How Long Does 3D Printing Take?

1. Lead Times

Makelab offers five production lead times:

• Next Day: 1 business day

• Rush: 2 business days

• Standard: 3 business days

• No Rush: 5 business days

• Extended: 7 business days

Shipping time is additional and varies by method and destination.

2. What Affects Production Time?

Part Size — A small part (2-3 inches) might print in 1–3 hours. A large part (12+ inches) can take 12–48 hours.

Technology — FDM is generally fastest for large parts. SLA requires post-curing time. MJF batches multiple parts together efficiently. FGF is fast for very large parts due to high deposition rate.

Quantity — Multiple identical parts can often be printed simultaneously, so 10 parts don’t necessarily take 10x longer than 1.

Post-Processing — Support removal, sanding, painting, or other finishing adds time after printing.

3. Important: 3:30 PM EST Cutoff

All orders must be placed before 3:30 PM EST to honor the selected lead time for that business day. Orders placed after 3:30 PM are processed the following business day.

4. How to Get Parts Faster

• Choose Next Day (1 business day) lead time

• Select “Tech’s Choice” to give our team flexibility

• Choose Local Pickup to skip shipping time

• Have your files ready — design revisions add days

5. Check Current Lead Times

Visit leadtimes.makelab.com to calculate your exact dispatch date based on lead time and holidays.

Makelab's 3D printing services are based in Brooklyn, NYC with same-day local pickup available. We ship nationwide via UPS with tracking on every order.

Learn more on our website:

• Shipping & Delivery — transit times, carriers, local pickup

• Our Process — from file upload to delivery

• Talk to Us — questions about your order