Make sure it can be made

Ask the model to audit the design against real shop rules: bend radius, minimum hole size, tolerances, clearances.

Every process has hard limits. Sheet metal needs a minimum flange length and bend radius, holes cannot be much smaller than the material is thick, and two parts that must slide need real clearance, not zero.

Give the model the shop's published design guidelines and ask it to check each feature against them, listing violations with the rule that was broken. Instant-quote services also flag many problems automatically when you upload a file.

Treat this as a gate. A design that fails the audit goes back to step 2, not forward to the printer.

Checklist

• Shop design guidelines supplied to the model
• Bend radii and minimum features checked
• Clearances for moving parts defined
• Upload warnings from the quote tool read, not dismissed