Large Format 3D Printing
Most 3D printers top out around a 10-inch cube, which means big parts get sliced into chunks, printed separately, and glued back together — leaving visible seams and weak joints. Our ELEGOO OrangeStorm Giga has an 800 × 800 × 1000 mm build volume (31.5" × 31.5" × 39.4"), so signs, props, cosplay armor, trade-show pieces, architectural models, jigs, and replacement housings come off the bed as one continuous part. It runs PLA, PETG, and TPU through a 0.6 mm nozzle at up to 300 mm/s with ±0.1 mm precision, and four independent 410 mm PEI bed zones let us heat only the area a part needs. Designed, printed, and picked up right here in Bellingham.
Big Parts Usually Mean Seams, Weak Joints, and Weeks of Waiting
When a part is bigger than a desktop printer bed of 8 to 10 inches, you are stuck with bad options: slice it into chunks and glue it back together, farm it out to an online service that ships from another state, or redesign the whole thing to be smaller. Every one of those adds cost, weakness, or delay — and none of them let you walk in, talk through the part, and pick it up locally.
Glue-Up Seams That Show and Fail
Sectioned prints have to be aligned and bonded by hand. The seams are visible, they need filler and sanding, and the glue joint is almost always weaker than the printed walls around it.
Out-of-State Services Ship Slowly
National aggregators print your part somewhere else and mail it back. If a layer shifts or the color is wrong, you are days into a reprint-and-reship cycle with no one local to talk to.
Redesigning to Fit a Small Bed
Shrinking a part to fit a 10-inch printer changes the whole design — split lines, fasteners, and assembly steps you never wanted. The build volume should fit the part, not the other way around.
One Printer Big Enough to Skip the Seams
The ELEGOO OrangeStorm Giga gives us an 800 × 800 × 1000 mm build volume — 31.5" wide by 31.5" deep by 39.4" tall. Most parts that would normally be chopped into pieces print as one continuous object, so there are no glue joints to fail and nothing to align. It runs PLA, PETG, and TPU through a 0.6 mm nozzle at up to 300 mm/s with ±0.1 mm precision, and four independent 410 mm PEI bed zones mean we can heat just the footprint a part needs instead of powering the whole plate for a small job.
“Signs, props, cosplay, trade-show pieces, architectural models, jigs, and replacement housings — printed in one piece in Bellingham, not sectioned, outsourced, or redesigned to fit.”
Everything You Get
Our Large Format package includes everything you need. No hidden fees, no surprise add-ons.
Build Planning & Orientation
Before anything prints, we decide how the part should sit on the bed — the orientation that puts layer strength where the load is, minimizes supports, and decides whether it runs as one piece or a few bonded sections.
- One-piece vs. sectioned analysis
- Strength-aware print orientation
- Support and overhang planning
- Material recommendation (PLA / PETG / TPU)
Large-Format FDM Printing
The part runs on the OrangeStorm Giga with its 0.6 mm nozzle and zoned PEI bed, monitored across what can be a multi-day build so a problem gets caught early instead of after 60 hours.
- Up to 31.5" × 31.5" × 39.4" single-piece
- ±0.1 mm dimensional precision
- Monitored long-duration builds
- Batch nesting for multiple parts
Finishing & Handoff
We take the part off the bed, remove supports, bond any sections along hidden seams, and do basic cleanup so it is ready for your paint, assembly, or installation.
- Support removal and cleanup
- Section bonding where needed
- Primer-ready surfaces (PLA Matte)
- Local pickup or freight quote
How It Works
We've refined our process over 100+ projects. Here's exactly what to expect.
Send Your Model or Measurements
Upload an STL, 3MF, STEP, or OBJ — or just send dimensions, a sketch, or reference photos and we will model it. Tell us the finished size and which way the part needs to be strong.
