 3D printing timelines are separate from casting and post-processing timelines. All turnaround times are based on the receipt of fully prepared STL files and remittance of payment for applicable clients. Turnaround times exclude public holidays, weekends, and long weekends.
Separate Fees:
3D printing fees are separate from casting, post-processing, and metal fees.
Print Failures:
We cannot guarantee a failure-free print. While rare, print failures can occur, with 9 out of 10 failures typically due to errors in your STL file. If a failure is due to file errors, you will need to correct the issue and pay for a re-print. Ensure your files are error-free to avoid multiple charges.
Dental 3D Printing:
We do not print for dental work due to the precise nature of dental fittings. You must supply your own castable wax or resin with the sprue already attached to caps/grills for casting. Because of the critical fit of dental items, we prefer to avoid any issues that may arise with your client’s dental work.