Draft Resolution (0.4mm layer heights, 0.6mm Nozzle)

We always suggest that anyone looking to save money or printing large components uses draft resolution. Our draft resolution has a 0.4mm tolerance in the Z-axis and about 0.3mm in the X-Y plane, and if your product doesn’t really require a lot of precision draft resolution will probably be fine for your purposes.

If you’re only concerned about the texture of the outer layers, it can be very cost-effective to print in draft resolution, and apply a textured finish. But if your parts are small, it might be better to try a tighter resolution to avoid errors in the detail.

Standard Resolution (0.25mm layer heights, 0.6mm Nozzle)

The standard resolution is the one we often recommend for most medium sized components, as they often don’t require such small tolerances. The cost does increase however as the resolution gets better, because as the layers become thinner, the printing time increases, so our standard resolution is a good mix between quality and cost-efficiency.

We can also print your standard resolution components using a 0.4mm nozzle if it’s required, which would mean a final tolerance around 0.2mm in the X-Y plane.

Fine Resolution (0.1mm Layer Heights, 0.4mm Nozzle)

Our fine resolution print is recommended for smaller parts that require a bit more detail, for example when tiny parts have to fit closely to each other and must attain very close tolerances. The change from the bigger resolutions isn’t very noticeable in the X-Y plane, but can really make a difference in the Z axis. Because the resolution is much finer, the print will also take quite a lot longer to be printed, and is more expensive.

This resolution also gives a good clean finish to angles and round shapes that is not always possible with bigger tolerances.

Ultra HD Resolution (0.08mm Layer Heights, 0.25mm Nozzle)

Finally, we offer Ultra HD resolution prints because there are some projects that really require printing with incredibly tight tolerances. For our Ultra HD prints we use the smallest available printing nozzle for FDM printing, which has a diameter of 0.25mm and can allow for a tolerance around 120 microns (or 0.12mm) in the X-Y plane.

This, and a 0.08mm layer height for the Z axis, allows for a really high level of detail, but these nozzles are really sensitive to clogging, so it can be an extensive process to print components with this level of detail. If your project requires it however, we’ll be able to handle it!

It should also be noted that as the resolution increases, there are going to be much higher numbers of layers that are going to be printed, which means a higher number of opportunities for something to go wrong. So it’s always advisable to go for the lowest resolution that your project requires, in order for it to be cost-effective for you, and to reduce margin for error.