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3D Printing or CNC Machining?

CNC suits simple shapes and tight accuracy requirements from metal or plastic stock; 3D printing suits complex shapes, internal channels, integrated assemblies and fast prototypes without tooling.

Netsheipas engineers · updated 2026-10-02 · 1 min read

When to choose 3D printing

  • Complex geometry: internal channels, lattices, organic shapes.
  • Several prototypes in a short time.
  • Lightweight structures.

When to choose CNC

  • Very tight tolerances (e.g., H7 holes).
  • Metal parts.
  • Simple prismatic shapes.

Combining both

Often a part is 3D printed, and critical holes or surfaces are machined afterwards. Note this in the configurator comments.