3D printing text can be quite simple when you understand the basics of how this technology works. By using a 3D printing service UK you will already make it much easier for yourself. Of course, you can use a 3D printing service everywhere, not just in the United Kingdom. You might use stereolithography for this, if this is possible the text will be very small with great levels of detail. Fused deposition modeling is another option, with this technology achieving the best results will be a bit trickier. Below you can find more information about how to 3D print text.

General tips

When you want to 3D print a text you could use a few general tips. For example, it is best to make sure that the image you have created is as large as possible. Of course, there should not be a loss in image quality. On top of that, you have to ensure that the image is solid. Therefore, there should not be any small lines. If you do want to show lines, please add a small contour. Furthermore, you have to remove all shadows and highlights. Anything that will make it look three dimensionals should be removed. This might make the design a bit boring compared to what it was before, but it will make it easier to transfer to 3D.

How to print

Before you start 3D printing text you have to think about the FDM printing process. When using this technique you need to take the nozzle width into account. The nozzle is about 0.4 millimeter thick, this limits the amount of detail that it can produce when you lay down the material. To avoid this problem and produce high quality logos or names, you need to make sure that you position them on the XY plane of your part. This will benefit the quality directly as the layer height defines the quality instead of the nozzle width.

Usually the layer height is 0.1 millimeter so it is thus much more detailed. This way your logo or text will come out way sharper and precise. On top of that, the layer height can be customized as well. This means that you can easily change the level of detail depending on what your piece requires. In other words, you definitely should 3D print the text on the XY part of the part.