What the quote checks
| Check | Limit | If the file fails |
|---|---|---|
| Format | STL, OBJ, 3MF | A STEP or native file (SLDPRT, F3D, BLEND) is not read: export it as a mesh. |
| File size | 50 MB | Lower the mesh resolution on export. |
| Part size | 1 to 256 mm per axis | Too large: scale it down or cut it into several parts. Too small: check the units. |
| Closed volume | No holes in the mesh | The part cannot be priced automatically: repair the file or ask for a manual quote. |
| Walls | At least 0.8 mm | The quote goes through, but thinner walls do not come out cleanly. |
Units, the first cause of error
An STL or OBJ file does not say which unit it was drawn in: it holds only numbers. Our quote reads them as millimetres. A part drawn in inches therefore arrives 25.4 times too small, and a part drawn in metres a thousand times too small.
The 3MF format declares its unit, which makes it the safest choice when your software offers it. Either way, look at the dimensions the quote shows under the file name before ordering: that is the size that will be printed.
Exporting from SolidWorks
- Open the part, then File > Save As, and pick the STL type.
- In Options, set the unit to millimetres and the resolution to Fine.
- For an assembly, save each part to its own file, unless the whole thing is meant to print as one block.
Exporting from Fusion
- In the browser, right-click the body to print, then Save As Mesh.
- Choose 3MF or STL, millimetre units and high refinement.
- Export one body per file: two overlapping bodies in the same file give a wrong volume.
Exporting from Blender
Blender works in metres by default, and the STL export writes the numbers as they are: a 50 mm object is worth 0.05 there and arrives tiny. Fix that before exporting.
- In the scene properties, set the length unit to millimetres and the unit scale to 0.001, then check the object's dimensions.
- Apply the object's scale and modifiers, so the file holds the shape you see.
- File > Export > STL, exporting the selection only.
- Enable the 3D Print Toolbox extension: it reports non-manifold edges, which are the holes in the mesh.
What is a closed volume?
A printer lays material inside a shape. The file therefore has to separate an inside from an outside without ambiguity: every edge of the mesh must be shared by exactly two faces. A model made of surfaces with no thickness, a missing face, or objects simply pushed into one another do not meet that condition.
- In CAD, work in solids rather than surfaces, and combine the bodies that are meant to be one.
- In polygon modelling, close the holes and merge duplicate vertices.
- Before sending, open the file in a slicer: most of them flag an open mesh.
Several parts, one order
Send one file per part and set the quantity on the quote instead of duplicating the part inside the file. Put all your parts in the same order: the start-up is charged once per filament (material or colour) loaded and delivery once per parcel, as the guide How much does 3D printing cost in Morocco shows.
If the quote still refuses your file
The quote shows the reason and a “Request a manual quote” button, which passes the file to us. We study it by hand and come back to you. You can also describe the project directly on the Custom project page. And if you do not have a file yet, see 3D printing without a printer.