Accounts · 5 minutes
Sign in and connect your company
Use a business owner account to manage your OEM website. Customers who order printed parts use a separate customer account on your branded website.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- Access to your business email or Google account.
- Owner or admin access to the company workspace you intend to use.
Open Generate & review
In the OEM builder, choose Generate & review, then Sign in / create business account. Use a sign-in method offered by the managed login screen. Google and email/password availability depend on the configured identity connection.
Complete the account checks
If creating an account, complete the verification requested by the login provider. If you already have an email/password account, use its password-reset option when needed. Never send a password or verification code to someone helping you.
Choose the correct workspace
Choose your company under Client CRM workspace. If it does not exist, an authorised owner can use Create company workspace. Enable 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing in CRM setup and ensure Site Studio is enabled in the intended Project Pack.
Reconnect an existing website
Open your saved site under Your OEM websites. Use the same workspace that owns that site; changing a company name does not transfer its files, pricing or orders to another workspace.
Check your result
Your company appears in the workspace selector, and you can reopen its private website. You have not accessed another company's data.
If something goes wrong
Sign-in button is disabled
Wait for the session check. If it remains disabled, the identity connection is unavailable; this requires an operator configuration fix, not a new paid support purchase.
Google returns an error or does not return to the page
Try the direct CRM setup screen, record the error and the hostname you used, and report it. Localhost and the published domain need their own configured callback addresses. Do not repeatedly create accounts.
My company is missing
Confirm you used the intended business identity and ask a company owner to check your membership. Only an eligible owner/admin workspace with Site Studio access appears here.
Website setup · 15–20 minutes
Build your first branded website
Create a private OEM version of Alba Hubs through your CRM Site Studio Website Builder. Your company owns its workspace, content, rates and orders.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- Your company name, headline and contact information.
- A logo and example-work images you own or have permission to use; a hero GLB model is optional.
- Access to the business owner account and intended company workspace.
Choose the website type
In Your business, enter your company name. Choose Build my website for a full website, or Add a quoting portal for an existing website.
Set your brand and content
In Brand & content, choose a design direction, palette, typography, layout and motion settings. Enter your business copy and design instructions. Check the small-screen preview as well as the desktop preview.
Add approved assets
In Assets, choose your logo, optional hero GLB and up to twelve workshop or example-work images. Confirm your right to use them. Without a supplied hero model, the website uses labelled illustrative geometry. Selected files upload when you generate, so keep them available if you reload before that step.
Generate in your workspace
In Generate & review, sign in, choose the company workspace and appropriate Site Studio Project Pack, then select Generate my OEM website. The native preset produces a private draft; it does not publish the site or create a completed custom AI design run.
Review the complete experience
Open the private preview. Inspect every page on phone and desktop, including accounts, multiple-part upload, material selection and order tracking. Configure your rate cards before expecting numerical estimates. Refresh private preview when its temporary link expires.
Complete launch setup
Use Service & credits and Install for the connected service and destination. Review outstanding account-security, seller/legal and release checks in Site Studio. A generated preview is a draft until the separate release and hosting steps are complete.
Check your result
The private preview shows your branding and content, belongs to your company workspace and has a clear list of anything still needed before launch.
If something goes wrong
Generation fails after a draft was created
Reopen the retained draft and read the error before retrying. Do not use New OEM website just to recover an existing site; that starts a separate draft.
The preview no longer opens
Choose Refresh private preview. Private links expire after ten minutes; this does not mean the draft was deleted.
Pricing · 20–30 minutes for your first combination
Set machine and material prices
Rate cards connect the costs and selling rates in your company's CRM to new estimates on its website. Start with one real machine, material and process, then expand.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- Select 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing as one of your company's focuses.
- Owner/admin access, a website draft, machine specifications and your actual material purchase costs.
- A known part and a real slicer or production result for checking the first estimate.
Choose the company and website
Open Printing rate cards in CRM, or Configure rate cards on your OEM draft. Confirm the displayed workspace and intended website before saving. Each company keeps its own financial records.
Enter Shop rates
Choose CAD or USD and enter labour cost/hour, setup minutes per distinct part design, handling minutes per part, electricity cost/kWh, failure allowance and markup. Enter dollars and percentages normally. Markup and gross margin are different. Switching currency does not convert existing amounts.
Add Machines and Materials
For each machine, enter its technology, hourly machine cost, build dimensions, power and applicable nozzle size. For each material grade, enter technology, purchase cost/kg and supplier density in g/cm³. Keep machine cost separate from labour and electricity to avoid counting them twice.
