What an additive manufacturing customer may need when the workshop closes
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Sending a customer an STL file may answer a request for a model, but it may not explain how their part was produced or whether the agreed work is complete. Start a closure handover by asking which question the customer needs answered.
The original design, preparation for a particular build and evidence about the supplied part have different purposes. Keep their identities and permissions separate. The fact that the files sit in one job folder does not establish that every file belongs to the customer or can be shared.
Formlabs’ Form 3 workflow provides a manufacturer example of design files entering separate print-preparation software. Its product-specific process illustrates why a model and a prepared build are different records. It is not a universal process or a claim about the quality of your job.
Ask what each record is meant to establish
For a fictional customer bracket, the handover might distinguish:
| Material | Purpose in the handover |
|---|---|
| Customer-supplied design | Identify the version and source used for the job |
| Prepared build record | Describe the recorded production context, with its known limitations |
| Supplied-part record | Connect the actual parts to the job and any agreed evidence |
| Unfinished work note | State which manufacture, finishing or assessment remains open |
Have the responsible technical person identify what exists and what the agreed job requires. Do not invent build settings, material history or inspection results because the customer expects a complete folder. Where evidence is missing, describe the gap and seek the appropriate decision.
Prototype status matters where the work was experimental. A visual demonstration or successful fit check should not be represented as evidence for unrelated performance or production suitability.
Agree the handover scope before exporting files
Ask about intellectual property, confidentiality and supplier terms for the actual material and recipient. GOV.UK’s intellectual property guidance explains why permission to use another party’s work needs attention. Obtain appropriate advice rather than assume that providing a physical part transfers every digital right.
The engineering software access plan should establish how authorised records remain usable after subscriptions or workstations change. Avoid promising that a file can reproduce the same outcome on a different machine or through a different process without competent assessment.
Use the inspection-report guide where particular evidence was agreed with the customer. Preserve the status of that evidence separately from delivery of the part.
Explain remaining production or assessment dependencies to UK Auction Group when discussing surplus printers and associated business equipment. Keep customer files and unfinished jobs clearly outside the general asset scope. A useful closure handover makes the state of each job understandable without offering either technical guarantees or unrestricted rights that the business has not established.
Explore workshop and engineering exit.
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