Press kit
One line: splicestl is a free STL splitter that runs in the browser: it cuts a 3D model into pieces that fit your printer, adds connectors at every cut, and never uploads your file.
Name and spelling: splicestl, lowercase, one word; "splicestl.com" when the URL helps. Pronounced "splice S-T-L".
Boilerplate
Short (40 words): splicestl (splicestl.com) is a free, browser-based tool that splits STL, 3MF and OBJ models into printable parts. It plans cuts on all three axes to fit any of 152 printers, adds nine kinds of connectors, and keeps files on the user's computer.
Long (110 words): splicestl is a free STL splitter for 3D printing that runs entirely in the browser. Drop a model, pick a printer from 152 presets, and it cuts the model on X, Y and Z at once to fit the build volume, placing connectors at every cut: press-fit pegs, dovetails, tenons, finger joints, magnet pockets, dowel holes, screw joints, or a connector of your own. Seven cut-surface shapes — including an interlocking jigsaw — add shear strength without hardware. Every piece is verified watertight, laid flat on a cut face, packed onto build plates and exported as STL, OBJ, 3MF or a Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer project, with an assembly sheet, labels and a filament estimate. Files never leave the user's machine. It is built and maintained by Ned Walsch.
Facts that can be checked
| Fact | Value | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; no account, no upload, no watermark; ad-supported below the tool | the tool, privacy policy |
| Input / output formats | STL, 3MF (including Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer project files with painted colours), OBJ → STL, OBJ, 3MF, plated 3MF, Bambu/Orca project 3MF, PLY | 3MF splitter page, docs |
| Connector types | 9: pegs, dovetail, tenon/mortise, finger, magnet pockets, dowel holes, screw + insert, custom STL, none | joinery page |
| Cut surfaces | 7: flat, wave, zigzag, sawtooth, brick, pyramid, jigsaw | cut shapes page |
| Printer presets | 152 printers from 25 manufacturers, published as a CC BY dataset | dataset |
| Speed | 200,000-triangle model split with 24 connectors in 5.9 s; 1,000,000 triangles in 34 s (mid-range laptop, Chrome, splicestl 3.3) | benchmark with reproduction script |
| Geometry kernel | Manifold (open-source WebAssembly booleans); viewport three.js; the whole tool is one HTML file | about |
| Testing | Headless test harness with 28 scenarios (manifold output, connector placement, 3MF colours, share card) ships in the repository | tools/test/ in the source |
| Audience | Visitors from 150+ countries in Aug–Oct 2026; Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and Spain send the most Google clicks after the United States; the tool page is available in Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Italian | pt · es · fr · de · it |
| Launched | 2026; version 3.5 on 31 October 2026 (changelog under the version tag on the tool page) | tool page |
| Maker | Ned Walsch, sole developer; also publishes the SourceCited methodology report | about |
What makes it different (for a comparison paragraph)
- It plans cuts on three axes in one pass and fits them to a named printer. The Cut tool in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer and Creality Print cuts one plane per operation; most browser splitters are manual-cut tools or grid cutters without joinery beyond pins. Comparison with sources and read dates.
- Nine connector types, keyed so each piece fits one way, plus interlocking cut surfaces. The slicers offer plug, dowel, snap and dovetail.
- It reads Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer project files as saved, painted colours included, and writes a project with the plates laid out. Few tools outside the slicers do either.
- A published benchmark with a reproduction script, an open test harness, and a CC BY dataset of printer build volumes.
Logo and screenshots
Right-click to save. The logo is an SVG; the screenshots are PNG at 1600 px wide. Please do not alter the logo's colours or proportions; cropping the screenshots is fine.
How to describe the privacy claim accurately
"Runs in the browser" means the geometry is processed by WebAssembly in the user's tab; the model file is never sent to a server. The page itself loads from splicestl.com and from CDNs (three.js, the Manifold kernel), uses Google Analytics, shows display ads below the tool, and the download step carries affiliate links to filament. The privacy policy states all of this; "no upload, no account" is accurate, "no tracking" is not.
Contact
Ned Walsch · nedwalsch@gmail.com · replies within a day or two. Happy to supply a custom screenshot, a test model, or a quote.