Precision Parts,
Built to Spec.
Electronics enclosures, functional prototypes, small-batch production, simple fixtures, and reverse-engineered replacement parts — delivered with engineering-grade rigor and the communication your project deserves.
Engineering on the front end. Quality on the back end.
Most jobs come in as a model or a drawing. Some start as a sketch or a broken part — we'll build the design, then produce it. Either way, you get the same documented, dimensionally-verified result.
Four ways we can help your project.
From a single fixture to a short production run, every order gets the same disciplined process — and a real engineer reviewing the work.
Simple Fixtures & Holders
Locating fixtures, alignment guides, holding fixtures, and soft jaws in PA-CF, PETG, or ASA. For shop-floor and engineering-bench tasks where additive is faster and cheaper than machined aluminum — quoted, designed, and delivered in 5–10 days.
Functional Prototypes
Take your design from digital to physical. We produce parts built to your specification — material, tolerance, and finish — so you can test, iterate, and validate before committing to tooling.
Production Runs
10 to 500 units, consistently. Each piece in a batch is held to the same standard. Material lots are tracked, nonconformances are documented, and inspection records are available on request.
Replacement Parts
Legacy hardware, discontinued components, broken fixtures — if you can describe it or send us a sample, we can reverse-engineer a functional replacement. We work from physical references, drawings, or both.
Most additive shops fall into three categories. We're the fourth.
Marketplaces route your file to whoever's cheapest. Hobby outfits run consumer-grade hardware. High-volume production houses have minimums that don't fit one-off engineering work. Clarke Additive is the precision shop you call when the marketplace quote loop is too slow, when production houses can't take your run because the quantity is too low, and when you need engineering judgment baked into the part — not just a print.
- An experienced engineer reviewing your file, not a routing algorithm
- DFAM consultation included, not billed separately
- No minimums — one part is fine, 500 parts is fine
- Engineering thermoplastics qualified in-house
- Documentation discipline you'd expect from a real shop
If you need 10,000 identical parts at lowest possible cost, an injection molder will beat us. If you need tight-tolerance metal hardware, a CNC shop will beat us. We'll tell you when we're not the right answer and point you somewhere that is. Where we win: engineering thermoplastics in quantities of 1 to a few hundred, where design support and turnaround matter more than per-unit cost.
Engineering rigor behind every print.
We operate with the documentation and inspection practices you'd expect from a contract manufacturer — applied to additive manufacturing.
Calibrated Process
Equipment is calibrated regularly and dimensional results are verified with calibrated instruments. Tolerances are stated upfront; deviations are documented, never quietly shipped.
Material Traceability
Every material spool is logged by lot number. Production runs carry full traceability records. If a batch issue is identified, we can tell you exactly which orders may be affected.
Documented Quality
First Article Inspection (FAI) reports are available on request. Nonconformances are recorded rather than ignored. We tell you when something is off — and fix it before delivery.
Direct Communication
You talk to the engineer, not a sales layer. Questions about material selection, geometry, or tolerances get real answers. DFM feedback is offered proactively when we see a concern.
Here's how a typical order works.
No prior experience necessary. We'll guide you through every step and make sure you know exactly what you're getting before we start printing.
Describe Your Part
Fill out our quote form with whatever you have — a file, a sketch, rough dimensions, or just a description. There's no wrong way to start.
Review Your Quote
Within 1 business day: price, lead time, material recommendation, and any design feedback if we spot a potential issue.
Parts in Production
Once approved, your parts enter the queue. Standard lead time is 5–10 business days. Expedited options are available if you're on a deadline.
Delivered to You
Parts are inspected, packaged, and shipped with any requested documentation. We follow up to make sure everything meets your expectations.
Parts we've designed and built.
From electronics enclosures to structural brackets — real parts, produced to spec.
Electronics Enclosure — base assembly with brass heat-set inserts
Structural L-Bracket — PA-CF with integrated mounting features
Multi-connector enclosure with mounting feet and cable management
3D Printing Services.
