3D Printed Spring Generator (STL)
Pick a compression coil (round or flat wire), an extension coil with loop ends or a zig-zag flat spring. Set the outer diameter, wire size, free length, active coils and ends, see the inner diameter, pitch and solid height, squeeze it in 3D, and download a watertight STL or 3MF that stands on the bed.
How to make a 3D printed spring
- 1
Pick a spring
A compression coil with round wire or rectangular (flat) wire, an extension coil with a loop at each end, or a zig-zag flat spring that prints lying down.
- 2
Set the size
Outer diameter, wire diameter (or width and thickness), free length and active coils, in mm or inches. The inner diameter, pitch and solid height update as you type.
- 3
Choose the ends
Open, closed (the last turn sits on the next one) or closed and ground (flat ends, so the spring stands straight). Pick right- or left-hand winding.
- 4
Check and download
Squeeze it with the compress slider to see it close up, then save an STL or 3MF. Print it standing up, as it is placed on the bed.
What a printed spring can and cannot do
Printed plastic springs fatigue and creep: they get weaker with use and slowly take a set under a constant load. They are good for light loads, toys, bobbleheads and latches; use a steel spring for real loads. There is no load or stiffness calculator here, because printed stiffness depends on the filament, the printer and the settings, and we have no verified data for that.
The settings
| Compression coil | A helix of round wire, or of rectangular (flat) wire, which gives the slicer straight walls to work with. Open, closed or closed and ground ends. |
|---|---|
| Extension coil | An open coil of round wire with a half-ring loop over the middle at each end, for pulling. The overall length is measured over the loops. |
| Zig-zag flat spring | A flat strip folded back and forth with round bends and a pad at each end. It prints lying flat, so every layer runs the full length of the strip. |
| Outer diameter and wire | The outer diameter (OD) and the wire size set the inner diameter: ID = OD - 2 x wire (wire width for flat wire). The wire must be less than half the OD. |
| Free length and coils | The free length is the unloaded height. Active coils are the turns that flex; closed ends add one dead turn at each end. Pitch = the rise per active turn. |
| Ends | Open: constant pitch to the end. Closed: the end turn closes down onto the next. Closed and ground: closed, then cut flat at both ends with a flat ring, like a ground steel spring. |
| Handedness | Right-hand (the usual) or left-hand winding. A left-hand spring is the mirror image, for nesting one spring inside another or matching a part. |
| Solid height | The height when every coil touches. A spring cannot squeeze shorter than this; the compress slider stops there. |
Which filament for a printed spring?
What each filament is usually suggested for. These are general guides, not test results: try a sample spring with your printer and settings.
| Filament | Good for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | Prototypes, display pieces, a spring that is pressed now and then. Stiff but brittle, and it takes a set if left loaded. | Goodprints3D, "Best Filament for 3D Printed Springs" |
| PETG | The easy middle ground: moderate-cycle clips, battery-door returns, light latches. Tougher than PLA, but it can creep under a constant load. | Goodprints3D, same article |
| TPU | Soft compression, cushions, bumpers and bobbleheads: it bends a lot without breaking but pushes back gently. | Goodprints3D, same article; All3DP "Flexible Filaments" |
| Nylon | Springs that flex many times (clips, flexures, light mechanisms): the toughest and most fatigue-resistant of the four. Dry it before printing; it absorbs moisture. | Goodprints3D, same article |
Rules of thumb behind the warnings
The tool stops you when coils would fuse or the spring cannot be built, and warns, but does not stop you, when a spring looks likely to buckle or too thin to print well on a typical FDM printer with a 0.4 mm nozzle.
| Check | Rule of thumb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Print orientation | Print coil springs standing up, axis vertical, so every turn is one clean layer path and the layers are not split apart as the spring flexes. | Siraya Tech, "How to Design Perfect 3D Printed Springs" |
| Buckling | A compression spring longer than about 4 times its diameter can bend sideways when squeezed: guide it on a rod or in a bore. | Spring maker guides on slenderness ratio (Acxess Spring, eFunda) |
| Flat springs | A zig-zag flat pattern is a common printable spring because it prints flat, with layers along the strip. | JLC3DP, "Solutions for 3D Printed Spring" |
| Gaps and wire | Keep 0.6 mm or more between coils so they do not fuse, and the wire at least 0.8 mm (two lines of a 0.4 mm nozzle). | Our default for a 0.4 mm nozzle, not a standard |
Rules of thumb, not guarantees: every printer differs. Sites and brands named on this page are named only to describe compatibility or cite a source; The3DAI is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Need the part around it? Describe it and get a printable STL with AI
A latch, a button housing, a bobblehead figure, a clip or a holder for the spring: type what you need and get a printable STL, or turn a photo into a 3D model. The AI generators use credits; this spring generator does not.