How to choose 3D printing technology: profiles by goal and material
Which 3D printing technology should I use depends on your goal, material and part size. Answer five questions and get up to three profiles, for example FDM for education or SLA for a dental lab. The screen is in Bulgarian.
Opens with a free account.
- 5 questionsgoal, budget, material, resolution, size
- Up to 3 profilesfrom FDM to metal printing
- Price rangein euros, on the profile card
- On to a printerwith a click on the profile
3D printing technology selection: what a profile is
Choosing 3D printing technology means deciding whether you need a machine for plastic filament (FDM), for resin (SLA and LCD), for powder (SLS and MJF) or for metal. The EduFacturing tool settles it with five answers and shows up to three profiles that fit your case.
A profile ties the technology to the people who use it: education, hobby, a small business, a dental lab, industry. The card shows a process category, resolution, price range and materials.
A click on a profile opens the Printer Wizard with your answers carried over and real machines for that technology.
What you get after the five questions
Asks about goal, budget and material
Goal: education, hobby, professional prototyping, series production or specialized (medicine, aerospace). Budget in euros: under 1,000, 1,000-5,000, 5,000-25,000, 25,000-100,000 and over 100,000. Material: filament, resin, powder, metal or ceramic.
Asks about resolution and size
Resolution: standard 100-300 μm, high 25-100 μm, ultra-high under 25 μm. Size: small under 10 cm, medium 10-30 cm, large over 30 cm.
Adds questions only when needed
For the goal series production it asks about volume, for the material metal about the kind of metal, and for a budget from 25,000 euros up about certifications. Their answers do not change the order.
Shows up to three profiles and leads to a printer
A card has a name, a category (MEX, VAT, PBF or BJ), two strengths, resolution, price range and up to three materials. A save button keeps the first recommendation in your library, up to 50 items on a free account.
When to use a 3D printing technology selector
The selector is for the moment when you know what you want to print, but not with which technology.
A school or a course
The goal “education” gives points to the profile for schools and universities.
A small business or a startup
The goal “professional prototyping” gives points to profiles for offices, design studios and startups.
Metal or medicine
The material “metal” gives points to profiles with titanium, steel and Inconel, and the goal “specialized” to profiles for aerospace and medicine.
How the technologies are ranked by points
Each profile collects points from your answers and the top three with more than zero are shown. The budget hardly takes part in this ranking: it carries over to the Printer Wizard.
The goal filters the profiles
A match between your goal and the profile's audience gives 3 points. Education matches schools and universities.
Material, resolution and size refine
The material gives 2 points, the resolution 1, the size from -1 to +1. Ceramic matches the materials of no profile and gives no points; filament also gives points to the SLS and MJF profile, because its materials include TPU and nylon.
The top three go forward
Profiles with more than zero points are ranked and the top three are shown. The top one carries over to the Printer Wizard.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | +3 for a match with the profile's audience | each of the five goals has its own audience keywords |
| Material | +2 for a match (ceramic +1, but no profile has ceramic) | filament, resin, powder and metal are looked up in the profile's materials |
| Size | small: +1 for resin and for metal binder jetting; large: +1 for FDM, -1 for resin | resolution adds +1 if the profile's range matches it |
A profile for your case, not a general list
A profile for the case, not a general list
The result is a profile for an audience and a use: FDM for education and FDM for a small business are different profiles.
On to a printer without repeating
Your answers on goal (except specialized), material and size carry over into the Printer Wizard, and the technology category narrows its list, except for metal binder jetting, which has no printers there and so no filter.
The recommendation is kept
The save button writes the technology and your answers to the library of your account, which holds up to 50 items on a free account.
The tool recommends a profile from a table of a few points, it does not prove that no other technology would fit. The budget hardly changes the order of technologies and carries over to the Printer Wizard; the exception is a budget of 1,000 to 5,000 euros, which by a bug adds two points to metal binder jetting.
The profiles are a limited set: FDM, LCD, SLA, SLS and MJF, DMLS and SLM, metal binder jetting. Price ranges are approximate and stored in advance, not live prices. The card does not show the limits of a technology. The screen is in Bulgarian only.
Questions about choosing 3D printing technology
Which 3D printing technology should I use?
Answer five questions: goal, budget, material, resolution and size. You get up to three profiles, and a click on a profile leads on to a printer choice.
How to choose 3D printing technology for metal?
Pick the material metal. The metal profiles are DMLS and SLM (laser melting of metal powder), and for series production metal binder jetting. Their price range is on the card.
Which 3D printing technology is best?
There is no single best: it depends on goal, material and size. So the tool gives profiles for a case, for example FDM for a hobby or SLA for a dental lab.
Is the screen available in English?
No. The questions, answers and buttons are in Bulgarian only. The technology names and the numbers in the results need no translation.
Does the budget affect the result?
Hardly. It carries over to the Printer Wizard, where it becomes, roughly, one of its five budget ranges. The exception is a budget of 1,000 to 5,000 euros: by a bug it adds two points to metal binder jetting.
Can I save the result?
Yes, but a free account holds up to 50 saved items. The save button writes the first recommendation, the technology and your answers to your library; when it is full you see an error message.
How much does the technology selector cost?
It opens with a free account, and registration is free. You do not need Pro for it.
The technology selector opens with a free account. Pro opens the rest
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
In the Idea & selection group:
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Find the technology for your case
Opens with a free account.