Add FDM print settings
Enter layer height, extrusion width, speed, wall thickness, infill and applicable support settings. These drive a geometry-based estimate; they are not proof that a slicer has been run.
Create a Website rate card
For FDM, select the machine/material/print-settings combination. Alternatively, use a volume-selling rate for the intended technology and enter its price/cm³, currency, applicable setup/per-part charges and limits. Choose the finish when its cost is included. Keep only one enabled card per technology/material/finish.
Save, validate and enable
Save incomplete cards as drafts, read the missing requirements and fill them in. Check Enable this card for website estimates only when the values are complete and approved. Blank means unknown; enter zero only when it is genuinely applicable.
Test the website estimate
Upload the known part, select the matching technology/material/finish and request an estimate. Compare it with real consumption and print time; check quantity and a second part too. Correct the rates before enabling more combinations. New estimates use updated rates; submitted requests and confirmed quotes retain their existing revision.
Check your result
The card is enabled without missing requirements, and a reliable, in-bounds test part receives a plausible number. The team still reviews the confirmed quote.
If something goes wrong
The estimate has no number
Check the card is enabled, matches the selected technology/material/finish and has complete profiles. Check the model fits the machine, has reliable volume and known units. Missing or uncertain inputs correctly remain in team review.
A machine or material is missing
Check the correct company workspace and add the actual model/grade there. Do not copy another company's private prices or assume every printer supports every material.
Pricing · 15–25 minutes for the first route
Set shipping and China forwarder rates
Connect logistics to the same estimate as printing. North American origins use the company’s authorised CRM Shippo connection. China uses owner-entered door-to-door rates to the USA or Canada.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- The actual dispatch address, including postal code, and the intended company workspace.
- Owner-approved packing padding, carton tare, packaging charge and shipping markup.
- For China: the forwarder’s real air/sea rate sheet, validity, currency and duty/tax coverage.
Open Logistics in rate cards
Open your website’s printing rate cards and choose 6. Logistics. Confirm the company and displayed CRM shipping connection. If the company has multiple Project Packs, select the authorised Site Studio shipping pack. The app does not use another company’s account or silently fall back to a global key.
Enter the actual origin
Enter the manufacturing or dispatch contact, street, city, region, postal code and country. A registered business address is not automatically the factory location. The customer supplies their destination separately.
Define estimated packing
Enter padding on each side in mm, packaging tare in grams and charge per carton in the printing currency. Enter your shipping markup explicitly; zero is allowed. The initial plan uses one carton per part copy and the stored model’s dimensions and material mass. More than twenty cartons or uncertain geometry/mass needs team packing review.
Check the complete delivery window
Enter production calendar days and how to interpret carrier transit days. If the carrier basis is unknown, leave it in team review. Business-day conversion is a planning approximation using ceil(days × 7/5) plus your calendar-day buffer; holidays and actual service feasibility still need team confirmation. China transit rates are entered in calendar days. The customer slider continues to mean total order-to-delivery calendar days.
Add China door-to-door rates
Create one rate per destination, transport, currency and weight band. Choose chargeable kg, CBM or flat shipment pricing. Enter rate, minimum freight charge and fixed fees, including explicit zero where applicable. A dimensional divisor applies per carton; leave it blank only if the supplier bills actual weight. Set billing increment and any approved maximum weight. Enter door-to-door transit, expiry and duties/tax coverage. No extra North American final-mile charge is added.
Set currency conversion if needed
If a supplier rate differs from the printing quote currency, enter its conversion target and the owner-approved multiplier: one supplier currency unit equals this many target currency units. CNY requires a configured CAD or USD conversion. No exchange rate is invented or fetched automatically. Replace the multiplier when the approved supplier rate or conversion changes.
Save drafts or enable completed rules
Keep unfinished forwarder rates disabled, then save the logistics form. Enable complete, unexpired rates and Include logistics in new website estimates when the overall origin/packing inputs are ready. A stale form cannot overwrite a newer revision; reload and reapply your changes if another tab saved first.
Test the customer estimate
In the website, upload a known part, select its enabled manufacturing rate and destination, then enter a complete delivery address. Request an estimate. Read Printing, Shipping and Estimated subtotal separately. Shipping quotes can be reused for fifteen minutes only while inputs and authority remain unchanged. Changing destination, files, quantity, rate settings, delivery choice or connection invalidates the cached quote.