Six service categories — each one anchored in real engineering work. If your project doesn't fit a category, send us a description anyway. The unusual jobs are often where we add the most value.
Industrial & Automation
Sensor housings, machine fixtures, conveyor guides, jaw inserts
Product Development
Form-fit prototypes, design validation, pre-tooling iteration
Electronics & Hardware
Sealed enclosures, panel mounts, cable strain relief, ESD-safe parts
Maintenance & Repair
Replacement parts, obsolete components, custom adapters
Simple Fixtures & Holders
Locating fixtures, alignment guides, holding fixtures, and soft jaws for shop floors and engineering benches. Straightforward fixture work where additive is faster and cheaper than machined aluminum.
For low-cycle production tooling and bench work, additive is faster and cheaper than machined aluminum — often by an order of magnitude. We focus on straightforward fixture work where the geometry and the engineering are both within our wheelhouse.
What we build
- Locating fixtures for paint, coating, anodizing, and post-processing
- Alignment guides for repeatable part positioning during assembly
- Holding fixtures for inspection, photography, or hand-finishing operations
- Soft jaws for vise work that protects finished surfaces
- Simple assembly aids — positioners, guides, and stops
What we'll point you elsewhere for
Complex production tooling, precision drill jigs with tight bushing tolerances, GD&T inspection gauges, and high-cycle production fixtures are typically better served by a dedicated tool-and-die shop. If your fixture needs fall in that category, we'll tell you upfront and recommend a different approach. We'd rather lose the job than ship something that doesn't perform.
Why customers come to us for the simple work
Send us a sketch, a sample part, or a description of what needs to be held in place — we'll come back with a design proposal and a quote. The next revision is one CAD update and a few hours of print time. Iteration is cheap, which makes additive a great fit for the kind of fixtures that need to evolve as your process evolves.
Electronics Enclosures
Sealed and ventilated enclosures with mounting features, connector cutouts, and integrated heat-set inserts — engineered around your boards and connectors.
Off-the-shelf enclosures rarely fit. Either the connector pattern is wrong, the mounting flanges are in the wrong place, or you're paying for size you don't need. Custom enclosures from a sheet-metal shop are weeks of lead time and thousands of dollars in tooling. Additive sits in the middle — we design exactly what you need, print it in an engineering thermoplastic, and ship in 1–2 weeks.
What we build into every enclosure
- Heat-set brass inserts for repeated lid removal without thread wear
- Mounting flanges with stainless or brass hardware integration
- Connector cutouts sized for M12, M8, mil-spec circular, or COTS connectors
- Gasket grooves for o-ring or compressed-foam sealing
- Internal standoffs for PCB mounting at exact heights you specify
- Cable strain relief features and grommets
When 3D printing makes sense for enclosures
Quantities of 1 to roughly 100 units, where the enclosure geometry is custom enough that off-the-shelf doesn't work and the volume is too low for injection molding tooling. If you need IP65/IP67 ratings, talk to us early — we'll discuss material selection, gasket design, and assembly approach to get you there.
Functional Prototypes
Engineering-grade prototypes built to your specification — material, tolerance, and finish — so you can test, iterate, and validate before committing to tooling.
A prototype isn't useful if you can't trust the part to behave like the production version. We print prototypes in materials that match the end-use environment — PA-CF if you need stiffness, PC-Blend if you need impact strength, ASA if you need UV resistance — so what you test is what you'd actually ship.
What we'll need from you
- A 3D file (STEP preferred for tight-tolerance work; STL or 3MF also accepted)
- The end-use environment — indoor, outdoor, hot, wet, chemical exposure, etc.
- Critical dimensions or tolerances called out
- What the part has to do — this matters more than people realize
What we'll come back with
A quote, a recommended material, and any DFAM observations — like "this wall is too thin in PETG, suggest 2.4mm minimum" or "this overhang will need supports that'll leave a witness line; consider reorienting." DFAM consultation is included in every quote, not billed separately.
