Name: Roc 3D Printing
Address: Spencerport, NY, 14559, US
Telephone: +15856202688
Price range: $$
Rating: 5.0

3D Printing: Additive manufacturing: building a three-dimensional object layer-by-layer from a digital CAD model. Also called additive manufacturing (AM). The most common desktop process is FDM; higher-resolution work is done with SLA.
FDM: Fused Deposition Modeling. A 3D printing process where a plastic filament is heated and extruded through a nozzle, depositing material layer-by-layer. Low cost, wide material range, visible layer lines. Strong for functional and engineering parts.
SLA: Stereolithography. A 3D printing process that uses a UV light source (laser or LCD panel) to cure liquid photopolymer resin one thin layer at a time. Delivers smoother surfaces and finer detail than FDM, with a narrower material range.
SLS: Selective Laser Sintering. An industrial 3D printing process that fuses powdered polymer (typically nylon) with a high-power laser. No support structures needed — unfused powder supports the part. Used for durable functional parts and small-batch production.
MJF: Multi Jet Fusion. HP's powder-bed fusion process. Similar outputs to SLS but typically faster and with better surface finish. Used in industrial small-batch production.
DMLS: Direct Metal Laser Sintering. A powder-bed process that fuses metal powder with a high-power laser to produce metal parts. Used for aerospace, medical, and high-strength applications.
PLA: Polylactic Acid. The default FDM material for prototypes and display pieces. Plant-based, easy to print, available in every color. Low heat tolerance — softens around 60 °C. Not suitable for outdoor or under-hood use.
PETG: Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified. Tough, chemical-resistant, slightly flexible engineering plastic. Our default for functional parts that need to survive real-world use. Prints cleanly, bonds well between layers.
ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Heat-resistant, impact-resistant, paintable engineering plastic. Used for automotive interior trim, functional enclosures, and parts needing post-processing like vapor smoothing.
ASA: Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate. A weather-resistant cousin of ABS. Handles outdoor UV exposure without yellowing or cracking. Used for outdoor signs, drone parts, and any long-term outdoor application.
Nylon: A family of high-strength polyamide materials (PA6, PA12, etc.) with excellent impact resistance and a slight flex before breaking. Used for gears, hinges, living clips, and mechanical parts under repeated stress.
TPU: Thermoplastic Polyurethane. A flexible, rubber-like FDM material. Used for gaskets, vibration dampers, landing gear, phone cases, and anything that needs to deform without breaking. Rated by Shore hardness (e.g., 95A, 85A).
SLA Resin: Liquid photopolymer used in SLA printers. Cured by UV light. Available in many formulations: standard, tough, heat-resistant, castable (for jewelry / dental), and flexible. Requires post-cure under UV and isopropyl alcohol rinse.
CAD: Computer-Aided Design. The software (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Onshape, etc.) used to create the 3D model that becomes a printable file.
STL: Stereolithography file format. The dominant 3D printing exchange format — a mesh of triangles describing the object's surface. Lossy compared to STEP but universally supported.
STEP: A CAD-neutral file format that preserves parametric geometry. Cleaner than STL for precision parts because it's not a triangle approximation. Our preferred format when a customer has it available.
OBJ / 3MF / F3D / IGES: Alternate 3D file formats we accept. 3MF is a modern replacement for STL that includes color and material data. F3D is Fusion 360's native format. IGES is an older CAD exchange format.
DFM: Design For Manufacturing. The practice of adjusting a design so it can be produced reliably and cost-effectively. For 3D printing, DFM review covers wall thickness, overhangs, hole sizing, orientation, and tolerances. We do DFM review for free on every quote.
Layer Height: The vertical thickness of each printed layer. Lower layer height (e.g., 0.08 mm) produces smoother surfaces but slower prints; higher (e.g., 0.3 mm) is faster but shows more stepping on curved surfaces. Typical sweet spot: 0.2 mm.
Infill: The internal lattice structure inside a printed part. 0% infill = hollow; 100% = solid. Most functional parts use 20–40% with a geometric pattern (gyroid, cubic, honeycomb). Higher infill = stronger but slower, heavier, and more expensive.
Perimeter / Wall Count: The number of solid outer loops around a part. More perimeters = stronger walls. Typical: 3–4 perimeters. This often matters more for strength than infill percentage.
Tolerance: How close a printed dimension is to the designed dimension. FDM typically holds ±0.2 mm or ±0.2% (whichever is larger). SLA holds ±0.1 mm on small parts. Tighter tolerances require SLA, post-machining, or design compensation.
Overhang: A part of the print that sticks out over empty space. Overhangs beyond about 45° require support material. Designing with chamfers or angles under 45° avoids the need for supports and leaves cleaner surfaces.
Support Material: Sacrificial structure printed under overhangs and bridges. Removed after the print completes. Leaves a rougher surface on support-contact faces. Multi-material printers can use dissolvable supports for cleaner results.
Bridge / Bridging: A flat section spanning a gap without support beneath it. FDM can bridge up to about 30–50 mm depending on settings. Longer spans need supports.
Brim / Raft / Skirt: Adhesion aids printed around the base of a part. A skirt is a single outline far from the part to prime the nozzle. A brim is a flat extension of the first layer to increase bed adhesion. A raft is a full grid under the part; used for warp-prone materials or small footprints.
Print Bed: The surface the first layer of the print is deposited on. Usually heated (60–110 °C depending on material). Common surfaces: PEI, glass, garolite, textured spring steel. A flat, level, clean bed is the single biggest factor in a successful print.
Nozzle: The small metal tip the molten plastic extrudes through. Standard diameter: 0.4 mm. Smaller (0.2 mm) for fine detail; larger (0.6–1.0 mm) for faster prints. Abrasive materials (carbon fiber, glass filled) require hardened steel or ruby nozzles.
Extruder / Hotend: The mechanical system that pulls filament and melts it. Direct-drive extruders (Bambu, Prusa MK4) sit directly on the toolhead and handle flexible filaments cleanly. Bowden extruders reduce moving mass but struggle with TPU.
CoreXY: A motion system where two stacked belts move the toolhead in X and Y simultaneously. Bambu Lab X1 uses this architecture. Enables faster prints with less shaking compared to traditional Cartesian motion.
Multi-Material / AMS: Printing a single part with multiple filaments — different colors, or combining rigid + flexible, or soluble supports. Bambu's AMS holds up to 4 spools per unit (chainable to 16); Prusa MMU is the equivalent on MK4S.
Reverse Engineering: Recreating a digital CAD model from a physical object. Used when the original design files are unavailable — discontinued parts, obsolete equipment, broken components. Techniques range from hand-measurement with calipers to laser 3D scanning.
Post-Processing: Everything that happens to a print after it leaves the printer: support removal, sanding, vapor smoothing (for ABS/ASA), primer + paint, threaded insert installation, assembly. Most functional parts need little; display work needs extensive post-processing.
Rapid Prototyping: The process of producing physical parts quickly from CAD for testing, validation, or presentation — before committing to production tooling. 3D printing is the dominant technology for rapid prototyping in 2026.
Small-Batch Production: Manufacturing runs of typically 3 to a few hundred identical parts without committing to traditional tooling. 3D printing's economic sweet spot. Particularly common for product launches, replacement parts, and custom industrial components.