Check your result
A representative estimate has the correct printing and shipping components in one currency, uses the intended total lead-time window and matches a real forwarder/carrier quotation after checking actual packing. The team still confirms the final offer.
If something goes wrong
Shipping pending
Check the dispatch and delivery address, enabled route, material density/geometry, valid rate date, matching currency conversion and selected lead time. For North American origins, check the exact CRM connection and Project Pack policy.
No service fits the fast window
Production days plus transit must fit the selected maximum calendar days. Choose a longer window or request team review; the app does not promise a faster delivery by ignoring production time.
What does the subtotal include?
It is printing plus estimated shipping/packaging with the configured shipping markup. Longer-lead-time discounts apply to printing only. Unconfirmed duties/taxes, insurance or other fees are not invented; the team must state the confirmed quote’s inclusions before acceptance. This form never buys a label or books freight.
Installation · 10 minutes plus DNS propagation
Connect and verify your domain
Verify that your company controls its website hostname before installation. Ownership verification and actually serving the website are separate steps.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- A generated website draft and access to its Install screen.
- Access to the DNS settings for your intended domain.
Choose the destination
Open Install on your draft and choose Host with Alba, Download my site or Add to my existing site. For a full website, enter its intended hostname, such as www.yourcompany.com. For an embedded portal, enter both the portal hostname and existing website hostname.
Request the ownership records
Select Get DNS verification records. Use the exact TXT record name and value shown for this draft. The challenge changes if you request a new one, so use the current values.
Add TXT records at your DNS provider
Open your domain's DNS settings and add the displayed TXT records. Some dashboards append your domain to the name: check the final fully qualified name matches the screen and does not repeat your domain. Keep unrelated website and email records intact.
Verify ownership
Return to Install and choose Verify ownership. If records are not visible yet, allow your DNS provider's propagation time and retry later. Keep the verification records during installation.
Finish deployment and account configuration
A successful TXT check does not configure traffic-routing records or HTTPS hosting. Complete the selected host's deployment instructions and Site Studio release checks. The operator must configure the exact published account callbacks and allowed origins, then test sign-in and uploads on that hostname.
Check your result
Install reports ownership verified for the intended hostname. Before calling the site live, confirm its HTTPS pages, login, upload and quote flows actually work.
If something goes wrong
Ownership verification fails
Compare the exact record name/value with the current challenge, check the correct DNS zone and check for an accidentally repeated domain. Record the result; retry after propagation rather than generating repeated new challenges.
Host with Alba is unavailable
Read the readiness message. The current managed-hosting connection may not be configured; selecting the option or preparing a release does not itself put the site online. Operator setup is required.
Installation · 20–30 minutes after release approval
Download and host your frontend
You can host the exported frontend with your own provider. Accounts, private files, estimates and orders still use your company's connected Alba CRM backend.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- A release-ready website whose export passes the builder's checks.
- An HTTPS frontend host that can honour the package's required security headers and routing.
- A verified domain and operator configuration for that domain's API and account connections.
Review the export requirements
In Install, choose Download my site. Review the release in Site Studio and resolve the reported blockers. Do not remove security controls to obtain a ZIP.
Download the approved package
Use Download approved website. Retain the versioned ZIP and deployment instructions as a rollback reference. Read the included configuration before choosing a deployment method.
Deploy to your host
Use your host's deployment process for the supplied frontend package. Apply its included headers and security-standard manifest requirements; configure the required routes. Downloading the ZIP alone does not configure an arbitrary host.
Connect the domain and services
Complete your host's domain and HTTPS setup. Have the operator configure the exact website origin, API connection and account callback addresses. Private provider secrets belong in operator configuration, never in page content or a browser bundle.
Check the deployed version
Test every page, Google/email methods that are enabled, multipart upload, model measurement, an enabled-rate estimate, team review and order tracking. Check phone and desktop. Confirm the version and retain the prior package so you can roll back.
Check your result
The deployed frontend runs on the verified HTTPS hostname and reaches only your company's backend data. Login and a representative customer order flow succeed there.
If something goes wrong
Export is blocked
Read the named release checks in Site Studio. Fix missing evidence or configuration rather than editing the downloaded code to bypass the check.
Pages load but login or uploads fail
Check the deployed origin and operator account/API configuration. A static frontend can render while its service connection is unavailable. Include the hostname and exact error in a fault report.
Installation · 15–20 minutes after portal deployment
Add a portal to your existing website
Keep your existing website and add your branded quoting/order portal. Installation code only works after the portal is deployed and the exact parent website is authorised.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- An OEM portal draft and editing access to your existing website.
