Get a 3D printed prototype from your STEP, STL or 3MF file

If you have designed a part in CAD, you can have a real version of it in your hands within a few days, no minimum order, no tooling cost. We print one-off prototypes and small runs from your file, post them across the UK, and you can refine the design and reorder as many times as you need. Here is how it works and how to get a clean result first time.

What to send us

We take the three formats that cover almost every design tool:

• STEP (.step or .stp): the best choice if you designed in CAD (Fusion, SolidWorks, Onshape, FreeCAD and similar). A STEP file keeps the true geometry, so we can scale it, choose the best orientation and slice it cleanly. If you have a STEP file, send that.
• STL (.stl): the most common print format. It works well, it is just a mesh of triangles rather than true geometry, so very curved or very fine detail can look slightly faceted. Export at a fine or high quality setting and it is excellent.
• 3MF (.3mf): a newer format that can carry colour and part information. If your slicer or tool exports 3MF, we are happy to take it.

If you only have a sketch or a photo of a broken part rather than a CAD file, that is fine too, we can often model it for you. Just get in touch and describe it.

Getting a price

The quickest route is to upload your model on our 3D printing page. It gives you an instant quote based on size, material and infill, so you can see the cost before you commit. For CAD work and prototypes specifically, the 3D printing from CAD page covers the process in more detail.

For a one-off prototype the cost is usually small, most of the prototypes we print are a few pounds to low double figures, so iterating is cheap.

Designing a part that prints well

A few habits make the difference between a prototype that works first time and one that needs a reprint:

• Wall thickness: keep walls at least 1mm, ideally 1.2mm or more. Anything thinner can come out weak or not print at all.
• Tolerances for fit: parts that slide or clip together need a small gap, around 0.2mm to 0.4mm, designed in. Modelling two parts to exactly the same size means they will not fit once printed.
• Holes and pins: printed holes come out slightly undersize, so size up a touch if a bolt or pin must pass through. We can also adjust this for you.
• Flat reference faces: a part with at least one flat face prints more accurately and needs less support.
• Overhangs: steep overhangs need support material, which we remove, but designing them out where you can gives a cleaner finish.

You do not have to get all of this perfect. Send us the file and we will flag anything that will not print well before we start, rather than printing a part we know will fail.

Prototype now, final part later

A sensible approach is to print the first version in PLA or PETG, which is cheap and fast, to check the size, fit and shape in the real world. Once the design is right, we can make the final part in a material matched to its job, PETG for everyday function, ASA for outdoors, or polycarbonate for strength. Our guide on choosing a material for a functional part walks through that choice.

Because there is no tooling, changing the design between versions costs nothing extra, you just send the updated file. People often go through two or three quick rounds to dial a part in, and each round is only the print cost.

Real examples

The CAD prototypes we print are exactly this kind of work, a custom cap designed in CAD and printed in polycarbonate to take stress, an adaptor modelled to bridge two parts that were never meant to connect, brackets and housings tweaked over a couple of rounds until they fit. If you have the file, we can almost certainly make it.

Send your file

Upload your STEP, STL or 3MF on the 3D printing page for an instant quote, or get in touch and describe what you are after. We will confirm it prints well, recommend a material, and post the finished part to you anywhere in the UK.