Small-Batch Production
Repeatable runs of 10 to 500 units, held to a documented standard. Material lots tracked, nonconformances documented, inspection records available on request.
Below the volume where injection molding tooling pays for itself, you have two choices: a marketplace that ships parts with no documentation and inconsistent quality, or a real shop that runs your job like a manufacturing engagement. We're the second one.
How a production run works here
- First-article print and your sign-off before the rest of the batch starts
- Same material lot across the entire run when possible — lot numbers recorded
- Process parameters locked once first article is approved
- Dimensional spot-checks throughout the run, recorded
- Nonconformances flagged and discussed before parts ship, not after
When to call us instead of a marketplace
If your part has to fit something, mate with something, hold a tolerance, or behave a specific way under load — you want a shop that understands the difference between "it printed" and "it works." Our parts have to do something specific, every time, or you tell us about it.
Reverse Engineering & Replacement Parts
Legacy hardware, discontinued components, broken fixtures — if you can describe it or send a sample, we can produce a functional replacement.
One of the genuinely satisfying parts of this work. Your machine breaks, the OEM is out of business or wants $400 for a $12 part, and you need it Tuesday. Send us the broken piece and a description of what it does — we'll measure it, model it, and print a functional replacement. Often in a better material than the original.
What we'll do with your reference
- From a sample part: caliper measurements, photos, and CAD reconstruction
- From a drawing: direct CAD model and print
- From a description and photos: we'll iterate — first article, your feedback, revision, final
- For broken pieces: we can usually reconstruct missing geometry from the surviving part
The honest caveat
If the original was die-cast aluminum or steel and is taking real mechanical load, we'll tell you whether a printed replacement is realistic or whether you need a machine shop. Sometimes the answer is "yes, in PA-CF this'll outlast the original" and sometimes it's "no, you need 4140 and we'll point you to someone who does that." Honest answers, every time.
DFAM Consultation
Design for Additive Manufacturing review — included free with every quote, available standalone for design teams without in-house additive expertise.
Design for Additive Manufacturing isn't a buzzword — it's the difference between a part that prints reliably and looks clean, and a part that requires extensive supports, has visible witness lines on critical surfaces, or breaks at a layer line in service. Most parts come to us designed for traditional manufacturing methods. We adjust them.
What a DFAM review includes
- Orientation analysis — which face up gives the best surface, the strongest layer adhesion, and the least support material
- Wall thickness check — ensuring features print reliably in the chosen material
- Tolerance reality check — flagging dimensions that need post-processing to hit
- Feature redesign suggestions — chamfers vs fillets, support-free overhangs, integral heat-set bosses
- Material recommendation — matched to mechanical, thermal, and chemical environment
Why this is included with every quote
Because we'd rather flag a problem before we print than after. A design issue caught in DFAM review costs you nothing. The same issue caught after first-article print costs both of us a print run. We'd rather have the conversation upfront.
Capabilities & Materials.
A plain-language guide to our process, the materials we work with, and what you can expect from every order.
What is 3D printing, and when does it make sense?
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) builds parts layer by layer from a digital file, depositing molten material precisely according to your design. Unlike CNC machining — which removes material from a block — additive processes can create complex internal geometry, undercuts, and hollow structures that would be impossible or costly to machine.
Modern industrial-grade FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers, paired with engineering-grade materials, routinely produce parts that meet engineering tolerances and withstand real-world mechanical loads, heat, and chemical exposure. This is not the same technology as a desktop hobbyist printer.
It's a good fit for: electronics enclosures, design validation, low-volume production where tooling costs aren't justified, simple fixtures, custom or one-off parts, and legacy parts no longer commercially available. It's generally not the best choice for very high volumes (1000+ units), parts requiring tighter than ±0.1mm precision, or applications requiring material certification (aerospace flight hardware, medical implants). If you're unsure, ask — we'll tell you honestly.
Engineering-grade thermoplastics.
Each material has distinct mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. We'll recommend the right one for your application — or work with your existing specification.