- DNS access for the portal and existing website hostnames.
- A deployed HTTPS portal with completed release checks.
Select the portal installation
Open the draft's Install screen and choose Add to my existing site. Enter the branded portal hostname and the hostname of the existing website that will contain it.
Verify both domains
Use Get DNS verification records, add both current TXT records in their correct zones and choose Verify ownership. Complete the portal's deployment; verification alone does not host it.
Copy the installation code
When the authorised code is available, use Copy installation code and paste the complete snippet into your website's supported HTML/embed block. Keep its origin restrictions; do not add credentials to the snippet.
Provide the direct portal link
Use Copy portal link and add a visible Open quoting portal link alongside the embed. Customers can use it when their browser blocks embedded sign-in or pop-ups.
Test on the real parent page
Check layout on phone and desktop, then sign in through the enabled provider, upload multiple parts and request an estimate. Test the direct link too. If you change the parent hostname, update and reverify its installation configuration.
Check your result
The portal works from the authorised parent page and directly in a separate tab. It uses your brand and company workspace.
If something goes wrong
The portal refuses to appear in a frame
Check the exact parent hostname and installation authorisation. Some website platforms alter embed code. Do not weaken frame protections; use the direct portal link while resolving the integration.
Sign-in fails inside the embed
Open the direct portal link for top-level sign-in, then check the real-domain callback configuration. Report the browser and error if the direct login also fails.
Billing · 5 minutes
Manage your AI allowance and top up
Your website-service plan and AI credit are separate from payments for printed parts. Top-ups are deliberate purchases; the system does not automatically buy extra credit.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- Your company owner/admin account and correct workspace.
- An approved service plan and available payment connection. If prices are not configured, they cannot be purchased yet.
Check the service status
Open Service & credits on your OEM draft. Review the company, subscription status, included allowance and prepaid balance. Only configured plans and their real price/currency are shown.
Enable the funding controls
Read the included-allowance and prepaid controls and confirm them if enrollment is required. Enabling controls alone does not buy a subscription or add money.
Choose an optional top-up
Choose a quick amount or enter a custom amount within the displayed limits. Review the amount and currency before going to secure checkout. If a previous top-up is pending, check or resume it before buying again.
Wait for payment confirmation
After checkout, return to Service & credits and refresh the status if necessary. A checkout return screen is not payment proof; the balance updates after verified confirmation. Keep the receipt and avoid purchasing the same pending top-up twice.
Review each paid design request
Before an AI revision, use Check AI revision cost. Review its maximum prepaid reservation and accept only the request you intend to run. Included allowance is used first where applicable, then prepaid credit; unused reservation is returned. Review Recent prepaid activity and allowance usage.
Check your result
A completed top-up appears as confirmed balance/activity, and you can see the revision's bound before authorising it. No extra purchase happens without your choice.
If something goes wrong
Plans or checkout are unavailable
The operator must finish actual pricing/payment configuration. The calculator's proposed tiers are planning values, not purchasable plans.
Payment made, but balance has not changed
Check the pending transaction's status rather than repurchasing. Report its receipt/reference through an authenticated channel if confirmation remains missing; never share card details.
Design · 10–15 minutes
Change content and design yourself
Use the built-in design controls for straightforward changes and Site Studio for page editing. Human custom design or setup work is optional and needs a separately agreed scope and price.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- An existing private website draft in your company workspace.
- Replacement copy or licensed assets, and a clear description of the change.
Reopen the existing draft
Select the site in Your OEM websites. Keep that draft rather than starting New OEM website, so you can work with its existing configuration.
Use the design controls
In Brand & content, edit company copy, palette, typography, layout and motion. Use neutral design descriptions and your own assets. Check the preview at small and large sizes, including readability and reduced-motion behaviour.
Build and inspect a revision
Use Build this design revision to apply the preset design to the existing site. Inspect all affected pages in private preview. For detailed page editing, use Edit in Site Studio, which opens the site's owning workspace.
Use AI only when you choose
For an AI refinement, enter specific design instructions, enable the required service funding, then Check AI revision cost. Review and accept the bound. Open Site Studio to inspect the result before accepting it; a successful request is not proof that the design is ready to publish.
Release the reviewed version
Repeat the applicable export, installation and release checks for the changed version. Verify live pages after deployment and retain the prior version for recovery.
Check your result
The private revision contains the intended changes, still supports the customer order flow and has been reviewed before release.
