Producing a Design
When a design is finished, the Export step is where you produce it. Depending on your setup you can mill or print it in-house, add it to your production queue, save it as an order for a lab, or outsource it to a partner. This page explains those routes. For the full in-house steps, see CNC Milling and 3D Printing.
Production routes
From the Export step of an insole, shoe last, or brace design, choose the route that matches how you produce:
| Route | Button | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Production direct | Produce now | Mills or prints the design immediately in-house |
| Production queue | Place in production | Adds the design to your in-house production queue for scheduling |
| Save order | Save order | Packages the design as an .l3z order file to send to a lab or partner |
| Order (outsource) | Place order | Sends the design to a configured outsource partner |
The Outsource to dropdown appears only when an order system and partners are configured. Pick the partner in Outsource to before sending.
Milling a product
Choosing a milling route lays your parts out on a cutting table, where you arrange them and export the machine file. This uses the milling table you set up in CNC Milling, which covers the full milling flow.
Printing a product
Choosing a printing route opens the printing production, where you pick the printer and export the STL or send it straight to the machine. This uses the printer profiles you set up in 3D Printing, which covers the full printing flow.
If credit/token confirmation is enabled, the payment dialog appears only when you actually take a production file out of the software: exporting the machine file when milling, or Export STL / Export gcode file when printing. Choosing a production route does not charge you, and saving an .l3z order file or an order extract does not count as a production export. When the dialog appears, confirm to deduct from your subscription, or use Pay tokens to pay with tokens. If your balance is too low, an insufficient balance message is shown.