The use of 3D printing in advertising / Top 3D Shop Blog

One of the applications of 3D printing is branding and advertising. Creation of interior objects, elements of outdoor advertising - signs, signs, signs, souvenir products. If additive technologies no longer seem exotic in the production of branded souvenirs, then in the field of large forms, traditional approaches are still stronger. But today, 3D printing, if it does not supplant milling and laser cutting, then complements these methods of manufacturing advertising structures.

How to do it traditionally

In the manufacture of plates, signs, pointers, laser cutting and milling are traditionally used. Materials - acrylic, foamed PVC, monolithic and cellular polycarbonate, sheet metal.



The simplest example is a substrate on which elements cut from a sheet of plastic of a different color are pasted.


Sign Top 3D Shop, length - 1400 mm, made on a substrate of painted plywood. The text and logo are colored acrylic.


Made with a LaserSolid 690 CO2 cutter . Top 3D Shop produces signboards, tablets and similar advertising structures using classic technology. Cutting, engraving, milling .

LaserSolid 690

• laser power: 60 W;
• optionally: laser on 80-100 W;
• working field: 900 x 600 mm;
• price: 369 900 rub.

LaserSolid 690 is a universal machine for cutting and engraving materials from cardboard and plywood to polycarbonate, rubber and stone. It is used in the manufacture of advertising structures, cases, souvenirs, furniture elements. It can be used for cutting soft materials, fabric or fur.


A more complex example is capital letters and other elements, possibly with integrated LED backlighting. The production of such signage requires the cost of manual labor for gluing elements, trimming, machining and gluing with a film or painting.

How 3D printing is applied here

An obvious option - when creating forms inaccessible or difficult to use when using sheet materials. But in the manufacture of “ordinary” three-dimensional letters, printing is appropriate. The fact is that the manufacture of side surfaces is a process performed either manually or with the help of expensive bending equipment. It is necessary to cut the plates of the desired size, bend, glue, process.


When using a 3D printer, the manufacturing process of the case is reduced to one step (the cover is cut out of sheet material).


The case of the letter or logo is immediately printed with plastic of the desired color. There is the possibility of combining several materials - for example, translucent and solid, this will give an original effect when you turn on the internal backlight.


The use of plastics resistant to ultraviolet eliminates the need for additional processing of structural elements. For example, SBS is a filament with minimal shrinkage and good resistance to external influences.

3D Printing Limitations

The main problem is the small size of the printing area of ​​most 3D printers. Large format printers are more expensive than compact desktop models, but some of them are already suitable for the manufacture of street signs.

ShareBot XXL

• printing technology: FDM / FFF;
• working chamber: 705 x 250 x 200 mm;
• bar diameter: 1.75 mm;
• price: 469 940 rub.

A large-format Italian-made device designed to print large plastic parts with slight shrinkage - there is no platform heating.

Hercules Strong 2017

• printing technology: FDM / FFF;
• working chamber: 300 x 300 x 400 mm;
• nozzle diameter: 0.3-1.0 mm;
• price: 170 000 rub.

Updated version of Hercules Strong from Krasnoyarsk Imprints. Of the advantages - a closed printing chamber with air circulation and a heated platform, which allows you to work with most materials for FDM / FFF.

XYZprinting PartPro350 xBC

• printing technology: BinderJetting;
• working chamber: 350 x 222 x 200 mm;
• print speed: up to 18 mm per hour along the Z axis.

XYZprinting da Vinci Color

• printing technology: FDM / FFF;
• working chamber: 200 x 200 x 150 mm;
• bar diameter: 1.75 mm;
• price: 327 600 rub.

The key feature of the XYZprinting installation is not the dimensions of the printing area, but the possibility of full-color printing.

The combination of FDM / FFF and inkjet printing allows you to print full-color plastic objects. The dimensions of the printing area are sufficient for the manufacture of advertising objects for interior use.

Spetsavia SD-1001 Hippo

• printing technology: FDM / FFF;
• working chamber: 2000 x 1000 x 1000 mm;
• bar diameter: 1.75 or 2.85 mm;
• nozzle diameter: up to 1.0 mm;
• price: 1 460 000 rub.

Russian development, industrial printer with two printheads and a heated platform.

Implementation examples

Let's start with the Irish company GaraGeeks . Since 2015, it has been offering 3D printed signs for offices. One or two lines of text, a logo, everything is glued to an acrylic substrate. Nothing supernatural, but made quickly and without noticeable costs of manual labor.



Studio My3dconcepts.com Colorado already demonstrating more complex design, the implementation of which without the involvement of 3D-printing would be too expensive and complex.


Alphabet of letters with a specific relief, laid out by the user LorenIPSVM on Thingiverse.


But the letters Cloudswimmers from Belgium are unlikely to have ever seen the light without 3D printing.

Why print letters

Because it saves time and costs of manual labor, and the final result depends more on print quality, and not on the qualifications of the collector of the advertising structure. Printing is not only a case of three-dimensional letters for acrylic or metal covers - you can use elements with a pronounced complex relief, which are difficult to make from sheet materials.

Production of any volume objects

3D printing in window dressing, interiors, exhibition stands is used not only in combination with the usual technologies for advertising production. Large-format 3D printers materialize complex objects. So, the Israeli company Massivit offers Massivit 1800 for fast printing of objects from photopolymer gel.


An example of the use of large-format 3D printing in an advertising campaign is the design of a sightseeing bus.

Massivit 1800

• technology: printing with photopolymer gel;
• construction area: 1500 x 1200 x 1800 mm;
• print speed: up to 35 cm per hour along the Z axis.

Massivit 1800 quickly forms large objects from a UV curable photopolymer gel. The finished product is subjected to grinding, painting, varnishing.

Technology combination

3D printing cannot completely replace traditional technologies for the production of advertising structures. But it simplifies a number of operations, reduces the dependence of the quality of the result on staff qualifications. For example, the body of volume letters is printed in its entirety, it remains to mount the backlight if necessary and close the letter with a cover. The printing capabilities untie the hands of designers, allowing you to create complex three-dimensional shapes. Cyclopic advertising facilities are not yet printed, but this is a matter of time, because building 3D printers can also be involved in the process.

Top 3D Shop will offer you all the necessary equipment for the manufacture of advertising structures - laser cutters , milling machines , large-format 3D printers . Alternatively, you canorder the manufacture of signboards, signs, signs and similar products. We will advise on the issues of choice, repair and configure the equipment, train staff.

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