If something goes wrong
The change is not visible on the live site
Check whether you edited a private draft or deployed that reviewed version. Preview updates and public deployment are separate.
I want someone to do the work for me
Ask the operator about optional assisted setup or custom design, with a clear scope and quote before work starts. There is no automatic $30 charge or included one-hour assumption.
Troubleshooting · 5–10 minutes
Resolve an issue or report a platform fault
Start with the guide for the screen you are using. Platform faults still need investigation; documentation and optional assisted services do not replace our responsibility to fix them.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- The page address, exact error and approximate time of the issue.
- The company/site name and browser/device you were using.
Check the company and draft
Confirm you are signed in to the intended company workspace and opening the correct site. A Select an active project message usually means the intended Project Pack is not selected or enabled; check CRM setup before retrying the app.
Use the specific troubleshooting guide
For sign-in, check Accounts. For missing estimate numbers, check Pricing. For domains and embedding, check Installation. For missing credit, check Billing. Read the actual on-screen error rather than treating every issue as the same failure.
Check model processing
If a 3D project exists but has no viewable file, inspect its attachment/import status. A project record alone does not prove the original file was downloaded and converted. For an emailed model, record the email subject, original filename and project reference; do not forward private CAD files into a public help page.
Retry deliberately
Refresh an expired private preview, or retry a failed operation after reading its status. Do not repeatedly submit payments, create duplicate projects or overwrite a rate card just to clear an error.
Send a useful fault report
Report the company/site, hostname, time and timezone, browser/device, exact error, what you expected and concise reproduction steps through your established authenticated Alba contact channel. Include a redacted screenshot when useful. Exclude passwords, verification codes, session URLs/tokens, card details and customer CAD attachments.
Separate optional assistance
A platform fault report is not a purchase of training or custom work. Any optional human assistance needs an agreed scope and price first. This help centre does not submit a support ticket or start a charge.
Check your result
You either resolved the issue using the relevant guide or prepared a clear, safe report with enough detail to investigate it.
If something goes wrong
The guide cannot resolve the error
Report it with the checklist above. Do not bypass account, workspace or release protections. Some failures need an operator or application fix.
There is no ticket button here
Use your established authenticated contact with Alba. A dedicated support-ticket system is not connected to this help centre.
Billing · 10–15 minutes
Service terms, vendor agreements and Alba commissions
OEM subscription billing and vendor manufacturing payments are separate. Website creation still uses the CRM Site Studio Website Builder API.
Step-by-step tutorial
Before you start
- Owner access to your company and the correct Site Studio project.
- Actual seller identity, chosen service tier and vendor commercial details.
Review OEM service and AI credit terms
Open Service & credits, read the versioned terms and tick the separate agreement checkbox before selecting a monthly plan or buying a one-time top-up. Page visits and preset assembly do not consume AI credits. Do not buy again while a checkout is awaiting provider confirmation.
Cancel or request a billing correction
Use Manage plan, payment method & invoices to cancel the next renewal. If unavailable, contact info@3baprinting.com. Use the same contact to request a correction or eligible unused purchased-credit refund. Optional human help is separately priced; the self-service guides remain available.
Prepare Alba vendor signatures
For Alba's vendor network, open Site Studio compliance operations and download the vendor agreement. Complete the actual parties, global commission and schedules, then obtain both signatures using your agreed signing process. Upload the actual executed PDF as private evidence and create a signed manufacturer contract scoped to that vendor. A downloaded draft or application approval is not a signature. Other OEM sellers need their own agreement.
Reconcile net-10 commissions
The customer prepays the identified vendor. Alba's one global percentage applies to manufacturing receipts excluding tax and shipping, with manufacturing refund adjustments. In Compliance choose Vendor commissions, use vendor:ID scope, select the actual receipt source and record the manufacturing receipts, received time and remittance evidence. The server calculates the due date and balance. Revise the same statement for a refund; do not create a duplicate receipt. Automatic collection is not connected.
Check your result
Your receipt shows the accepted service-term version. A vendor contract is marked signed only with its actual executed original. Commission records have the correct vendor, currency, receipt, rate and net-10 due date.
If something goes wrong
Service checkout is disabled
Review the current terms and check the funding/provider configuration. A changed terms version needs renewed acceptance. Unconfigured prices must not be replaced with invented values.
Commission percentage is blank
Use the expense planner to compare scenarios, then an owner saves the chosen global percentage. The agreement and invoice workflow cannot invent a rate.