3D Printing
Ask ten people what 3D printing is and you'll get ten different answers, from desktop hobby machines to jet engine components. Here's ours: 3D printing is a manufacturing process that builds physical objects layer by layer, straight from a digital file, with no moulds and no tooling. At Nexform, we run it as a production-grade service from our Essex workshop, producing prototypes, end-use parts and campaign builds for clients across the UK.
Every print starts with a 3D model. That might be a CAD file you send us, a design we create for you, or a scan of an existing object. Software slices the model into hundreds or thousands of thin layers, and the printer builds them up one at a time until the finished part comes off the bed.
We run two industrial 3D printing workflows, and choosing between them is half the job:
FDM and filament 3D printing extrudes melted material through a precision nozzle. It's the workhorse of our production floor, ideal for brackets, enclosures, jigs, fixtures and functional parts that need real strength. Materials run from standard PLA through to carbon fibre-filled nylons and impact-resistant engineering plastics.
Resin and mSLA 3D printing cures liquid resin with light, layer by layer. It produces high-detail parts with smooth, presentation-ready surfaces, which makes it the right choice for miniatures, intricate models, snap-fit components and anything with fine features or tight tolerances.
For pieces bigger than any print bed, we design in sections, print modularly and assemble, which is how statement pieces for events, exhibitions and retail spaces get made.
The spread of work through our workshop is genuinely wide. Engineers send us functional prototypes and short-run production parts. Agencies brief us on props, product replicas and display pieces that need to look perfect on camera. Inventors arrive with a first idea, and businesses come to us when a part they rely on is no longer available anywhere else.
Our project shelf tells the story: a pizza lockbox for Domino's, glossy branded cups for Oatly and Malibu, a bike stand for Protex MX, an award for Crep Protect. Different briefs, same process, digital file in, finished object out.
A raw print is rarely the finished article. Post-processing is where parts go from functional to production-ready, and we handle it all in-house: sanding, priming, wet spray finishing in almost any colour, vapour smoothing to remove layer lines from plastics, and media tumbling for uniform surface finishes. If the job needs assembly, inserts or hardware, we do that too.
Anyone with something to make. You don't need to be a company, and there's no minimum order quantity, just a £50 minimum order value that covers setup, handling, curing and quality control. Most orders leave us within 3 to 5 working days, and if your deadline is tighter than that, tell us and we'll usually find a way.
If you've been searching for a 3D printing service near you, the practical answer is that geography matters less than you'd think. We're based in Essex, we work with clients from London to Glasgow, and everything ships. Send us an STL, STEP, OBJ or even a sketch, and we'll take it from there.
Got a part, prop or prototype in mind? Start your project with Nexform today.
Written by
Founder and owner of Nexform, leading every project from first enquiry to finished piece.
