Prototypes and parts, printed in Greenville this week.
Send a file or a sketch before 2pm and you get a firm price the same day. Kevin and his small shop on Evans Street print, check and hand you the part, usually within one to three days.
- Same-day quotes on weekdays
- Parts from $18, no setup fee
- Reprint free if it does not fit
What we print, and what it costs
Prices are per job and include slicing, a test fit check and cleanup. You get a firm number before anything prints.
Print from your file
STL, 3MF or STEP. PLA or PETG in 14 colors, standard 0.2 mm layers.
Engineering materials
ASA for outdoor parts, nylon with carbon fiber for brackets and jigs that take a load.
Next-day rush
File in by 2pm, part on the counter by noon tomorrow. Limited to two rush jobs a day.
Small batches
10 to 300 identical parts: enclosures, clips, fixtures, spare knobs. Price drops as the count goes up.
3D modeling from a sketch
No file? Bring the broken part or a napkin drawing. Most simple parts take one to three hours.
Finishing
Support removal, sanding, primer, and brass heat-set inserts for screws.
Get a rough price before you send anything
Pick the closest match. The real quote comes from your file, but most jobs land inside this range.
Typical total
$30 to $45
About $36 per part
- Ready
- 1 to 2 days
- Includes
- Slicing, print, support removal, fit check
Which plastic for which job
Not sure? Tell us where the part lives and what it has to survive. We pick the material and explain why on the quote.
A normal week for a normal job
Here is what happens when you send a file on Monday morning.
- Mon, 10am
You send the file
Upload it with the form, email it, or bring the part on a USB stick. Add a photo of where it goes.
- Mon, 3pm
Firm quote and a check
We check wall thickness, holes and fit, flag anything that will not print well, and send one price.
- Tue
Printed and measured
Your part prints overnight. In the morning we clean it up and check key sizes with calipers.
- Wed
Pick up or delivery
Grab it at the counter, get it delivered around Greenville, or we ship it UPS the same afternoon.
From the bench this month
4.9 stars from 112 Google reviews
Mostly engineers, students, tinkerers and a few people who just needed a dishwasher wheel.
★★★★★
We needed a housing prototype for a sensor before a Friday demo. Sent the STEP file Tuesday, had two versions in hand Wednesday afternoon. Kevin caught a wall that would have cracked.
★★★★★
Brought in a broken latch from our camper with no file at all. He modeled it, printed it in ASA, and it has been in the sun all summer. $42 total.
★★★★★
Printed 60 parts for my senior design team at ECU and walked us through why our first design would warp. Fair price and he answered texts on a Sunday.
A small shop run by someone who uses the parts
I'm Kevin Tran. I spent nine years as a manufacturing technician in Pitt County, building fixtures and jigs, and kept printing them at home because it was faster than waiting on the machine shop. In 2018 I opened Tar River Print Works so local people could get the same thing.
It is me, one part-time tech, and six printers. When you call, you talk to the person who will print your part.
- 2018opened on Evans St
- 6printers, up to 12 in
- 9,400parts printed so far
Pick up downtown, or we bring it to you
Most customers stop by the counter. If you are in Pitt County, we deliver for a flat fee, and we ship anywhere in the US.
- Counter pickup
- Free, 412 Evans St
- Delivery, Greenville and Winterville
- $8
- Delivery, rest of Pitt County
- $15
- UPS Ground, anywhere in the US
- from $9
Questions people ask first
What file do you need?
STL or 3MF works for most parts. STEP is best if you want us to tweak the design. If you only have a photo and measurements, that works too: we model it at $65 an hour.
How strong are printed parts?
Strong enough for most clips, brackets and fixtures. Layers are the weak direction, so we orient the part so the load runs along them. For real load we use nylon with carbon fiber.
Can you match an exact color?
We stock 14 PLA and PETG colors. For a close match we can order a spool, usually two to three days, or prime and paint the part.
How accurate are the parts?
Plan on about ±0.2 mm for most sizes. Holes print slightly small, so we adjust them unless you tell us not to. Tell us which sizes matter and we measure those.
What if it doesn't fit?
If we made the model or missed something in our check, the reprint is free. If the file needs a change, we fix it and reprint at material cost.
Are printed parts food safe?
Not reliably. Food and bacteria get into the tiny gaps between layers. For cookie cutters and molds we print in PETG and suggest a food-safe coating, but we will tell you honestly when a printed part is the wrong choice.