PETG
ASA
Nylon PA-CF
PC-Blend
TPU
PLA-Pro
Inspection that matches your requirements.
We bring contract-manufacturing quality practices to additive manufacturing — because your parts should be held to a documented standard, not just approved by eye.
First Article Inspection (FAI)
The first part off a new job is measured against all critical dimensions and recorded in a formal report. Available on request for any order.
Material Traceability
Every material is logged by lot number at the start of each job. In the event of a batch issue, we can identify exactly which parts may be affected.
Calibrated Measurement
Dimensional checks are performed with calibrated calipers and digital gauges. Results are compared against your drawing, not estimated by feel.
Nonconformance Documentation
If a part falls outside of spec, it is documented — not quietly shipped. We tell you what happened and how we resolved it before delivery.
Technical capabilities at a glance.
Standard operating parameters. Edge cases and special requirements are welcome — just include them in your RFQ.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Build Volume | 350 × 320 × 325 mm (13.8 × 12.6 × 12.8 in); larger assemblies available via multi-part print |
| Dimensional Tolerance | ±0.3 mm (±0.012 in) or ±0.5%, whichever is greater. Tighter tolerances achievable on small parts in PLA-Pro, PETG, and ASA, or via post-processing (drilling, reaming, hand-finishing) — specify requirements in your RFQ and we'll quote accordingly. |
| Layer Resolution | 0.10 – 0.30 mm (application and material dependent) |
| Minimum Feature Size | ~1.0 mm wall thickness (material and geometry dependent) |
| Accepted File Formats | STL, STEP (.stp / .step), OBJ, 3MF — STEP preferred for tight-tolerance work |
| Standard Lead Time | 5–10 business days from approved quote |
| Expedited Lead Time | 2–3 business days (surcharge applies; subject to availability) |
| Minimum Order | 1 unit; $500 project minimum on engineering-design jobs |
| Volume Pricing | Tiered pricing from 10+ units; quote based on geometry and material |
| Quality Documentation | FAI report, material traceability, dimensional inspection — available on request |
| Post-Processing | Support removal, light sanding, thread tapping — specify requirements in RFQ |
Where we are today — and where we're heading.
We bring contract-manufacturing discipline to additive work today, and we're building toward formal certifications that will support more regulated customers over the next 24 months. Here's the honest picture.
- Veteran-Owned Small Business (self-certified)
- SDVOSB application (in progress, SBA)
- Documentation discipline equivalent to ISO QMS practices
- Year 1 ITAR registration
- Year 2 ISO 9001:2015
- Year 3 AS9100D
Our Process.
Real engineering shops share their thinking. Here's how we approach the work, what we need from you to quote accurately, and how to think about additive manufacturing for your project — whether you hire us or not.
When does 3D printing make sense?
The honest answer to a question most shops won't answer honestly — because they want every job, regardless of whether it's the right method.
3D printing is one tool among several. CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, and casting all have applications where they win on cost, performance, or both. The right answer depends on quantity, geometry, material requirements, and tolerance.
Quick decision matrix
| Factor | 3D Printing wins | Other method wins |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | 1 to ~500 units | 1,000+ units (injection molding) |
| Geometry | Complex internal features, organic shapes, undercuts | Simple prismatic or rotational shapes (machining) |
| Material | Engineering thermoplastics | Metal load-bearing parts (machining); rubber (molding) |
| Tolerance | ±0.3mm without post-processing | ±0.025mm or tighter (machining) |
| Lead time | Days, no tooling | Weeks-to-months acceptable |
| Iteration | Design will change — no tooling cost | Design is locked, will run forever |
| Cost per unit | Depends on size and material | High-volume parts: molding always wins |
If you're not sure, ask us
We'll tell you whether your project is a fit or not, with a real reason. We don't take jobs that should go elsewhere — it wastes your money and our time.
What we need to quote your part
The more of these you can answer upfront, the faster and more accurate your quote will be. None are required — we'll ask follow-ups if needed.
