A shop that measures, models and prints under one roof.

What the shop is built on

Three things. Skill in parametric CAD, so every dimension is a number and a revision is a value change, not a redraw. Working knowledge of the materials, so the part is printed in what the job needs rather than what is on the shelf. And the drive to get the fit right, which means a test coupon before a critical bore, a check against the model before a part leaves, and a free revision if it still does not fit.

Why 3D printing, and why a local shop

Additive manufacturing has moved from the prototype bench into production. Aerospace, automotive, medical and tooling companies print working parts every day, because a CAD model and a night on the printer now does what a machine shop and a minimum order used to. The materials have caught up: carbon-fibre nylon, polycarbonate and weather-proof ASA are ordinary stock. What has not caught up is access. Most shops, fleets and trades in York Region still have nobody nearby who can take a broken part on Monday and hand back a fitting one on Thursday. That is the gap Northpoint 3D fills.

How a part gets made here

1. Measure. Calipers and gauges on the original, or a photo with a rule in it. The critical dimensions are listed and the missing ones asked for before the quote.
2. Model. Autodesk Fusion, parametric. Wall thickness, overhangs, orientation, tolerances and hardware are decided in the model.
3. Prove. Where the fit is critical, a small coupon is printed first and the model is tuned to the measured result.
4. Print. An enclosed Bambu Lab P1S, dried material, the profile for that material, a hardened nozzle for fibre fills.
5. Check. Every part is measured against the model before it leaves. Supports removed, edges cleaned.

Who the shop works with

• Fleet and automotive. Sensor and telematics mounts, trim clips, tooling, the one bracket every truck needs.
• Trades and installers. Jigs, drill guides, spacers, van tool holders, the fitting the supplier discontinued.
• Small manufacturers. Assembly and drilling fixtures, first articles, then ten to a hundred of one thing.
• Product developers. Prototypes in days, with the STEP file when it is time for production.
• Dental and precision. Base plates, holders and small accurate parts.

About Gerrit

Northpoint 3D is run by Gerrit Zwaal. The shop grew out of consulting work for small businesses, where half of what they needed turned out to be a physical part nobody made any more. The years since have gone into CAD, materials, tolerances and the discipline of measuring twice, and into building the shop around one promise: a written number inside a day, and a part that fits.

Template note for Gerrit: add one line here with your training and credentials (program, certificates, years with Fusion and the printer). One sentence, stated plainly. Then delete this note.

How the shop works

1. Straight numbers. Prices on the page, a written quote inside 24 hours, and the quote is the price.
2. Show, then print. You approve the turnable model before any plastic is spent.
3. Fit or free. If a design-and-print part does not fit the dimensions you gave, the next one is free.
4. Your files stay yours. Never sold, shared or printed for anyone else.
5. Local first. Newmarket and York Region, pickup by appointment, drop-off within 50 km.

Where

Newmarket, Ontario. Pickup by appointment. Drop-off anywhere within 50 km. Canada Post everywhere else in Canada.