Exceptional quality is our promise to you.

Clearly defining the standards we hold our business and our products to is the foundation of how we do business, from browsing our site to holding our product in your hands.

At Pittsburgh3DPrints, we are committed to providing high-quality 3D printing services to our valued customers. Our quality policy is based on the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems standard, and we are dedicated to continually improving our processes and services to ensure that our customers receive the best possible products and experiences.

Our Quality Policy:

  1. Customer Focus: We understand that our customers are our most important stakeholders, and we are committed to meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations. We will work closely with our customers to ensure that their requirements are fully understood and met.

  2. Continuous Improvement: We are committed to continually improving our processes and services to ensure that we provide the best possible products and experiences for our customers. We will regularly review and evaluate our performance, and make necessary changes to improve our efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.

  3. Involvement: Our employees, vendors, and contractors are critical to the success of our business, and we are committed to involving them in our quality management system. We will provide training, resources, and opportunities for our stakeholders to contribute to the improvement of our processes and services.

  4. Process Approach: We will manage our business processes in a systematic and efficient manner, and will use data and analysis to continually improve our performance. We will focus on achieving our objectives and meeting customer requirements in all of our business activities.

  5. Compliance with Standards: We will comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and standards, and will ensure that our products and services meet the highest quality standards. We will regularly review our quality management system to ensure that it remains effective.

At Pittsburgh3DPrints, we are committed to providing the best possible products and experiences for our customers. We will continually review and improve our quality management system to ensure that we meet our quality objectives and exceed our customers' expectations.

Quality Standards:

Printers are considered repaired when they produce a test 3D print that aligns with the product specifications below.

Computers are considered repaired when the customer is satisfied with the performance of the machine compared to when they first brought it in.

Products are not considered defective when:

  • There are visible lines, to the naked eye, from layers after printing.  (We strive to minimize these and be as smooth as possible, however this is an expected feature of a 3D print.)

  • There are traces of hand finishing and surface treatment due to the support structures which were used during printing.   (We can print many types of supports, and often remove nearly every trace of them, but it depends on the individual model being printed. We normally try to print with no or very little supports. Some products simply cannot print without support.)

  • The presence of thin filaments on the surface of the printed object.  (These are caused by variations in filament diameter, density, humidity and other factors; and can be removed with a hot air dryer on low, we do this as a free courtesy for you)

  • The internal structure can be visible through the glimpse of light.  

  • Traces of lines where the printer goes from one layer to the next layer.

  • Visible distinct lines on the bottom surface of the 3D object.

  • Unless otherwise specified, the positional accuracy (difference between positions of 3D printed part’s surface compared to the position of the 3D model's surface) is not more than 0.3mm.

    1. [If printing positional accuracy is not defined by the customer, your values will be calculated by several different slicing programs, and the optimal values will be used. Typically, this is within 0.1mm to 0.2mm]

    2. Resolution values lower than 0.1 will be individually considered depending on the complexity of the part. Values lower than 0.1 will result in slower completion times, which could impact bulk orders. We will advise you of this before the first object is printed.

Products (and 3D printer repairs) are considered to be defective/incomplete when:

  • Top surfaces are not closed properly or come out bumpy unintentionally. 

  • Irregular circles: Circles come out misshapen and lines are not properly touching.  

  • Corners of the 3D Print lift and detach from the platform. 

  • Parts of the 3D Print shift along the X or Y axis. 

  • 3D Prints gradually lean over (unintentionally).

  • Under extrusion (a hole in the print) is evident on the outer walls of the print for more than 1 mm length in any direction, continuously at any point, or very frequently.

  • Parts of or entire walls of the print are not fused and touching when they should be.  

  • The lowest parts of the print appear to shrink before reaching the proper dimensions. 

  • First layer not sticking/parts are coming loose.  (We level the printer before each print and actively prevent this)

  • Stringing: Unwanted thick strands of the plastic span across the print.  (Not 'fuzz' more like 'strings')

  • Ugly overhangs: The lower surface of overhangs come out ugly.  Lower overhangs may show signs of support removal, such as sanding, or cutting. We do this by hand for the best result

  • Lines are overly visible or spaced apart on the first layer.  

  • The resolution, infill and wall thickness stipulated by the customer is not met (Design Review and Confirmation will be requested, and we will reprint the object at no charge)

Post Processing Methods

Despite the fact that 3D printing parts are produced from filament using FDM-technology, the surface of the final product cannot be expected to be perfectly smooth. To improve it, the following methods are available:

  • Post-processing. The surface can be smoothed out by sanding it with sandpaper or refining it with a needle-file or other hot/sharp tools. This is done by hand, and may result in some finishing markings and/or scuffs. After we watch something print for 16 hours, the last thing we want to do is break or scratch it, so we use this method very sparingly.

    1. We typically lightly finish every print so they look and feel nice out of the box, at no charge to our customers.  

  • Treatment with different solvents. Whenever possible, we avoid this method of post-processing and it must be specifically requested and warranted in the print. Whether or not this is done for a fee is dependent on the nature and scale of the print. We do not use solvents on any made-to-order product featured in our shop, and this is a reserved method for customized prints.

Packaging Standards: 

We promise to:

  • Use sturdy and undamaged boxes with all flaps intact.

  • Use boxes with a minimum of 30lbs/in crush resistance to ensure your print is undamaged during shipping.

  • Use double wall boxes for any order over 5 lbs in a single box.

  • Wrap items individually with cushioning material and center them away from other items and away from the sides, corners, top, and bottom of the box. Use adequate cushioning material. Small pieces items (for example chess sets) may be packaged together but will be wrapped to the degree necessary to prevent damage.

  • Place items that might be damaged by normal handling, such as soiling, marking, or application of adhesive labels, in a protective outer box.

  • Use fillers to fill void spaces and prevent movement of goods inside the box during shipping when needed.

  • Use the ‘H’ or ‘Plus Sign’ taping method for sealing your package. This will help prevent accidental opening.

  • Restrict product movement inside the box using a filler like crumpled newspaper, loose fill peanuts, or other cushioning material.

  • Ship fragile products individually, wrapping them in a minimum 3" thickness of an air-cellular cushioning material.

  • Fill any void spaces with more cushioning material.

  • Use strong tape designed for shipping

  • Use a single address label that has clear, complete delivery and return information

  • Sterilize your product before packaging with both UVC light and Microban disinfectant spray unless requested not to do so.

All custom project customers are entitled to a demo print, which will show an approximate finished result using customer defined or calculated settings. We will send pictures or ship this to you at our discretion, and only with your approval.

Made to order prints are listed as inventory on our online marketplaces, and are not entitled to free samples with exception to bulk orders (50+) having received a down payment.

This quality policy applies to every product manufactured by Pittsburgh3dprints. (Bulk, Custom, Made to Order or Other)

Experimental or A-typical designs made by 3rd party designers may warrant exceptions to these policies which will be addressed as needed in good faith.

3D Printers that are unable to be repaired due to lack of available parts, custom firmware issues, modifications, and heavily damaged frames will not be issued a repair fee. There may be a troubleshooting fee of up to $40 depending on the length of time spent attempting to diagnose and fix the machine. This fee is waived if we are able to determine the machine is not fixable when the customer initially drops off the machine.