Service — Custom 3D Design, Scanning & Printing in Chicago | The Object Center

Bring us the problem. We'll hand you back the object.

Send an existing file for printing, request help developing a custom design, or ask about scanning and rebuilding a physical part. You see the price before anything is made, a person checks every order before it prints, and finished work waits on the studio's pickup shelf. Previous projects include a radio-to-smart-screen dash kit that sold over 100 units, a field kit for rainforest research and an injection-moldable watering prototype.

How the service works

1. Start with the problem: what the object has to do and the measurements that matter.
2. You see the price before anything is made.
3. A person checks every order before it prints.
4. Custom design is a conversation: sketch, CAD and a first prototype, revisions, final print.
5. 1 credit = $1; new accounts start with 10 free credits.
6. Finished work waits on the studio's pickup shelf in Chicago.

Previous work

• Retirement Gift Truck — 25 years of working friendship condensed in this meaningful gift from a Chicago garbage truck worker to his best driver who retired 2026.
• Held Rain — A graduate student surveying arboreal amphibians in Neotropical cloud forest needed a stand-in for live bromeliads, which rot within days and block repeat sampling. The Modular Bromeliad is a 3D-printable, rope-mounted unit that recreates water-holding leaf axils on trunks and branches: small basins plus a central reservoir collect rain, a wicking pad drains it slowly, and the whole kit packs to about 900 g so the same sites can be checked all season without harming the trees.
• Pokemon print and paint — Pokemon digital paint and print from online assets
• Rockville Tower Speaker Enclosure Van Solution — Redsigned the case for the client to put 6 speakers mounting at the back of his van vertically with secure hose clamp connection.
• Car Spoke Cover Reverse Enginerring — Custom design and fabrication project.
• Plant Watering Reservior Prototype — Client wanted to prototype this innovative sipheoning watering box which can clamp on almost any type of planter wall. It's also optimized for injection molding, and heatset inerts and metal hardhare have been integrated.
• Motorcycle Dash Reverse& Modify — Custom design and fabrication project.
• Radio to Smart Screen Conversion Kit — The client is a skilled car electronics hobbyist who asked for help designing a custom dashboard enclosure. The design allows a pre-programmed smart screen to replace the original factory radio, completely modernizing the older vehicle. What started as a personal project turned into a successful business. The client decided to commercialize the enclosure for the car community, selling over 100 units and generating significant profit.

What should I send for a custom design quote?

Share the intended use, critical dimensions, reference images or existing files, material preferences and quantity. The studio reviews feasibility and confirms the scope and price.

Can you print an existing 3D file?

Yes. Send the file and specify the material, color and quantity. STL, 3MF and STEP files can be discussed with the studio; the current automated estimate workflow accepts STL files.

Does paying start the printer?

No. A person at the studio checks every order (geometry, material and settings) before it prints, and tells you if something should change.