Updated 2026-09-05 · 6 min read
How do I get a CAD file 3D printed?
Quick answer
Export your CAD file to STL or 3MF from the program that made it, then upload that file here for an instant price. Nearly every CAD program, from free ones like Fusion 360 and FreeCAD to paid ones like SolidWorks, offers an Export or Save As option with STL. If exporting is not possible, drop your original CAD file in anyway and use the send this file for review button, so a person can open it by hand.
Upload your file and get one printed for you.
Have a CAD file ready?
- Export it to STL or 3MF first, if you can, for the fastest path.
- No export handy? Send the original CAD file for review.
- A person opens it and replies by email.
A CAD file is whatever your design program saves natively: SolidWorks's .sldprt, Fusion 360's .f3d, FreeCAD's .FCStd, Blender's .blend, and plenty more. None of those are wrong files to have. They just need one more step before our upload tool can price them.
Export it to STL or 3MF first
Open your file in the program that made it. Find Export or Save As in the file menu, most CAD tools have one, and choose STL or 3MF as the output type. If your program can export directly to STEP as well as STL, choose STL or 3MF here since those are the two formats we price instantly.
Most programs ask for a mesh resolution or tolerance setting when you export to STL, since a CAD file stores exact curves and an STL has to approximate them with flat triangles. The default setting is fine for a printed part; a finer setting makes a smoother curve but a bigger file.
| File ending | Program it comes from | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| .sldprt, .sldasm | SolidWorks | File, Save As, choose STL |
| .f3d | Fusion 360 | File, Export, choose STL or 3MF |
| .FCStd | FreeCAD | File, Export, choose STL |
| .blend | Blender | File, Export, choose STL |
| .step or .stp | Most CAD programs, as a shared exchange format | Open in the program that made it and export to STL or 3MF |
Common CAD file types and the export step each one needs.
If you cannot export it yourself
Maybe you do not have the program installed, or the file came from someone else and you cannot open it. Go to our upload tool and drop the CAD file in anyway. It will tell you it takes STL and 3MF, and gives you a button to send this file for review instead of a dead end.
Add your email and a short note about the part, and a person opens the file from there. We reply by email once someone has actually looked at it, and there is no promised reply time, since nobody owns that number yet.
From a CAD file to a finished part
Step 1
Open the file in its native program
Whatever made the file is the easiest place to export it correctly.
Step 2
Export as STL or 3MF
Use Export or Save As and pick STL or 3MF as the file type.
Step 3
Upload the exported file
Drop it into our upload tool for a price right away, based on the real size.
Step 4
No way to export? Send the original file
Drop your CAD file into the upload tool anyway and use the send this file for review button.
Step 5
Pick a color and check out
Once you have a price, choose a material and color, and order. We print it in the USA and mail it to you.
| File type | Do we read it here? | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| .stl | Yes | An instant price, right after you upload |
| .3mf | Yes | An instant price, right after you upload |
| Native CAD files (.sldprt, .f3d, .FCStd, .blend, .step, and others) | Not for an instant price | A hand off to a person for review, no price until they look |
Instant price or a person by hand, by file type.
Worth knowing
What we will not promise
We do not price a native CAD file sight unseen, and exporting one badly, with a broken or unclosed surface, can produce an STL that will not print cleanly no matter how good the original design was. Our upload tool scales an exported file up to about 8.7 inches (222 mm) on the longest side in one piece, the same limit any format has, so a large assembly may need to be split into parts before it prints.
- Can I upload a SolidWorks or Fusion 360 file directly?
- Not for an instant price. Export it to STL or 3MF from inside the program first, or send the original file for review to a person.
- What CAD file types export to STL?
- Nearly all of them. SolidWorks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, Blender, and most other CAD and 3D programs have an Export or Save As option that includes STL.
- Does the CAD program I use matter for the price?
- No. Price comes from the size and material of the printed part, not from which program the design started in.
- What if my export comes out broken or will not price?
- Tell us when you upload. A broken export usually means the surface has a gap somewhere, and a person can look at the original file to help figure out why.
Common questions
- Can I upload a SolidWorks or Fusion 360 file directly?
- Not for an instant price. Export it to STL or 3MF from inside the program first, or send the original file for review to a person.
- What CAD file types export to STL?
- Nearly all of them. SolidWorks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, Blender, and most other CAD and 3D programs have an Export or Save As option that includes STL.
- Does the CAD program I use matter for the price?
- No. Price comes from the size and material of the printed part, not from which program the design started in.
- What if my export comes out broken or will not price?
- Tell us when you upload. A broken export usually means the surface has a gap somewhere, and a person can look at the original file to help figure out why.
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