FAQ

We basically use four production methods:

• Laser sintering
• Stereolithography
• PolyJet/MultiJet
• Selective laser melting for metals

Read more about the 3D printing process used at the PROTIQ Marketplace here.

Yes there are. The manufacturable size depends on the method used. The PROTIQ Marketplace software automatically checks your data. It will be indicated if the object is too large or too small for the procedure. You then have the option to change both the size of the object and the method or material.

Production in additive manufacturing is usually characterized by a layered structure. Depending on the system resolution, layer thickness, and construction direction, an effect similar to the steps of a staircase may occur.

There is no limit in order quantity.

How thin or thick the wall of a 3D object may or must be depends on the material and the method and is automatically checked by the PROTIQ Marketplace. If an item is not printable, it will be indicated. You can then decide whether you still want to print the object with the current specifications regardless.

The PROTIQ Marketplace team has been working for many years for the various divisions of the Phoenix Contact Group and other companies. We are happy to present sample objects in a personal consultation.

Yes. Depending on the complexity, we produce moving 3D components in one printing process. If this is not possible due to size or other factors, we are happy to offer you our model building service or our professional consultation.

Yes. The basic requirement is that the materials you choose meet your requirements.

The PROTIQ Marketplace performs an automatic quality control of the data before production. Our proven test software handles small fixes independently. For major repairs, you will be notified of the changes made and you can give your consent to production before your item will be manufactured. After production, all objects undergo quality control. In addition, the precision of the systems is ensured by regular quality measurements.

We offer the following materials:

More information about our materials can be found here.

This depends on the object’s geometry: As a rule, 0.8 mm of spacing is enough. 0.6 mm can also sometimes be implemented for small and easily accessible places.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD for short) refers to computer-aided design or modeling. The term CAD covers all programs in which digital models can be created in 2D or 3D. Modeling in a CAD program optimizes the entire development process of a product. Even before a prototype is produced, simulations and calculations can be carried out with which the behavior of the component can be assessed under realistic conditions. Improvements and changes can be transferred to the 3D model with no loss of time and, thanks to comprehensive documentation options, also be reproduced in late development phases. Software vendors often develop their own programs or extensions for different industries that meet the respective design and documentation requirements.

The partners of the PROTIQ Marketplace can generally work with all common 3D file formats. This means you can use any software to make your 3D file. Of course, we also print files that you have not created yourself – for example, from freely available and Creative Commons licensed or purchased files. These file formats can be processed by PROTIQ:

STL, OBJ, 3DM, 3DS, ACIS, VRML, ZPR, PLY, DXF, AMF, Sketch-Up, CATIA V4, CATIA V5, IGES, VDA, ProE, UG / Parasolid, STEP, ACIS SAT, Solidworks, JT, VDA, FBX, Collada

We will calculate a price for you online immediately for these file formats. Further formats are possible on request.

Please note the following information regarding faceting when creating STL files: The maximum distance between the triangles, the nominal contour, and the maximum angle with the nominal contour can be provided as specifications. The distance should be max. 0.01 mm, the angle max. 5°.

In addition, we fix these areas automatically for STL files:

• Media density
  All surfaces in the component must form a closed volume without holes in the surface. If this is not the case, PROTIQ automatically repairs it.
• Inverted normal values
  For STL files, the surface is defined by triangles. The triangles have a vector that indicates whether it represents an external or interior side. When these vectors or normal values are mixed up, it is no longer clear where material can be printed. This is also corrected independently by the PROTIQ Marketplace.

In a word, Yes. Our teams have years of experience in the entire additive manufacturing sector and provide detailed advice to their customers on various aspects of 3D printing and reverse engineering. Just contact us, we are happy to help.

We will immediately calculate a price online for you for these formats:

STL, OBJ, 3DM, 3DS, ACIS, VRML, ZPR, PLY, DXF, AMF, Sketch-Up, CATIA V4, CATIA V5, IGES, VDA, ProE, UG / Parasolid, STEP, ACIS SAT, Solidworks, JT, VDA, FBX, Collada

Further formats are possible on request.

The file should not exceed 50 MB in size. For larger files, we will gladly provide you with a secure FTP server on request.

It is best to export your file to a format that we can process. If this is not possible, you can use a converter. There are some free programs that serve this purpose.

All the functions of the PROTIQ Marketplace, from configuration to payment, were developed on the basis of many years of experience with customers in the industrial environment. For example, you can save several shopping carts as projects in your account. In addition, several users with different access rights can be created for smooth teamwork (ordering, creating shopping carts, expanding shopping carts, deleting items from shopping carts).

In the area of configuration we facilitate your work with a comfortable module upload, for example. A wide range of payment methods completes our service for business customers. We also host your information on our own servers to provide you with the highest level of security.

For orders within Germany, your 3D object usually arrives one to two business days after completion. Of course you can also use our express delivery. In exceptional cases the delivery time can be 2-10 working days. Read more about our shipping terms here.