For the part you can’t find.
The idea you want to build.
Custom design, CAD and in-house 3D printing for individuals, makers and businesses. Start with a sketch, a broken part or simply a problem to solve.
No CAD experience needed. One-off projects welcome.
Component integrationYou do not need to be a business to work with SOLIDSTEAD. A photo, sketch or plain-language description is enough to start a conversation.
For inventors, hobbyists and people who need something that isn’t available off the shelf.
Flexible additional capacity that works alongside your team.
Book a defined piece of work or build a route from first idea to a physical part. Scope, deliverables and price are agreed before work starts.
Sketch-to-CAD, 2D drawings, 3D models, component and product design. Clear geometry for the next step.
Explore design support ↗Brackets, mounts, adapters and enclosures. Recreate suitable existing parts from measurements and reference information.
Discuss a custom part ↗In-house FDM printing for suitable prototypes, fit checks and functional parts. Design, print, review and refine.
See printing & manufacture ↗Manufacturing and fabrication drawings, design for manufacture, CAD overflow and specialist supplier coordination.
Support for your team ↗Suitable prototypes and parts can be FDM 3D-printed in house. Material, geometry, loading, finish and intended use are assessed before the production route is agreed.
Need CNC machining, sheet metal or a specialist finish? We can prepare production files and coordinate an assessed external supplier where appropriate.
Original SOLIDSTEAD concepts, not paid client work or validated production designs.
Explore all projects ↗Component integration and practical assembly, explored through a lightweight airframe.
View design study ↗
Fabricated steel, portability and controlled airflow. Combustion performance remains to be tested.
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Machining-oriented geometry and the detail needed to prepare a component for production.
View design study ↗You don’t need all the answers at the start. We work out the useful next step together.
A photo, sketch, existing part or description of what you need.
Clarify intended use, deliverables, price, timing and review stages.
Develop the CAD or drawings. Prototype and refine where appropriate.
Agreed files, a suitable in-house print or an assessed specialist route.
Idea → design → CAD → prototype → manufacture → real part. Not every project needs every stage.
Professional capability.
Without the barrier to entry.
SOLIDSTEAD is an independent UK design service. We help turn things that exist in your head, on paper or as a practical problem into useful designs and agreed outputs.
Explain the problem in your own words. No formal specification required.
Materials, loads, manufacture and assembly inform the design—not just its appearance.
Scope, revisions and deliverables agreed. Suitability assessed before accepting work.
You do not need a finished specification. Tell us what you currently have, what it needs to do and what result would be useful.
Prefer a simple email? Send a photo, sketch or description. We’ll take a look and let you know whether we can help. Please agree a suitable route before sharing sensitive files.