STL vs 3MF, and how to prepare your file

An STL is just a mesh of triangles — geometry and nothing else, no units, no colour, no metadata. A 3MF carries the same geometry plus units, colours, materials and multiple objects in one tidy file. If your CAD or slicer can export 3MF, send 3MF; it removes most scaling and colour guesswork.

STL is still perfectly usable and remains the most widely shared format. We accept both, plus STEP if you are working in engineering CAD.

Export in millimetres. Unit confusion is the single most common cause of a model arriving 25.4 times too big or too small.

Choose a fine-but-sane mesh resolution. Too coarse and curves become visible facets; absurdly fine and the file becomes enormous for no visual gain.

Export as a solid, watertight body. Open edges, flipped normals and stray internal faces make a slicer guess at what is inside the part.

Wall thickness: aim for at least 1.2mm on anything that will be handled, and more on parts that take load. Thin fins and lettering below about 0.8mm tend to snap.

Overhangs: anything beyond roughly 45 degrees needs support, which costs money and leaves marks. Consider whether the part can be reoriented or split.

Clearances: leave around 0.2–0.4mm between parts that must fit together, and mention any dimension that has to be exact.

Attach the file to a quote request with quantity, material or use case, colour preference and your deadline. If the model is one you bought, include the source link so we can confirm the licence permits printing.

No file yet? Sketches, photos and measurements are enough to start a conversation, and we can quote modelling alongside the print.