About ply

Who runs ply?

ply is made by ADD ASTRA®, a precision additive manufacturing company. ADD ASTRA® builds functional prototypes, tooling, fixtures and end-use parts for engineering teams in aerospace, defense, medical, industrial and entertainment work: programs where tolerances and deadlines are commitments, every file is reviewed for printability before it’s quoted, and every step from intake to shipment is tracked.

ply brings that production floor, engineering review and discipline to a simple website, so anyone can get a part made without a sales call or a quote request.

What can ply print?

Plastic (FDM) and resin parts, one at a time or in quantity. Today you can order 27 plastics in 237 colors (151 colors of PLA alone) and 8 resins: everyday plastics like PLA, PETG, ABS and ASA, flexible TPU, carbon fiber and glass fiber engineering plastics, high-temperature plastics, and detailed, clear and rubber-like resins. See every material.

• Parts up to 325 × 320 × 325 mm in plastic and 230 × 144 × 350 mm in resin, in one piece.
• Multi-color and multi-material parts, straight from your slicer project (see below).
• Files: STL, STEP, OBJ and 3MF, up to 500 MB. No file? Describe the part or start from a template in the Parts Builder.

Project files and multi-material prints

Upload your 3MF project from Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer or PrusaSlicer as it is. We read everything you set up in it: painted colors, the filament on each part, several materials in one print (for example a rigid body with flexible TPU grips), and your walls, fill and layer height.

• Up to 5 filaments in one print, shown in 3D in your colors with an instant price.
• Each color in your file is matched to the closest one we stock; you can change any of them on the price page.
• A whole download with several files, or a .zip, opens in one go; pieces without colors can each get their own.

Details and limits: multi-color printing.

Specialty materials

Besides the everyday plastics, ply stocks specialty materials that are hard to find at print services, each with its own page of specs and advice:

• TPU-GF: Glass fiber TPU: flexible but firmer, holds its shape & size better (black)
• PEBA Air: Foaming PEBA: soft, light & springy cushioning (black)
• TPU Air: Foaming TPU: very soft & light, for padding and grips (black)
• PC Space Grade (ESD-safe PC): Carbon-filled polycarbonate: anti-static, heat resistant & low outgassing for electronics
• PPS-CF: Extreme heat & chemical resistance, flame retardant (black)
• PPA-CF: Carbon fiber high-temp nylon: very stiff, strong, matte black, handles oil & chemicals
• PPA-GF: High-temp glass fiber nylon: engine bays & hot fluids (black)
• PETG V0 (Flame-Retardant PETG): Flame-retardant PETG that stops burning on its own, good for electronics cases
• ABS-FR (Flame Retardant): Flame-retardant ABS: puts itself out within seconds, great for electronics enclosures
• PVB (Smoothable Clear): Clear plastic that turns glossy and glass-like after a wipe with rubbing alcohol
• PLA-Aero: Foaming lightweight PLA: very light parts for RC planes, props & cosplay
• Metal PLA: Real metal powder in PLA: heavy, cast-metal look; sand, polish or patina it

How does pricing work?

The price is calculated from your actual part as soon as it’s uploaded: its size, the material it uses, how long it takes to print and any supports. What you see is what you pay, plus shipping and sales tax where required. No account, minimum order or quote request is needed, and the price per part drops automatically from 5 parts.

There’s no middleman: ply isn’t a marketplace that passes your order to another print shop. We print every part ourselves, so no one else’s margin is built into your price, and the people who check your part are the people who print it.

How we use automation and AI

We built ply’s own software to run the production floor, so the work between your order and your door happens without waiting on paperwork:

• Every upload gets an instant AI first look at your part, and our material advisor suggests a plastic or resin from what the part has to do.
• Your delivery date is worked out from what’s actually in stock and on the printers, before you pay.
• Orders are planned onto print plates and sent to the printers by our software, which tracks every spool of material by its own label.
• You can price and order parts from ChatGPT or Claude: ply in ChatGPT & Claude.

How quality is checked before printing

Most problems with a printed part are decided before the printer starts, so that’s where we check:

• Your file is checked for printability as soon as you upload it, with plain-language advice (thin walls, warping on large flat parts).
• An engineer reviews every order before it prints: material, settings and printability. If a change is needed or would make the part better, we ask you first, and your card is only held, not charged, until then.
• Moisture-sensitive materials are dried before use, and every spool is tracked from the shelf to the printer.
• A printer only starts a new print once its build plate is confirmed clear.

If something’s wrong with your parts, tell us within 14 days of delivery and we’ll reprint or refund (refunds & returns).

How fast, and where do you ship?

The price page shows the date your part arrives before you order (“Arrives as soon as …”), for Standard, 2-Day or Overnight shipping. We print Monday to Friday and ship within the United States.

Who orders from ply?

Anyone who needs a part: makers and hobbyists, engineers and product designers, small businesses, schools and larger companies. Accounts are optional; companies can share orders and parts across a team.

Contact

Email orders@plyparts.com. ply is a trade name of ADDASTRA LLC.