Fused Filament Fabrication 

PrintCity has over 30 Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM*) printers. 

These printers enable production using low-cost materials, with a wide range of colour and polymer options. The filaments also come in several wood and metal varieties, and wood prints can be varnished to produce a high-quality finish. 

FFF and FDM printers work by melting a strand of polymer that is fed from a roll of filament into a heated extruder. Each layer is melted and fused onto the previous one and the model is built up one layer at a time.

Common materials used with this technology include Polylactic Acid (PLA), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) and Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)

*FDM is a trademark of the company Stratasys, but the process is the same as FFF. 

13 x Prusa i3 MK3S [250x210x210] 

3 x Prusa MK4 [250x210x220] 

1 x Ultimaker 2+ [223x220x205] 

6 x Ultimaker 3 [215x215x200] 

2 x Ultimaker S3 [230x190x200] 

2 x Ultimaker 3 Extended [215x215x300] 

13 x Ultimaker S5 [330x240x300] 

1 x Builder 1500 Pro [1100x500x820] 

1 x 3DGence INDUSTRY F421 [380x380x420] 

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Get in touch

If you're interested in working with us, or have questions about studying with us please get in contact.

 Telephone: 0161 247 6464

 Email: printcity@mmu.ac.uk

 Twitter: PrintCityMMU

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    Our Equipment

    Stereolithography SLA / Digital Light Projection DLP 

    Stereolithography (SLA) is a 3D printing process that uses Ultraviolet (UV) lasers to draw out each layer of a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model into a vat of photopolymer liquid resin. …

    Post-processing

    Vapor Smoothing  In addition to additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies, PrintCity also accommodates some post-processing technologies. Not all 3D printed parts are ready for end use, dependant on the materials …

    Selective Laser Sintering 

    Powder printing capabilities at PrintCity include Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) which uses a high-powered laser to sinter small particles of polymer powder into solid structures.  The technology allows the printing of complex parts with no …

    Metal

    PrintCity is home to the Metal X printer, which is capable of printing high-resolution metal parts. The printer uses 17-2PH Stainless Steel, H13 Tool Steel, Inconel 625 and Copper.  The Metal X printer employs the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process to extrude …

    Multi Jet Fusion 

    Full colour 3D printing capabilities are possible with our Muti Jet Fusion (MJF) technology. The MJF process uses an inkjet array to deposit fusing and detailing agents across a bed of nylon …

    Scanning

    PrintCity currently has a variety of 3D scanning technologies in its facility. When looking for a scanning solution there can be many obstacles such as time, size, and location, PrintCity …

    Continuous Fiber Fabrication 

    Continuous Fiber Fabrication (CFF) printing is a process unique to Markforged. It combines Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) with a second extruder (print head) that deposits a continuous strand of reinforcing material, such as Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber or Aramid …

    Polyjet

    PrintCity received the UK’s first Stratasys J850 Prime FabriX Polyjet printer in 2023. This technology works by depositing small droplets of resin which are cured by Ultraviolet Light (UV) during the printing process.  With the addition …

    Subtractive

    Alongside additive manufacturing technologies, PrintCity also has subtractive capabilities in a variety of machines. Milling A 3-axis computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, the DATRON neo is designed to allow flexibility in machining …

    Cement

    In conjunction with a recent research project Cirmap, which worked to provide a Mixture Proportioning Method (MPM) designed for 3D printing mortars made with Recycled Fine Aggregates (RFA), we now …