3D Printing Capabilities, Materials and Tolerances
DC Additive Pros prints production parts in ABS, ASA, PCTG, carbon fiber filled nylon, PLA, PETG, and PEEK on multiple machines in Rockville, Maryland, with a maximum single piece envelope of 400 x 400 x 400 mm and a maximum nozzle temperature of 500 C. Every number on this page is either published by the equipment or material manufacturer, with the source named, or measured in our shop and labeled as such. Where we have not finished measuring something, this page says so instead of guessing.
Machine envelope
The build envelope, not the material, is usually what decides whether a part is possible. These are manufacturer published figures for representative printers we operate in-house (not a complete list). Capacity and models change with demand.
| Machine | Build volume (mm) | Max nozzle | Max bed | Heated chamber | Toolheads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision Miner 22 IDEX V4 | 350 x 350 x 450 | 500 C | 200 C | Yes, actively heated | 2, independent (IDEX) |
| Creality Ender 5 Max | 400 x 400 x 400 | 300 C | 100 C | No, open frame | 1 |
| Creality K2 Plus | 350 x 350 x 350 | 350 C | 120 C | Yes, up to 60 C | 1 |
| Bambu Lab H2S | 340 x 320 x 340 | 350 C | 120 C | Yes, 65 C active | 1 |
| Bambu Lab X1 Carbon | 256 x 256 x 256 | 300 C | 110 C at 220 V, 120 C at 110 V | Passive enclosure | 1 |
We also run other FDM platforms in these brands and similar classes. Assignment depends on material, envelope, chamber, and queue.
Which machine runs which material. The Vision Miner 22 IDEX V4 runs every engineering material we offer, which is everything except PLA and PETG. The Bambu and Creality machines run PLA and PETG. That split is deliberate. A 500 C hot end and a heated chamber are what make ABS, ASA, carbon fiber nylon and PEEK dimensionally stable, and there is no reason to occupy that machine with a material that does not need it.
Parts larger than 400 mm. We split them, print the sections in the same material and lot, and bond or mechanically join them. Say so on your RFQ and we will quote the joint method with the part.
Materials and published properties
These are the filament manufacturers' own published values. Two things about this table are worth reading before you use a number from it.
First, printed parts are not molded parts. Injection molded test bars and printed test bars do not give the same answer, and printed parts are anisotropic, meaning they are weaker across layer lines than along them. Where a manufacturer publishes printed specimen data we have said so.
Second, a heat deflection temperature is meaningless without the load it was measured at. ASTM D648 and ISO 75 both run at more than one load, and the same material can read tens of degrees higher at 0.45 MPa than at 1.82 MPa. Where a manufacturer publishes an HDT without stating the load, this table says the load is not published, because a number you cannot compare is not a specification.
| Material | Tensile (MPa) | Flexural modulus (MPa) | Elongation at break | HDT | Density (g/cm3) | Nozzle / bed (C) | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS | 42 | 1829 | 7.8% | 95 C, load not published | 1.02 | 250 to 280 / 80 to 100 | SUNLU |
| ASA | 39 +/- 4 | 2300 +/- 300 | 11% +/- 3 | 101 C +/- 2, load not published | 1.04 | 250 to 280 / 80 to 100 | SUNLU |
| PCTG | 40.4 to 45.0, printed specimens per ISO 527-2 | 1570 to 1780, printed | 2.6% to 130%, varies with build orientation | 76 C at 0.455 MPa, 64 C at 1.82 MPa, ASTM D648 | 1.23 | Not published by manufacturer | 3D Fuel Pro PCTG |
| PA6 carbon fiber, 20% CF | 112 +/- 10 | 8600 +/- 400 | 12% +/- 3 | 203 C +/- 3, load not published | 1.12 | 270 to 290 / 50 to 70 | SUNLU |
| PA12 carbon fiber | 86 +/- 6 | 5800 +/- 300 | 13.7% +/- 2.5 | 175 C +/- 3, load not published | 1.08 | 260 to 280 / 50 to 70 | SUNLU |
| PETG carbon fiber, 10% CF | 35 | 2700 | 30% | 70 C, load not published | 1.26 | 240 to 250 / 70 to 80 | SUNLU |
| PLA carbon fiber, 15% CF | 44.8 | 3530 | 4.1% | 53 C, load not published | 1.20 | 215 to 245 / 50 to 60 | SUNLU |
| PEEK | 100, ISO 527 | 2700, ISO 178 | 28%, ISO 527 | 140 C at 0.45 MPa, ISO 75 | 1.30 | 380 to 400 / 130 to 140 | 3DXTech ThermaX PEEK |
| PLA | Not published by manufacturer | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 190 to 230 / not published | ELEGOO |
| PETG | Not published by manufacturer | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | ELEGOO |
Why two rows say "not published." ELEGOO does not publish a technical data sheet library for its filaments. We could copy plausible PLA and PETG numbers off a competitor's page and nobody would ever check. We would rather tell you the honest state of the data. If your part depends on a PLA or PETG mechanical property, tell us the property and the threshold and we will test coupons in the actual lot we would print your part from.
On PEEK. Published PEEK properties vary widely between filament manufacturers. 3DXTech publishes 100 MPa tensile and 140 C HDT at 0.45 MPa for ThermaX PEEK. Another manufacturer publishes 77 MPa tensile for its PEEK. Those are different materials with the same three letter name. When you order a PEEK part from us we tell you whose filament is in it.
Dimensional tolerance
Our measured process capability is being characterized now and will be published here as a table, per machine and per material, once the coupon data is complete. We are not going to publish a tolerance we have not measured on our own machines.
