Mixing FDM and SLA in One Order: Choosing the Process Part by Part
One quote can hold FDM and SLA parts. How to choose a process for each part, how a mixed order is priced, and the size limit each part is held to.
The Short Answer
Every part in a quote can have its own process, material and color. A large enclosure can print in FDM while a small, finely detailed cover prints in SLA resin, on one quote and one checkout. Each part is priced and size-checked against its own process.
Which Process for Which Part
| What the part needs | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size, strength, a functional load | FDM | Engineering thermoplastics and a larger envelope, at a lower cost per part |
| Fine detail, smooth surfaces, small features | SLA | Thin layers (25 to 100 µm) and crisp edges |
| A tight fit | SLA | ±0.1 mm against FDM's ±0.2 mm |
| Outdoor exposure | FDM in ASA | UV-stable |
| Flexibility | Either | FDM in TPU, or SLA in a flexible resin |
| Heat | Either | FDM in PC or a carbon-fiber nylon, or SLA in a high-temperature resin |
Setting It Up on the Quote Page
Upload all the parts together. In the parts list, expand a part to set its own process, material, color and quantity. A part you leave alone follows the quote's settings. Materials are listed under their own process, and every SLA material is a resin: a resin cannot be ordered on an FDM part, and checkout refuses a part whose material and process do not belong together.
How a Mixed Order Is Priced
Parts are grouped by process and material. Each group is priced exactly as if it were an order of its own: its own material rates, its own minimum price, and its own quantity discount. The order total is the sum of the groups. Color never changes a price.
- The quantity discount counts parts within a group. It starts at 6% for 5 or more parts and rises to 15% at 1,000 or more.
- Six PETG parts in FDM reach the 5-part tier. Three FDM parts and three SLA parts reach it in neither group.
- Each group carries its own minimum, so moving one tiny part to a process of its own can add a minimum charge.
- If a part could go either way, quote it both ways. Keeping it with the larger group is sometimes the cheaper choice.
Each Part Is Held to Its Own Size Limit
The largest part we print in one piece is set by its process: FDM 350 × 320 × 325 mm, SLA 353.2 × 198.7 × 400 mm. Any orientation counts, so a part only has to fit one way round. The SLA envelope is narrower in one direction: a 210 mm cube fits the FDM envelope but not the SLA one, whose narrowest side is 198.7 mm. A part past the limit of the process you chose gets no instant price and goes to a large-format engineering review, which includes printing it in sections.
Good Candidates for a Mixed Order
- A product housing in FDM with a small SLA badge, bezel or button that needs crisp detail.
- A fixture base in FDM with SLA locating features that need a tight fit.
- A robot chassis in carbon-fiber nylon with SLA sensor mounts.
- A presentation model: a large FDM base with small, detailed SLA pieces.
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