Six clear steps from quote request to delivered parts. No surprises. No unexplained delays. Every order gets engineering eyes on it before anything is printed.
Start the Process Why Choose ExComSubmit your project through our online quote form, by email to info@exportcommodity.com, or by phone. Include your 3D files (STL, OBJ, STEP, or other formats), a description of the application, your desired material if known, quantity, and deadline. If you don't have files yet — sketches, drawings, and descriptions work too. We'll figure out the rest.
Quotes come back within 2–4 hours during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm CT). Rush quotes for urgent deadlines are handled immediately by phone.
Before we quote or print anything, our engineering team opens your file and reviews it. We check for printability issues: wall thicknesses below minimums, unsupported overhangs, geometry that won't print correctly, and features that may not hold dimensional spec in the process you've selected.
If we find issues, we contact you with specific recommendations before production starts. Most issues are minor and resolved quickly — but finding them before printing saves you time and money compared to discovering a problem in the finished part. This review is included at no charge on every order.
If you've specified a material, we confirm it's appropriate for your application. If you haven't, we recommend the optimal material based on your use case: how the part will be used, what environments it will see, whether it needs specific mechanical properties, and what finish quality you need.
We stock 50+ materials across FDM, SLA, SLS, and specialty processes. Our recommendation comes with a brief rationale so you understand why we're suggesting it — and you're always free to request something different. No one knows your application better than you do.
Your order enters production in our Houston facility. We slice the file, configure print settings optimized for your specific material and geometry, and start printing. Prints are monitored throughout — we check on in-progress jobs regularly and intervene immediately if something looks off.
For multi-part orders, we run parallel production where possible to minimize total lead time. Rush orders are prioritized in the queue and monitored more closely.
Every finished part goes through a quality inspection before it leaves our facility. We check dimensional accuracy on critical features, verify surface finish meets the specified standard, check for delamination, warping, or other print defects, and confirm part count on batch orders.
Parts that don't pass inspection get reprinted — not shipped with a note. Our 98% on-time delivery rate reflects a process designed to catch and fix problems before they become your problem.
Houston-area clients can choose same-day local delivery (available on most orders placed before 10am) or pickup from our facility. Shipping clients receive tracking information via email when their order ships. We package parts appropriately for their size and fragility — foam padding, bubble wrap, and custom crating available for fragile or oversized pieces.
Nationwide shipping via FedEx and UPS, with expedited options available. For trade show and event delivery, we coordinate advance warehouse shipping to venue specifications.
We accept STL, OBJ, 3MF, and AMF as print-ready formats. For CAD, we work with STEP, IGES, Rhino 3DM, Fusion 360 F3D, and SolidWorks SLDPRT files. For 2D-to-3D conversion, DWG, DXF, and PDF engineering drawings are accepted. We can also work from sketches, photographs, or physical samples for reverse engineering projects. If your file is in a format not listed, send it to us anyway — we handle a wide range of formats and can usually work with it or convert it.
Minor file fixes — closing small gaps, repairing non-manifold geometry, fixing inverted normals — are included in our standard file review at no charge. These are common issues that most 3D files have and that don't affect your design intent. More significant modifications — redesigning features for printability, adding wall thickness, reworking geometry — are handled as design services and quoted separately. We'll always tell you upfront what we're doing to your file and why, and we won't make changes that affect function or appearance without your approval.
Not a problem. Our in-house design team can build a 3D model from scratch based on your sketches, reference images, dimensions, or physical samples. We provide a design preview for your approval before printing. CAD design services are quoted based on complexity — simple consumer products typically cost $150–$400 to design from scratch. You retain full ownership of the design files we create for you. Many clients start with zero digital assets and end up with a complete 3D model library and printed parts in hand within a week.
We send a confirmation when your order enters production and a notification with tracking information when it ships. For rush orders, we provide progress check-ins proactively. If anything happens during production that might affect your timeline, we contact you immediately — not after the fact. For large or complex orders, we can provide milestone updates at your request. You can always reach us by email or phone to get a status update on your order at any point in the process.
If a part doesn't match the approved file or fails to meet the agreed specification, we reprint it at no charge. We stand behind our quality. If the issue is a design problem on your end that we flagged during review and you approved, we'll discuss options — but we won't leave you without a resolution. Contact us with photos of the issue within 5 business days of receiving your order and we'll make it right. Our goal is long-term client relationships, and that requires getting it right when something goes wrong.