GuidesPrepare the file
How to prepare your file for 3D printing
If you draw your own part in Tinkercad, Fusion, Rhino or Blender, these are the measurements that print well on our printer: a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon with a 0.4 mm nozzle, printing in ASA. With them the part comes out right the first time, with no walls that snap and no fits that do not go in.
Updated on September 27, 2026
A 1.2 mm wall: about three passes of the nozzle. At 0.8 mm it prints, but it is fragile.
Up to 45° from vertical, it prints without supports.
0.3 mm of clearance for one part to slide into another.
Raised details 0.5 mm high, like the dots on our braille plates.
1. A closed file, in millimeters
We take STL, 3MF or OBJ. STL and OBJ files do not say which units they are in, so we read them in millimeters; if you drew in centimeters or inches, the quote tool lets you change it. A 3MF does carry its units.
The part has to be a closed body, with no holes in its surface and every face pointing outward, because the printer fills whatever is inside. When you upload the file to the quote tool, each part goes through a check that counts open edges, faces facing the wrong way and loose bodies. Tinkercad and Fusion files almost always come out closed; the problems come from models downloaded from the internet, from scans and from unfinished joins. The slicing software fixes almost all of that on its own, and if something cannot be fixed, we tell you before printing.
2. Walls
The nozzle lays a line about 0.4 mm wide, so a 0.8 mm wall is two passes: it prints, but it breaks easily. At 1.2 mm, about three passes, the part is sturdy. If it will carry weight, take knocks or hold screws, give it 2 to 3 mm.
3. Overhangs and bridges
Each layer rests on the one below. A face leaning up to 45° from vertical prints on its own; any flatter and it needs supports, which are removed afterwards and leave marks on that face. A flat ceiling can often become a 45° chamfer, and the supports disappear.
A horizontal span between two supports, a bridge, comes out clean up to about 10 mm. Any longer and the line sags a little underneath.
4. Holes and clearance between parts
Vertical holes come out about 0.2 mm smaller, because the plastic flattens inward. If they have to take a screw or a shaft, draw them 0.2 mm larger. Holes under 2 mm are better drilled afterwards.
Between two parts that fit together you need clearance, depending on how they should sit:
- 0.1 to 0.2 mm for a press fit that does not come out.
- 0.3 mm to slide in and out by hand.
- 0.5 mm for parts that turn or move, like a hinge.
If you would rather not work it out, draw both parts at the exact size and tell us how they should sit: we add the clearance. For fits that have to be perfect, it is worth testing a small sample first.
5. Raised details and text
Raised or engraved letters and drawings need at least 0.5 mm of height or depth and 1 mm wide strokes; with less, they get lost between the layers. It is the same height as the dots on our braille plates, which are read with a fingertip. On a face that points up, text about 5 mm tall reads well.
6. Size, layers and precision
A part up to 242 × 242 × 250 mm prints whole: the bed is 256 mm per side, minus the margins. Anything larger we split into parts that join with fits or screws.
A printed part is stronger along its layers than between one layer and the next. If it will carry weight or bend, tell us in which direction, and we orient it so the force runs along the layers.
Anything up to about 100 mm comes out within ±0.2 mm; on longer lengths, up to ±0.5 mm. If one measurement matters most, mark it and we look after it. If you do not have a file and the part already exists, the guide to measuring a part explains what to send us.
Every measurement in one table
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| Wall | The rule: 0.8 mm at the least; 1.2 mm to make it sturdy; 2 to 3 mm if it carries weight |
| Overhang without supports | The rule: Up to 45° measured from vertical |
| Bridge without supports | The rule: Up to about 10 mm between two supports |
| Vertical hole | The rule: Draw it 0.2 mm larger; below 2 mm, better drilled afterwards |
| Clearance between parts | The rule: 0.1 to 0.2 mm for a press fit, 0.3 mm to slide and 0.5 mm if it turns |
| Raised or engraved detail | The rule: 0.5 mm high or deep and 1 mm wide strokes |
| A single part | The rule: Up to 242 × 242 × 250 mm; anything larger, in parts |
| Tolerance | The rule: ±0.2 mm up to about 100 mm; on longer lengths, up to ±0.5 mm |