Orientation & Material Review
We decide whether the part prints in one piece on the Giga or splits into bonded sections, pick the orientation that puts strength where you need it, and recommend PLA, PETG, or TPU for the job.
Approve Your Quote
You get an itemized quote — large-format machine time at $8/hr, material by the gram, and a print-time estimate — before anything prints. No surprises after the fact, and a $25 shop minimum applies.
Print & Monitor
Large parts run long, so we monitor the build and use the zoned PEI bed to keep adhesion solid across the full plate. We catch issues early instead of handing you a failed print.
Finish & Hand Off
We remove supports, bond any sections along hidden seams, and do basic cleanup. Pick it up in Bellingham, or we crate and ship it — big prints are quoted for freight by size and weight.
Choose Your Package
Large-format jobs are quoted per part — large-format machine time at $8/hr, material by the gram, and a $15 setup charge, with a $25 shop minimum. Because big parts print for many hours, cost scales mostly with size and infill. Here is the range most jobs fall into:
Accent & Mid-Size Parts
$75 – $250
Housings, jigs, planters, single props, and architectural massing models up to roughly 12–18 inches
- Prints in a single piece
- PLA, PETG, or TPU
- Support removal included
- Local pickup in Bellingham
Large Signage & Props
$250 – $700
Full-size props, cosplay armor, trade-show pieces, and detailed architectural models in the 18–30 inch range
- Single-piece or minimal bonded sections
- Primer-ready PLA Matte option
- Strength-aware orientation
- Monitored multi-day build
Full-Height & XL Builds
$700 – $2,000+
Parts using the full 39.4" height or heavy, high-infill builds that run for days
- Up to 31.5" × 31.5" × 39.4"
- Zoned-bed long-run printing
- Section bonding on hidden seams
- Freight shipping quoted by size
What Affects Pricing
- Size and heightTaller, bulkier parts use more machine hours and material — the biggest cost driver
- Infill and wall countA solid structural part costs far more than a hollow display piece of the same size
- MaterialPETG ($0.10/g) and TPU ($0.14/g) cost more per gram than PLA ($0.08/g)
- One piece vs. sectionedBonding sections adds finishing labor; one-piece prints avoid it but take longer per build
- QuantityNesting multiple parts on the 800 × 800 mm bed cuts per-part cost 30–50%
What's Not Included
- Painting and finishingWe print primer-ready; full paint, sanding, and finishing can be quoted separately
- Freight shippingOversized parts are quoted for crating and freight by boxed size and weight
- Design from scratchIf you have no model, CAD work is billed at $85/hr under our custom 3D modeling service
Payment Structure
- $25 shop minimum on any order
- 50% deposit on custom quotes over $300
- Balance due at pickup or before shipping
Who This Is (And Isn't) For
Large-format FDM is the right tool for big, geometrically interesting parts where a seam or a multi-week lead time is a problem. It is not the right tool for everything.
This Is Perfect For You If:
- Signage, lettering, and three-dimensional logos for events and storefronts
- Cosplay armor, helmets, and film or theater props that need to be one piece
- Trade-show displays, mascots, and oversized product replicas
- Architectural massing and presentation models at real scale
- Large jigs, fixtures, and tooling for shops and manufacturers
- Replacement housings, enclosures, planters, and panels no longer sold
This Probably Isn't Right If:
- Production runs of hundreds or thousands of identical parts — injection molding is cheaper at that volume
- Parts needing certified food-safe or medical-grade material
- Metal parts, or parts that must survive sustained high heat — FDM plastic is not metal
- Fine jewelry-scale detail below roughly a millimeter — the 0.6 mm large-format nozzle is built for size, not miniatures
If We're Not The Right Fit
We can print a verified prototype, then hand you print-ready files for injection molding
Our desktop machines with a finer nozzle handle small multi-color detail work better than the Giga
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a Quote for Large Format
Send us your model or a link to one. We'll slice it, check it prints cleanly, and come back with a firm price — usually within one business day.