What we can tell you today is what the coupon program measures and what the rest of the industry publishes, so you can size your design margin in the meantime.
| Field | DC Additive Pros, measured | Published industry reference |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensional tolerance, XY | In characterization | Desktop FDM +/- 0.5%, floor +/- 0.5 mm. Industrial FDM +/- 0.3%, floor +/- 0.3 mm. Protolabs Network. |
| Dimensional tolerance, Z | In characterization | Xometry states +/- one build layer thickness for the first inch, then +/- 0.002 in per inch. |
| Minimum wall thickness | In characterization | 0.8 mm supported and unsupported. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Minimum hole diameter | In characterization | 2 mm. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Minimum feature size | In characterization | 3 mm. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Clearance for moving parts | In characterization | 0.5 mm. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Maximum unsupported bridge | In characterization | 10 mm. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Maximum overhang without support | In characterization | 45 degrees from vertical. Protolabs Network design rules. |
| Layer height range | 0.2 mm standard | 50 to 400 micron typical for FDM. Protolabs Network. |
A note on ISO 2768. You will see FDM shops advertise ISO 2768-m. No major service bureau publishes an ISO 2768 class for FDM, because 2768 is a general machining tolerance standard and the three largest bureaus invoke it only for CNC work. A shop claiming an ISO 2768 class on a printed part is declaring its own measured process capability, not citing anybody's standard. We will publish ours when we have measured it, and we will show you the coupon data behind it.
How we build parts
Walls, infill, and related stackup are set per job for strength, weight, and cost. The quote states the stackup. Typical ranges below are starting points when a buyer does not specify otherwise.
- Walls (perimeters): typically 3 to 6, set per job. Stiffness in a printed part comes mostly from walls, not infill.
- Infill: typically about 10% to 20%, set per job. Going to 100% infill costs material and print time and buys very little strength for most parts.
- Layer height: 0.2 mm is a common default; we change it when surface finish or speed matters more.
- Solid layers: typically 4 bottom and 5 to 6 top. Large flat top surfaces over sparse infill get more top layers, or that part alone goes denser on infill.
- Supports: designed out. We orient parts so no support is required when we can. Cups print open end up, flanged plugs print flange down.
If your part needs different settings, say so on the RFQ. If your part needs settings we think are wrong for it, we will tell you why before we print it.
What we make
We are an aftermarket OEM manufacturer. The parts we do best are the accessories the original equipment maker never made, for hardware that is expensive and widely deployed, and the replacement parts that are backordered or discontinued.
- Data center and AI infrastructure. Switch ducts, PDU accessories, universal quick disconnect dust caps and blind mate covers, transceiver port plugs, cable management.
- Laboratory. Vial racks, tube and plate holders, magnetic separation racks, badge holders, fixtures.
- Robotics, drone and defense. Structural brackets, housings, mounts, and jigs in ABS, ASA, carbon fiber nylon, PEEK and ULTEM.
- Obsolete and discontinued parts. We 3D scan the original, rebuild the CAD, and print a replacement.
Ordering
- Minimum order: none. We quote a quantity of one.
- File formats: STEP preferred, STL accepted. We deliver STEP and STL on parts we design.
- No model? Send photographs and dimensions, or send us the physical part and we will 3D scan it.
- Country of manufacture: United States. Every part is printed in Rockville, Maryland.
- Lead time: quoted per part with the price.
- Quotes: info@dcadditivepros.com or 240-513-8989.
Common questions
What is the largest part DC Additive Pros can print in one piece?
400 x 400 x 400 mm, on the Creality Ender 5 Max. In an actively heated chamber, which is what ABS, ASA, carbon fiber nylon and PEEK need, the largest single piece envelope is 350 x 350 x 450 mm on the Vision Miner 22 IDEX V4. Parts larger than that are split, printed in matched material and lot, and joined.
Can you print PEEK?
Yes. PEEK requires a nozzle at 380 to 400 C, a bed at 130 to 140 C and a heated chamber. Our Vision Miner 22 IDEX V4 reaches 500 C at the nozzle and 200 C at the bed with an actively heated chamber, which is why PEEK and ULTEM run on that machine and only that machine.
What tolerance can you hold?
We are characterizing our own process capability per machine and per material and will publish the measured table here rather than quote a number we have not verified. For design margin in the meantime, the published industry reference for industrial FDM is plus or minus 0.3 percent with a floor of plus or minus 0.3 mm. If your part has a critical dimension, name it on the RFQ and we will tell you before we print whether we can hold it and how we intend to verify it.
What is the strongest material you print?
By published tensile strength, PA6 carbon fiber at 112 MPa, followed by PEEK at 100 MPa. Strongest is the wrong question for most parts, though. Carbon fiber filled nylon is stiff rather than tough, so it resists bending well and takes impact poorly. If your part gets hit, ABS or PCTG will usually outlive a carbon fiber part. Tell us the load case and we will tell you the material.
Do you have a minimum order quantity?
No. We quote a quantity of one, and we do not charge a setup fee that only makes sense at volume.
Where are the parts made?
Rockville, Maryland. Every part we ship is printed in the United States. We set country of manufacture to United States on every listing on every marketplace we sell through.
About these numbers
Every machine and material figure on this page is published by the equipment or filament manufacturer and is attributed above. Every tolerance and design minimum labeled "in characterization" is a number we are measuring on our own machines and have not finished measuring. We would rather this page be short and true than long and confident.
If you find a number on this page that is wrong or out of date, email info@dcadditivepros.com and we will correct it and say when we did.
DC Additive Pros is an independent aftermarket manufacturer. Vision Miner, Bambu Lab, Creality, SUNLU, 3D Fuel, ELEGOO and 3DXTech are trademarks of their respective owners. Manufacturer names are used here only to identify the equipment and materials we operate and the source of published specifications. DC Additive Pros is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any of them except where an authorized dealer relationship is stated elsewhere on this site.