FDM 3D printing — PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU & carbon fibre
FDM — Fused Deposition Modelling — is the most accessible and most useful flavour of 3D printing for working designers, engineers and makers. A filament is melted and laid down in layers; the resulting part is strong, repeatable, and made from a material you can specify by name and grade. Cobblestone Creative runs two Bambu FDM printers from our Leith workshop: a Bambu H2D and a Bambu A1 mini.
The two printers
- Bambu H2D — large bed (350 × 320 × 325 mm), multi-material capable with the AMS system, full enclosure for ABS/ASA/PA-CF. The workhorse for production runs, large parts and engineering materials.
- Bambu A1 mini — small bed (180 × 180 × 180 mm), high-speed, ideal for fast iterations on small parts. Runs in parallel with the H2D, so a small job doesn't get queued behind a long print.
Materials we print
PLA — the default
Clean, easy, low-warp, prints beautifully. Best for visual prototypes, presentation models, props, and anything that doesn't need to live above 50°C. Available in matte, silk, marble, glow-in-dark and a wide colour range.
PETG — the upgrade from PLA
Tougher, more impact-resistant and more chemically stable than PLA. Survives outdoor use and warmer environments (up to ~80°C). Good for functional brackets, snap-fit parts, and anything that needs to flex slightly without breaking.
ABS / ASA — engineering staples
Heat-resistant (up to ~95°C), paintable, sandable, can be acetone-smoothed. ASA is the UV-stable variant for outdoor parts. Good for end-use mechanical parts, enclosures, automotive interior pieces.
TPU — flexible
Rubber-like, durable, good for gaskets, grips, vibration-dampening pads and impact-absorbing parts. We run TPU in 95A and 85A shore hardness — let us know what you need.
Carbon-fibre filled (PA-CF / PETG-CF)
Carbon-fibre-reinforced nylon or PETG, stiff and lightweight. Used for tooling jigs, drone frames, structural prototypes, and parts that need to resist deflection. Slightly more expensive due to filament cost and printhead wear.
Picking a material
If you're not sure which to choose, tell us what the part has to do and we'll recommend. The quick rules:
- Visual model, indoor, no load: PLA
- Functional part, indoor, low-to-medium load: PETG
- Outdoor, sunny: ASA
- Heat near 90°C+: ABS or PA-CF
- Flexible: TPU
- Stiff and lightweight: carbon-fibre filled
Print settings
- Layer heights: 0.08 mm (fine), 0.16 mm (default), 0.2 mm, 0.28 mm (draft, fast)
- Infill: typically 15% for visual prints, 30–50% for functional, 100% for stress parts
- Wall thickness: default 3 walls (~1.2 mm), more for stress-bearing surfaces
- Supports: tree supports for organic geometry, normal supports for boxy parts, soluble PVA on the H2D for clean internals
Files we accept
- STL — most common, geometry only
- 3MF — preferred for multi-material or coloured prints
- STEP / IGES — CAD files, useful if you want us to discuss tolerances or modifications
- OBJ — geometry-only, supported but rarely needed
Run sizes
From 1 part to small production runs of a few hundred. For larger production volumes ask us — FDM is great for low-volume manufacturing but at certain quantities injection moulding becomes more economical, and we'll tell you when that's the case.
Pricing
Small parts from £50 - £100. Larger or multi-material prints quoted per file. No setup fee. Costed quote within 24 hours of receiving an STL or 3MF.
Send a file
Email enquiries@cobblestonecreative.co.uk with your file, material preference, quantity, and any deadline. If you're not sure about material choice, send the file and a sentence describing what the part needs to do — we'll recommend.