Forget Trees, Add Fins To Your 3D Prints Instead

A new open-source tool called support-fins generates thin fin-shaped supports baked directly into STL models as an alternative to traditional grid or tree supports for FDM 3D printing. Developed by Matthew Trahan with Claude's assistance, the fins aim to minimize material use and leave cleaner break-off marks than conventional supports, and can be run locally or via printfins.com. The concept builds on an approach originally pitched by Slant3D, who manually added fin supports using CAD software. Currently a one-time STL modification, it may later become a slicer plugin, with optional tines to reinforce fin-to-model connections at the cost of easier snap-off.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/forget-trees-add-fins-to-your-3d-prints-instead. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.