3D Printing · Design guide
Design it to print right the first time.
Rules of thumb for parts that fit, hold up and look good — for our enclosed FDM printer with a 0.4 mm nozzle and a 340 × 320 × 340 mm build volume.
Walls
- Aim for at least 1.2 mm on walls that carry load; 0.8 mm is the practical minimum.
- Thicker isn't always stronger in plastic printing — more walls usually beat solid fill.
- Tall, thin fins and pins (under ~2 mm) can wobble during printing; add a fillet or rib at the base.
Holes, fits & threads
- Printed holes come out a little small. Add about 0.2 mm to diameters that need to fit a bolt or pin.
- Leave 0.3 mm of clearance between parts that slide or snap together; 0.1–0.2 mm for a press fit.
- For threads that get reused, design a smooth hole for a heat-set brass insert instead of printing the thread.
Overhangs & supports
- Faces leaning more than about 45° from vertical need support; we add it automatically where needed.
- Chamfer the underside of horizontal holes and ledges (a 45° 'teardrop' or chamfer) to avoid supports entirely.
- Choose 'no supports' on the quote page only if your part is designed for it — sagging overhangs aren't covered.
Strength & orientation
- Printed parts are strongest along their layers and weakest across them — like plywood.
- Brackets and clips should be loaded along the layers; tell us if a part has a critical load direction.
- STL, OBJ and STEP files are auto-oriented for printing; 3MF files keep the orientation you set.
Text & fine detail
- Raised or engraved text: 1 mm deep and at least 5 mm tall for crisp results; bold fonts read best.
- Fine quality (0.12 mm layers) gives smoother curves and detail at extra print time.
- Very sharp internal corners concentrate stress — a 0.5–1 mm fillet makes parts tougher.
Files
- Model in millimeters. A part that arrives 25× too small was almost always exported in inches.
- 3MF is the best upload: smaller than STL and keeps parts, colors and orientation for multi-color prints.
- Export STLs at fine resolution so curves stay round, and make sure the mesh is watertight (no holes).
Not sure your part is ready?
Upload it anyway. The quote page shows the real size, print time and material before you pay — and e/acc or our team can answer questions first. No file at all? We can scan the original.