You don't need to provide all of this. A rough description is enough to start. But every item below makes the quote more accurate and reduces the back-and-forth.
- 3D file — STEP preferred for tight-tolerance work; STL or 3MF accepted. PDF drawings welcome alongside.
- Quantity — one part, ten parts, or "I'll need 200 over the next six months" all change how we approach the work.
- End-use environment — indoor/outdoor, temperature range, UV exposure, chemical contact, mechanical load. Drives material selection.
- Critical dimensions — which features actually need to hold tolerance. Often only 2–3 dimensions on a part are critical.
- Mating parts or assembly context — what does this part fit into, attach to, or work with?
- Surface finish expectations — visible cosmetic surface? Internal hidden surface? Smoothed? As-printed?
- Threaded features — tapped plastic threads, heat-set inserts, or hardware passing through clearance holes?
- Timeline — nice-to-have date, hard deadline, or "whenever it's ready"?
- Budget — helps us steer the design toward the right material and process choices.
The single most useful thing you can tell us
What does the part have to do? Not what it looks like, not its dimensions — what's its job? "It holds this sensor at exactly this angle while the assembly vibrates at 60Hz" tells us more than a dimensioned drawing alone, because it lets us catch design issues you might not see.
Designing for FDM
Practical guidelines for designing parts that print well, look clean, and behave the way you expect them to.
Most parts come to us designed for machining or molding. The geometry that's easy for those processes isn't always easy for FDM — and vice versa. A few principles cover most cases.
Wall thickness
Minimum reliable wall thickness is roughly 1.0–1.2mm for most engineering thermoplastics, though we usually recommend 2.0mm or more for structural walls. Below 1.0mm, success depends heavily on geometry and orientation. If your design has thin features, flag them in your RFQ — we may suggest thickening them or reorienting the print.
Overhangs and bridges
Overhangs steeper than 45° from vertical generally need support material. Supports leave witness marks on the surface they touch. If a face is cosmetic, we'll orient the print to keep supports off that face whenever possible. Bridges (horizontal spans between two walls) print well up to ~10mm without support.
Holes and threads
Holes printed vertically come out roughly 0.1–0.3mm undersize. For precision-fit holes — bearings, dowels, fasteners — we recommend printing slightly undersized and reaming to final dimension. For threaded holes, heat-set brass inserts are far more reliable than tapping printed plastic, especially for repeated assembly. Tapped threads in PA-CF can hold up; tapped threads in most other materials will strip.
Layer orientation and strength
FDM parts are anisotropic — weaker between layers than within them. We'll orient prints so that primary load directions are within the layer plane, not across layers. If you have a part that sees specific loads, tell us about them in the RFQ.
Tolerances achievable
Standard FDM tolerance is roughly ±0.3mm or ±0.5%, whichever is greater. Tighter tolerances (±0.1mm) are achievable on small parts in dimensionally-stable materials like PETG, ASA, and PLA-Pro, or via post-process drilling/reaming. Call out tight tolerances in your design — we'll quote the post-processing if needed.
Choosing the right material
A plain-language guide to picking the right thermoplastic for your application — without the marketing fluff.
The "best" material depends entirely on what your part has to do. Here's how we think about material selection.
If the part will see outdoor or UV exposure
ASA is the answer 90% of the time. PETG and PC degrade noticeably under UV; ASA holds up for years. PLA-Pro will fail in months outdoors — don't use it.
If the part needs to be stiff and lightweight
PA-CF (carbon-fiber-reinforced nylon). Twice the stiffness of unfilled nylon at lower density. Excellent for fixtures, brackets, and structural parts. Caveats: more expensive, and carbon fiber is abrasive to print nozzles — affects pricing on long runs.
If the part has to take impact
PC-Blend. Polycarbonate blends absorb impact better than nearly any other FDM material. Used for safety covers, drop-resistant housings, and parts that see shock loading.
If the part is a basic enclosure or bracket indoors
PETG. Reliable, affordable, easy to print, decent mechanical properties. The default for general-purpose parts when there's no special environmental requirement.
