--- title: "Design a 3D printable part on your iPhone or Android, step by step" description: "From a sentence typed on the sofa to a file in your slicer, without a desktop: the steps, the phone gestures, getting the STL to the printer, and fixing a bad print." canonical: https://speakcad.com/blog/design-3d-printable-parts-on-iphone-android published: 2026-09-08 updated: 2026-10-13 publisher: SpeakCAD --- # Design a 3D printable part on your iPhone or Android, step by step > From a sentence typed on the sofa to a file in your slicer, without a desktop: the steps, the phone gestures, getting the STL to the printer, and fixing a bad print. ## Before you start You need a phone with Safari or Chrome and something to print. That is the list. There is nothing to install. The [live demo](/demo) is free without an account; your own parts start with Maker at $7.99 a month, cancel anytime. ## Step 1: open the builder and describe the part Tap the builder link at the top of this page. Type the part with its key dimensions: what it is, the size that matters, how it attaches. > **Prompt** A stand for an 8 inch tablet, 60 degree angle, 15 mm lip at the front, a 12 mm slot for the charging cable, 90 mm wide base. Dictation works if you prefer talking. Numbers dictate cleanly. ## Step 2: read the summary, look at the render The AI replies with what it built and what it assumed: wall thickness, angle, clearances. The model renders on a virtual bed. On a phone: - **Drag** with one finger to orbit - **Pinch** to zoom - **Tap** a face to see its size and editable numbers - The chat sheet drops down while the AI works so the model stays visible; pull it back up to type ## Step 3: edit until it is right "Make the lip 20 mm." "Add a second cable slot." "Round the corners 5 mm." Each is a message; each renders in seconds; each shows a ghost of the previous version so you can see what moved. Tap a face and type a number for changes that are only numbers. ## Step 4: download Tap Download, pick STL or 3MF (3MF keeps the name and units; STL works everywhere). Every plan includes downloads, from Maker at $7.99 a month. The file lands in your phone's Files or Downloads. ## Step 5: get it to the slicer - **Printer with a cloud app** (Bambu Handy, Creality Cloud, Prusa Connect): upload the file from the share sheet and slice with the printer's defaults. - **Laptop slicer:** AirDrop, Nearby Share, or a cloud folder. Open the file in PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura or OrcaSlicer. - **Printer with a web interface** (OctoPrint, Klipper): upload a pre-sliced file from the laptop, or slice on the laptop and send from there. ## Step 6: print, measure, fix from the phone The print is 0.3 mm tight? Open the model on the phone, type the number, re-download. Small fixes after a paid download re-download free. This is where the phone shines: you are at the printer with callipers, not at a desk. ## Tips for phones - Keep prompts to the dimensions that matter; the AI applies print-safe defaults for the rest. - Ask "what did you assume?" when a render looks off. - Add the site to your home screen for a one-tap icon. - Photos from the camera roll can be attached to a message as a shape reference. ## What to build first Something small you need this week: a hook, a clip, a knob, a spacer. The first print teaches you the loop; the second one is where you stop noticing you are on a phone. ## Prompts to try - A stand for an 8 inch tablet, 60 degree angle, 15 mm lip at the front, a 12 mm slot for the charging cable, 90 mm wide base. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520stand%2520for%2520an%25208%2520inch%2520tablet%252C%252060%2520degree%2520angle%252C%252015%2520mm%2520lip%2520at%2520the%2520front%252C%2520a%252012%2520mm%2520slot%2520for%2520the%2520charging%2520cable%252C%252090%2520mm%2520wide%2520base.)) - A spacer washer 20 mm outer diameter, 8.4 mm hole, 3 mm thick, times four laid out on the bed. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520spacer%2520washer%252020%2520mm%2520outer%2520diameter%252C%25208.4%2520mm%2520hole%252C%25203%2520mm%2520thick%252C%2520times%2520four%2520laid%2520out%2520on%2520the%2520bed.)) - A headphone hook that screws under a desk: a 40 mm deep hook 25 mm wide, 5 mm thick, with a 50 x 30 mm plate and two 4.5 mm holes. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520headphone%2520hook%2520that%2520screws%2520under%2520a%2520desk%253A%2520a%252040%2520mm%2520deep%2520hook%252025%2520mm%2520wide%252C%25205%2520mm%2520thick%252C%2520with%2520a%252050%2520x%252030%2520mm%2520plate%2520and%2520two%25204.5%2520mm%2520holes.)) ## FAQ ### How do I get the STL from my phone to my 3D printer? Use the share sheet: upload to your printer's cloud app (Bambu Handy, Creality Cloud, Prusa Connect), AirDrop or Nearby Share to a laptop, or drop it in a cloud folder that your slicer machine can open. ### Can I attach a photo from my phone? Yes. Attach a picture from the camera roll to a message as a shape reference, and give the two or three measurements that matter. For a full copy of a physical object, use the Duplicate flow with a ruler in the photo. ### Do I need to sign up to try it? Yes to save or download a model, but not to try the live demo first. Create an account and pick a plan: Maker ($7.99 a month, 50 credits), Pro or Unlimited. Cancel anytime. ## About SpeakCAD SpeakCAD is the most intuitive CAD for 3D printing, made for people who own a 3D printer and need a part that fits something they have: tap a face and type a size to shape it with simple tools, or describe it to the AI, on your phone or computer, and download a print-ready STL, 3MF or G-code sliced for your printer. SpeakCAD works inside ChatGPT and Claude as a plugin (an MCP server): ask the assistant for a part with its measurements and SpeakCAD's own CAD AI designs it, shows it in 3D in the chat and hands over a print-ready STL, 3MF or G-code sliced for your printer. - Live demo, no account: https://speakcad.com/demo - In ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP clients: https://speakcad.com/chatgpt-plugin, https://speakcad.com/claude-connector, https://speakcad.com/mcp-server - Pricing: https://speakcad.com/pricing - FAQ: https://speakcad.com/faq - Site index for AI assistants: https://speakcad.com/llms.txt