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.