If the part needs to flex, seal, or grip
TPU. Rubber-like, comes in different shore hardnesses. Good for gaskets, dampeners, cable strain relief, and snap-fit features that need repeated flexing.
If the part is a concept model or display piece
PLA-Pro. Best surface finish, best dimensional accuracy, easiest to post-process. But low heat resistance (~60°C) and poor outdoor durability. For function-critical parts, pick something else.
Not sure?
Tell us the operating environment in your RFQ. We'll recommend a material with reasoning, not just a name.
How a Clarke Additive quote works
What you'll get back when you send us an RFQ — usually within one business day.
Our quotes are reviewed by an engineer, not generated by an algorithm. That takes a little longer than instant marketplace quoting — usually one business day — but you get back something more useful than just a number.
What's in every quote we send
- Price — per-unit and total, with volume tier breaks where applicable
- Lead time — honest, with the reasoning (material on hand vs ordered, complexity, queue depth)
- Recommended material — if you didn't specify, we'll suggest one with reasoning
- DFAM observations — design issues we noticed, with severity flagged (would reject, would rework, just a heads-up)
- Open questions — anything we couldn't determine from your file or description
- Assumptions — what we assumed in pricing (orientation, infill, post-processing) so you can correct if wrong
Why we work this way
Algorithm-priced marketplaces optimize for "click-through rate to checkout." We optimize for "you get parts that work the first time." The extra day of quote review usually saves several days of iteration on a misquoted part later.
Engineering discipline.
Applied to every print.
Honorably discharged U.S. military veteran with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and 17 years of professional engineering experience spanning design, project engineering, and systems integration — primarily supporting defense programs.
That breadth of experience — from hands-on design work to program-level problem solving — informs how Clarke Additive approaches every job.
Clarke Additive brings that same problem-solving discipline to additive manufacturing — with honest communication and documented work at every step.
I served honorably in the U.S. military and spent the next seventeen years in engineering — most of it on defense programs where the hardware has to work, the documentation has to be right, and there's no acceptable version of "close enough." That background shapes how I approach every job that comes through this shop.
The bulk of my career was in vehicle systems integration: designing and fabricating electronics enclosures, integrating complex systems into tight spaces, developing fixtures, and solving parts obsolescence problems when original components were no longer available. That last one — finding or making a functional replacement for something that no longer exists — is one of the things I genuinely enjoy, and it's a core part of what Clarke Additive offers.
"Additive manufacturing has matured into a genuinely capable production technology. The discipline surrounding it often hasn't kept pace. That gap is the entire reason this shop exists."
I started Clarke Additive because I kept seeing the same pattern: parts shipped without documentation, tolerances stated loosely or not at all, customers left to guess whether what arrived matched what they ordered. That's not how I was trained to work — in the military or in engineering — and it's not how I run this shop.
Whether you're an engineer with a fully toleranced drawing or a small business owner describing a broken part from memory — you'll get the same careful attention and the same straight answers. If I see a problem with your design, I'll tell you before I start printing. If something doesn't meet spec, I'll tell you before I ship it.
If you have a project, reach out. We'll figure out the right approach together.
What you can count on from us.
Honest Quoting
We quote what we can actually deliver — tolerance, lead time, and material — and we flag upfront if your design has features likely to cause problems. No bait-and-switch, no surprises at delivery.
Documented Work
Every production job is traceable. We maintain records of the materials used, equipment settings, and inspection results. Documentation is available on request — not as an upsell.
Direct Accountability
If something goes wrong, we tell you. Nonconformances are documented, not ignored. We'd rather have an honest conversation upfront than ship a part that fails in your application.
Parts, Designs, & Process.
Printed parts, CAD models, and in-context applications — a look at the kind of work we do.
Request a Quote.
Fill out the form below and we'll respond within one business day with pricing and lead time. No commitment at this stage. Prefer to talk first? Call (704) 307-2206 or email brian@clarkeadditive.com.
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