Scope & safety policy
What we print, and what we won't.
Printed plastic is the right answer for a lot of parts and the wrong answer for some. This page says where the line is, so a quote never surprises you.
We print
- Jigs, fixtures, templates, gauges and soft jaws
- Prototypes, fit checks, enclosures and housings
- Replacement knobs, clips, covers, trim and brackets for light loads
- Organizers, holders, inserts, mounts for phones, tablets, gauges and accessories
- Storage products (hitch storage mount, battery wall mounts, trays)
- Terrain, site and presentation models
- Outdoor and cold-weather parts in ASA where we have run the material ourselves
We decline
- Towing, hitch or trailer components that carry load (ball mounts, pins, couplers, safety-chain hardware)
- Vehicle, snowmobile or ATV control parts: steering, brakes, throttle, suspension, wheels
- Aircraft-mounted parts for drones or manned aircraft
- Pressure vessels, fuel, gas or hydraulic components
- Food-contact or medical parts, and anything for infants or child safety
- Firearm parts or accessories that regulate function
- Anything where a failure could injure someone, or where a manufacturer still sells the part under patent
How we rate parts
Honest about what plastic can do.
Every functional part ships labelled with its material and intended use, and the line: "Not rated for structural or safety loads unless tested and documented." That is true of every FDM-printed part, ours included. If a part needs a load rating, we say so in the quote and can refer it for an outside engineering review, priced separately.
Material figures on this site (heat, UV, stiffness) are manufacturer data-sheet values unless we say we tested them. Where we have run a material on our own equipment through a North Dakota winter or summer, we say that, and only that.
Tolerances of ±0.2 mm are checked on a tolerance coupon per material. Press fits and sliding fits get a test print first when fit matters.
We keep a job log for every part: material and spool, settings, orientation, print time, inspection results and revision. If a part fails in service, that log is how we find out why.
Customer-supplied designs: you confirm you have the rights to the design when you order, and you are responsible for its suitability. We will tell you if we see a printability or safety problem, but a print from your file is a print from your file.
Reproducing broken parts: we copy the geometry and improve what we can; we do not certify that a reproduction matches the original's material or rating. Not for the parts in the decline list.
Not sure if your part is in scope?
Send it anyway. If we won't print it, we'll say so within one business day and, when we can, point you to who will.