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Stabilizer fins for tall, thin prints
Tall, narrow parts get knocked over halfway through a print. Add breakaway fins to both sides, tied on with one-layer tines, and download one STL that prints in any slicer.
Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, right-drag to pan. Click a fin to edit it.
How stabilizer fins work
A part that is tall and narrow has a small footprint and a long lever. Every time the nozzle drags across the top, or a bed slinger jerks back and forth, it pushes the part over a little more until it lets go of the bed. Fins give it a wide stance on both sides without changing the part itself.
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Add your part
Drop an STL, STEP or IGES file. Turn it until it stands the way you will print it. The tool shows how tall it is compared to its base.
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Check the fins
Fins are suggested on both thin sides. Move or resize any of them, delete the ones you do not need, or click the part to add more.
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Print, then snap them off
Download one STL with the fins included and slice it as usual. When the print is done, bend each fin away from the part to break the tines.
Stabilizer fin questions
What are stabilizer fins?
Thin vertical plates printed next to a tall, narrow part, joined to it by tiny one-layer bridges called tines. They widen the base so the part cannot be knocked over by the nozzle or the bed moving, and they snap off cleanly once the print is done.
Why not use a brim or slicer supports?
A brim only helps the first layer stick. It does nothing once the part is 50 mm tall and the nozzle catches the top. Slicer supports sit under overhangs and do not touch the sides of a part. Fins tie the sides to a wide footprint all the way up, and because they are part of the STL they work in any slicer.
How do I remove the fins?
Bend each fin away from the part. The tines are one layer tall and only bridge a 0.2 mm gap, so they break at the part's surface and leave small marks. A flush cutter or a light sand cleans up what is left.
Why does the tine height need to match my layer height?
A tine is meant to print as a single line. If it is taller or shorter than one layer, the slicer splits it across two layers or drops it, and it stops holding the part. Set Layer height to the value in your slicer before you download.
Can I choose where the fins go?
Yes. The tool suggests fins on both thin sides of the part, but you can drag each one along the part, change its height, delete it, or click anywhere on the part to add another.
Which slicers work with the result?
Any slicer that opens STL: Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and others. The fins are separate closed shells in the same STL, and the slicer merges them with the part. Do not split the STL into objects, or the tines will no longer touch the part.
Which files can I add fins to?
STL, STEP and IGES. STEP and IGES files are converted to a mesh in your browser first, the same way as on the STEP to STL converter. Nothing is uploaded.
Where does the idea come from?
Designed-in support fins were popularised by Slant3D, and Support Fins builds them under overhangs. This tool uses the same breakaway gap and one-layer tines, but stands the fins beside a tall part to stop it tipping over.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your CAD files are read from your disk, converted in your browser's memory and saved straight back to your disk. Nothing is sent to a server.
Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no watermark and no limit on the number of files.