Text to STL for 3D printing
Describe a part in plain English. Cad Bot builds the solid and exports an STL you can slice. Same generator as text to CAD, locked to the print format.
Sign in to generate. 3 free generations per day on an account. Parameter edits are always free. Adding features uses a generation.
What is an STL file
STL is the lingua franca of 3D printing: a triangulated mesh of your part's surface. Slicers turn it into printer toolpaths. It carries no parametric history — which is fine for printing, and exactly why we also give you the STEP.
From text prompt to printable mesh
Your sentence becomes an exact solid first, then a mesh. Before download, Cad Bot checks the mesh is watertight, estimates the thinnest wall from declared walls and hole clearances (not a FEM pass), and flags undersides steeper than 45° from vertical — faces on the build plate are ignored. Overhangs warn; they do not fail the job. If a wall lands under 0.8 mm the build fails with a plain explanation instead of handing you a broken file.
When to use STL vs STEP vs DXF
Printing tonight: STL, this page. Editing the part in Fusion 360, SolidWorks or FreeCAD first: text to STEP. A 2D shop drawing: text to DXF or text to DWG. All of these come from the same solid.
Questions
- Can I 3D print a text-to-STL file?
- Yes, after you slice it. Cad Bot reports whether the mesh is watertight, estimates the thinnest wall from the part spec (not a stress or FEM check), and flags faces steeper than 45° from vertical (build-plate faces ignored). Overhangs warn; they do not fail the build — inspect supports in your slicer.
- Is the mesh manifold?
- We target watertight meshes and verify each export; the result is shown next to the download button. Walls under 0.8 mm fail the build. Overhangs above 45° are flagged but still downloadable. Inspect in your slicer before a long print.
- STL vs STEP?
- STL is triangles for printers. STEP is CAD-editable — use the Text to STEP page when you want to keep working in Fusion, SolidWorks or FreeCAD. Start here if you only need to print.
- Does this cost extra?
- No extra format fee — same free allowance as the main generator (3 per day after you sign in). Paid generations are billed through Waffo. Parameter edits are free.