1. Send a format we can open
We take STL, OBJ, 3MF and STEP, up to 10 files of 250 MB each, or a zip of them for a multi-part model.
- STL is the most common and works for almost anything.
- 3MF keeps units, colors and how parts are arranged, so it is the better choice when your software can export it.
- STEP keeps exact geometry from CAD, which helps with mechanical parts that have to fit something.
2. Check the units and the size
An STL has no units, only numbers. Say in your request whether the model was drawn in millimeters or inches, and give one real measurement you care about. A part that comes out 25.4 times too big or too small is almost always an inch and millimeter mix-up.
3. Make the mesh watertight
A printable model is a closed surface with a clear inside and outside. Holes in the surface, faces pointing the wrong way, and shapes that pass through each other confuse the slicer and leave gaps or missing layers.
Most slicers, including PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio, repair simple errors when they import a file. Blender's 3D Print Toolbox shows exactly where the problems are. If a file will not repair, send it anyway and say so; fixing models that will not slice is work we do.
4. Thin walls and tiny details
As a rule of thumb, keep filament walls at least 1.2 mm thick and anything that takes force thicker still. Resin holds finer features, down to about half a millimeter, but long thin pieces like swords, antennas and fingers snap easily. Details smaller than that may print softened or not at all.
5. Leave room for parts that fit together
Printed parts are never exactly the drawn size. Pegs, lids, hinges and press fits need clearance: around 0.2 to 0.3 mm per side for filament, and a little less for resin. If a fit matters, tell us what it has to fit, and we can print a small test piece first.
6. Hollow resin models need drain holes
Large resin pieces are often hollowed to save resin and weight. A hollow needs at least two drain holes, a few millimeters across, or uncured resin stays trapped inside and can crack the part later. If your model is hollow and sealed, mention it and we will add them somewhere discreet.
7. Big models get split
Filament parts up to about 25 cm on a side print in one piece; larger models are split into sections and joined. Resin parts are smaller still. If your model is large, we can split it along natural seams and add pins so it goes together straight.
8. Make sure you can print it
If the model is someone else's design, check that its license allows it to be printed for you. Files from model-sharing sites often carry personal-use licenses, and our copyright policy explains what we can and cannot print.
9. Tell us what it is for
A sentence about where the part goes and what it has to survive tells us more than any setting. It decides the material, which way up it prints, how strong it is, and how finished it should arrive. See choosing a 3D printing material for how that choice works.
What happens next
- Send your file. STL, OBJ, 3MF, STEP or a ZIP of them. Up to 10 files, 250 MB each.
- We check and price it. A person makes sure it will print, then sends one clear price.
- You approve. Nothing is charged until you say go.