Materials
Which material should my part be printed in?
Material is chosen from where the part has to live. PLA for indoor visual parts and quick prototypes. PETG for general-purpose work, structural fits and modest UV exposure. ASA for anything outdoors or sun-exposed. TPU where the part must flex, seal or damp vibration. ABS for indoor structural parts, because it sands, fills and paints well.
A cabin knob and a cockpit fitting are the same shape problem and a different material problem. We say which we would use, and why.
Lead time
How long does it take?
Typical lead time is three to seven days: scan, CAD, review, print, hand finishing. Multi-part jobs and awkward geometry take longer, and we say so before starting. Studio hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 WET, in English and Portuguese.
On-site
Do you come to the boat, or do I bring the part in?
Whichever suits you. On-site scanning covers Cascais, Estoril, Sintra and the Lisbon marina area, so the part never has to leave the boat, car or property. Local pickup works too, and clients further afield send photos and measurements, or ship the part.
Quotes
What do you need from me to get a quote?
Not much. A photo of the part, a note on where it fits, and whether it lives indoors, outdoors or on the water. One known dimension helps if a ruler is to hand.
There are two prices, depending on which one you need.
If we have to engineer the part, measure it, rebuild it in CAD and choose the material, it starts at €120 and is quoted after we have seen a photo. Complexity, material and scan effort vary too much between jobs for a single number to be honest, and the estimate comes before any work starts.
If we have already engineered the same part for someone else, it carries a fixed price and that price is lower, because the engineering is already paid for. Those parts are listed with their price on their own work pages.