# 3D Printing Company Workflow

Follow one toy rocket through a 3D printing company: print, eject, clean, check, pack and deliver\.

By merry\-comet\-f78d88aa

Topic: Engineering

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/qn6dNc4j9sgg)

## Guide

### 1. From file to front door

This little workshop is a 3D printing company\. Customers send a digital design, and the shop turns it into a real object and mails it out\. Follow one toy rocket on its whole journey\.

Drag the scene to look around\. Scroll or pinch to zoom\.

### 2. A design arrives

A customer uploads a 3D model file\. A program called a slicer cuts the model into hundreds of thin flat layers and plans the path the printer will follow, layer by layer\.

Common 3D file types are STL and 3MF\.

### 3. Printing, layer by layer

The printer melts a plastic thread called filament in a hot nozzle, around 200 °C\. The nozzle draws one thin layer, the bed drops a little, and it draws the next\. Thin supports hold up the fins that hang out over the air\.

A real print like this takes a few hours, so busy shops run many printers at once\.

### 4. Cool, then eject

When the print is done, it cools so the plastic keeps its shape\. The worker opens the door and lifts out the thin steel build plate\. Bending the plate gently makes the print pop right off\.

### 5. Snip and clean

New prints come out a little rough\. The supports were only scaffolding, so a worker snips them off with flush cutters and brushes away the tiny bits\.

Some printers use supports that dissolve in water instead\.

### 6. Check the quality

Before anything ships, the part is checked\. Calipers measure that it is the right size, and a close look catches gaps, strings or blobs\. A part that fails is printed again\.

The rocket body is 40 mm across, just as the design says\.

### 7. Pack it safely

The rocket goes into the smallest box that fits, padded with paper so it cannot rattle\. Tape seals the box, and a shipping label tells the courier where it is going\.

### 8. Out for delivery

The box rolls down the chute into a courier van\. A tracking number lets the customer follow it from the shop to their street\. Depending on distance, the trip takes a few days\.

### 9. Delivered\!

Ding dong\! The digital design is now a real toy at someone's door\. Print, eject, clean, check, pack and deliver: every 3D printing company follows this same journey\.

From upload to doorstep, an order often takes a few days to two weeks\.